Rachel's Cafe & Creperie — Restaurant in Lancaster

Was excited to try Rachel's due to a friend's recommendation. I was in town for work and wanted to stop in quickly before heading to meetings. So, I ordered ahead (a few crepes) and then asked the hostess/cashier if I could order a coffee to stay as I would eat there, as I wanted to eat quickly and leave for work. She took the order, but could tell she wasn't happy about something and was a bit rude/annoyed, but I brushed it off as it's the morning. Whatever - paid and left a 2nd small tip. She said she would let them know I'm here to pick up my crepes. Quickly got my food and then my coffee in a paper cup, and went to sit down at table. Only 2-3 were occupied so just sat at a small one for me. A few minutes into eating, another worker came up and said, (fairly rudely, in the middle of eating/drinking and loud enough to make an example in front of other patrons) "just so you know, these tables are for table service only so you know for next time". And walks away. If the place was packed, totally get it as I wouldn't want to take up a table from one who would be getting service. But it was empty.

Customer service skills would say wait until the person is done enjoying their food, and kindly indicate this to them on the way out. There was no clear indication there was only table service, and when I ordered up front, I made it very clear of my intention to eat there. Odd why nobody would have indicated this to me, would have maybe left and ate elsewhere but honestly crepes are not exactly easy to eat on the go, so I would have agreed to table service.

All in all, really good crepes, like seriously good, but I sensed quite a bit of rudeness from a few staff members. That said, one server walked by a few times and was SUPER nice, so I appreciated that. I apologized to her about not knowing about table service and that I could clean off my own table, but she insisted she'd take care of it. She was the only very friendly person I personally encountered.

I guess all I'm saying is consider with your staff how they speak to and inform people of things. We can't read minds, and if there was a sign somewhere, it wasn't apparent.

Many cafes are sit-down and no table service / table service optional, so it's not immediately clear.

Even though the food was great, it really just ruined the whole experience and moment for me as the whole time I was eating, I could tell some of the staff was just grilling me. Would possibly return again, but hesitant. Bit of a...

Amazing crepes. Seriously, amazing. We were in Lancaster for the weekend and went there for an early dinner Saturday night. The food was so good we were back for breakfast before leaving the next morning. FYI - this place gets packed. They opened at 9 and we got there at 9:05 and there were at least 10 tables already going. When we were leaving at 10:30, there had to be at least 20 people waiting to be seated.

Best crepe we had - Tavern on the Green. I had reservations about sour cream in a dessert crepe, but it is amazing.

Best savory crepe - Veggie Santa Fe. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Not as much as the Tavern on the Green, but if you're the kind of person that wants real food before dessert, this is a very tasty crepe.

Best drink - The coffee is high quality and I would order a cappuccino there any time. I also had a smoothie, which was good, but is actually so filling it gets in the way of eating more crepes. I don't need that.

Service - The service is French. Or European. That's not an insult or a dig in any way. It is friendly, but at a relaxed pace. I never felt rushed to order, eat, or leave. The meal moved along and we were never left waiting too long. That being said, if I was in a rush, this would not be a good place to come.

Ambience - Fun. There is a chic, yet down-to-earth feel to the restaurant. Yellow floral wallpaper paired with rustic wooden tables, blue chandeliers, and exposed brick. Very bright atmosphere that adds to the energetic buzz.

Price - Reasonable. Crepes range from $2.50 for butter and sugar to $8.50 for a specialty crepe with added meat.

Bonuses - 1) Kid-friendly. I usually associate French with fancy, but this place welcomed our 4-month-old in his stroller and there were plenty of babies and kids from his age and up. However, they don't have a changing table, so be prepared to maneuver! 2) Conscientious. They participate in the suspended coffee program. Although, I'm pretty sure they just hand them out to anyone in need, regardless of if enough have...

I have visited both Rachel's locations many times over the past 6-7 years. I recently visited the downtown location for the first time since their remodel and the closure of their other location. It felt crowded and the tables were so close together that I couldn't sit across from my spouse because there wasn't enough room between us and the table next to us.

Ordered from the coffee bar which was delicious. Ordered a regular menu breakfast crepe and one of the specials. We waited about 45 minutes for our crepes... Other tables that were seated and ordered after us had come and gone and still we didn't have our crepes. Orders were flowing out of the kitchen to tables that had only been waiting about 15 minutes or so. I know things happen and perhaps there was a mixup. But, none of the wait staff stopped by to inform us of the delay, offer to check on the availability of a different crepe for us or anything. We decided after seeing that every table in the restaurant had their crepes except for us (almost all of these tables were seated and ordered at least 20-25 minutes after us) we headed up to the register, asked to cancel the crepes, pay for our coffee, and head out. Instead they asked me to continue to wait while they checked on the crepes and said they were going to comp our meal because of the delays. I wish they had communicated with us while we were seated at the table about their plan and/or the issues. I'm really not sure what happened and why things weren't communicated to us. It was just a really different experience than what I'm used to at Rachel's and I'm still bummed that we had such a poor experience during a "light traffic" Thursday morning...