Ybor-based crepe café expanding to the EDGE District this fall
/Romeo and Juliet - Nutella, banana and fresh strawberries with vanilla ice cream on top
After over 15 successful years in Ybor City, the owner of La Creperia Café has decided to bring his popular crepes to downtown St. Pete. However the St. Pete location will be smaller than its Ybor counterpart and will go by a different name – Crepeway Caffe.
Crepeway Caffe will be located at 907 Central Avenue in the EDGE District. The space was formerly occupied by Now and Then, a vintage furniture shop. EJ Barkett of Barkett Realty represented the landlord in the deal.
“I absolutely love downtown St. Pete,” said owner Konstantinos Chilias, aka Chef Dinos. “There is a ton of foot traffic, dogs, and sunshine. It’s a beautiful city. It’s perfect.”
Crepes are a French delicacy that can be thought of as very thin pancakes often stuffed with a variety of fillings.
Crepeway Caffe will be located at 907 Central Avenue in the EDGE District of St. Pete. The space was formerly home to Now and Then, a vintage furniture store.
“You can really eat crepes any time of the day,” said Chef Dinos. “When stuffed with eggs, cheese, and bacon, it makes a great breakfast. Or if it’s later in the day, a crepe with chicken and mushrooms is the perfect lunch or dinner. And of course, you won’t find a dessert more delicious than Nutella and fresh fruit folded into a crepe and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.”
Madame Suzette - caramelized sugar, butter, lemon juice, orange juice, Flambé with Grand Marnier liqueur
The new St. Pete café will cater to downtown St. Pete’s walkable lifestyle by predominantly offering take-out and to-go options. However, for those that want to dine in, there will be a few seats inside as well as outdoor tables.
“I’m going to teach the people of St. Pete how to eat a crepe like you’re in Paris,” said Chilias. “In Paris, crepes are often sold by street vendors in a hand roll style that’s easy to eat on the go.”
Chef Dinos will be bringing the “greatest hits” from his Ybor location over the bridge to St. Pete. The menu will have around 10 to 15 sweet crepes and another 10 to 15 savory crepes. Customers are also free to build their own crepes.
Pescadore - Cheese, Salmon, Asparagus, Caviar, and creme fraiche
The most popular sweet crepe that will be available in St. Pete is called Romeo and Juliet, which consists of Nutella, banana, and fresh strawberries. The best-selling savory crepe is the Vegetarian containing melted cheese, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and Kalamata olives.
One exciting ingredient that’ll be making its debut in St. Pete will be Nutella White Chocolate. “Everyone has had Nutella’s hazelnut spread, but they recently released a white chocolate sauce that is very popular in Europe right now,” said Chilias.
The crepes at Crepeway Caffe will range in price from $8 to $15 depending on the fillings.
Another St. Pete exclusive will be the addition of waffles, which are not available at the Ybor location. Similar to the crepes, the waffle menu will have sweet and savory options.
Chef Dinos making a crepe at La Creperia Cafe in Ybor City
And no crepe or waffle is complete without a cup of coffee. Crepeway Caffe will have a full espresso bar serving everything from Americanos to Macchiatos, Cappucinos to Café Lattes.
Chef Dinos is originally from the Greek island of Rhodes but moved to Paris in 1982 where he was first introduced to crepes. After his time in Paris, he returned to his hometown in the 1990’s and opened the first creperie on the island.
Dinos perfected the art of crepe-making in Rhodes before journeying across the world to open the first creperie in Long Beach, CA in 1996. Although the business thrived, Dinos wasn’t ready to put down roots in California.
“When I found Ybor City in 2005, it was the most walkable neighborhood in Tampa. There were a lot of students and young people and it reminded me of Paris, but it was missing a creperie,” said Chilias with a smirk.
Chef Dinos was introduced to crepes while living in Paris in the 1980s. he has owned crepe cafes for over 30 years in his hometown of Rhodes, Long Beach, and Ybor City.
Since opening in 2005, La Creperia Café has gained a loyal following and reputation for serving the best crepes in Tampa Bay. In fact, the café won the Reader’s Pick for Best Crepes at Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay three years in a row before the category was axed in 2018.
If the St. Pete location is a success, Chef Dinos would love to bring the concept to other cities far and wide. “My plan is to open a few locations every year. In my opinion, cities with universities need to have at least one creperie,” said Chef Dinos.
Crepeway Caffe will be located at 907 Central Avenue in the EDGE District. The restaurant hopes to open this September. Expect Crepeway Caffe to stay open late on Fridays and Saturdays to attract the bar crowd. After all, according to Chef Dinos, “why eat pizza when you can have a crepe?”
Chef Dinos outside his Ybor City restaurant, La Creperia Cafe, located at 1729 East 7th Avenue
