“Gotta B Crepes” is a new addition to Evanston’s Central Street—it opened a little less than a year ago in Oct. of 2018.

Though the store itself has only recently opened, the owners aren’t new to the crepe business, and it shows. Kathia and Ryan Jones have been serving up crepes at the Evanston farmers market since 2012, and they first started making and selling crepes out of their garage to neighbors and friends in 2010.

The store itself is bright and airy, with plenty of windows and white walls, making it a sunny and cheerful spot for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. The decorations are also quite fun: bee lights, a sign that reads “Bee Happy,” and a chalkboard strip on which kids (or young at heart teenagers and adults) can draw, to name a few.

The store’s layout is unique because they have an open kitchen, so their crepe makers can be seen through the glass partition. This means that customers can watch their crepes being made, which I thought was an engaging and interesting experience.

I was pleased to notice the store sells a variety of sweet and savory crepes that can satisfy both picky and adventurous eaters. In addition, the store caters to many different dietary restrictions: gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and nut free crepe options were all available.

My friend and I decided to order and share one sweet and one savory crepe. After some deliberation, as there were many options on the menu that looked delicious, we chose the “Strawberry Sunrise,” for our sweet crepe and the “Veggie Pesto Scramble” for our savory crepe.

One might be concerned that made-to-order crepes would result in a ridiculously long wait, especially at peak hours. But, even though we walked in at 10 A.M. on a Saturday, the ordering process was surprisingly quick and easy, and the crepes were ready in a matter of minutes.

One drawback of this restaurant is that the crepes come with a hefty price tag. Before tax, the “Strawberry Sunrise” was $7.99 and the “Veggie Pesto Scramble” was $11.99. Some of the crepe options were even more expensive than the ones we chose. For example, the “Bigger Bacon Maple” crepe is priced at a whopping $15.99.

Though, when one considers that the ingredients are fresh and local, and that the portions are sized well, the prices start to seem more reasonable.
Even though the store was fairly crowded, there was still plenty of available seating, so we were able to sit down and start eating our crepes as soon as they were ready.

The “Veggie Pesto Scramble” was most definitely the best crepe, and possibly even breakfast dish, I have ever eaten. Both the textures and flavors of the mushrooms, microgreens, scrambled eggs, mozzarella, and homemade pesto complimented each other well, and worked together to create a well rounded and delectable dish.

In comparison, the “Strawberry Sunrise” was relatively unremarkable, but was still pleasant to eat. The crepe was made with buckwheat batter and filled with a tangy orange sauce, sweet strawberries, and cinnamon sugar.

Both crepes were simple in terms of presentation, but not necessarily in a bad way. The “Veggie Pesto Scramble” was drizzled with a signature pesto sauce that created an elegant, striped pattern. An over-easy egg was also placed neatly on top. The “Strawberry Sunrise” was similarly decorated, but instead of the pesto sauce was drizzled with an orange sauce, and the egg was replaced with sweeter toppings: powdered sugar and whipped cream.

For environmentally conscious eaters, or those who prefer fresh flavors, the farm-to-table ingredients are certainly a plus.

If you’re willing to overlook the price, this place is a must-try breakfast stop with more than enough options to please most customers.