November 10, 2010
A dainty, small shop decorated with pastel yellow paint and wooden floors, the House of Crepes located at 313 W. MacArthur St. in Shawnee, OK offers a unique contribution to the Shawnee community.
The Mediterranean cuisine opened in June 2010 by a couple who moved to Shawnee from Albania. While the restaurant is only open Monday-Saturday 10a.m.-6p.m., it offers free Wi-Fi, television, and music.
The small shop has a feeling similar to that of a coffee shop. Couches, tiny tables for two, and coffee tables fill the room with a quiet atmosphere to gather with a friend.
The restaurant’s specialty is making crepes of all kinds, offering 46 different kinds of crepes, with the option to mix and match to create the desired meal. Perhaps one of the most positive things of the restaurant is that none of the food is fried.
Offering a healthy menu is important to their business according to the website at www.houseofcrepessussette.us.
The menu offers vegetarian crepes, meat crepes and fruit crepes. House of Crepes also offers a line of pastas and salads. Many hot dishes including lasagna, chicken breast, roast beef, turkey and stew are also listed on the menu.
The first visit to House of Crepes was overall a good experience. The mix and match crepe consisting of bananas, strawberries and milk chocolate left me feeling satisfied with my purchase.
The consistency of the food was very balanced. All of the fruit was fresh and appeared folded inside the light brown crepe wrapping, with small amounts of strawberries and bananas sitting lightly on top of the finished product. The milk chocolate on the inside covered the fruit contents with its warmth. The sweet and fruity dish proved to be the perfect appetizing snack.
While not the best crepe I’ve ever tasted, (I had an excellent one in Denver) it certainly is a good snack for the sweet tooth, and House of Crepes offers the unique dessert in Shawnee.
The main problem for college students is the price range. While some salads are offered as low as $3.99, the average price for a crepe is $6-$9, making a dessert a pricy purchase for a college student. However, there was leftover food on the plate after I was full. Customers still receive quite a bit of food for what they pay.
There are full meals offered for up to $14 but it does not include a drink. Another disadvantage of dining at House of Crepes is that it is a cash only policy. There is no sign posted near the register that informs the customer of this rule, so unless customers know ahead of time, they could potentially become frustrated that they cannot pay for their food after placing their order.
One of the best advantages to dining at House of Crepes is the interaction with the owners. The best service they provide is cooking authentic Mediterranean food from their recipes after living in Albania. They are excited to chat with students and by building relationships they hope to create larger revenue from student and faculty business. With that goal in mind, they are currently working on creating better publicity tactics within the Shawnee community.
They are eager to talk to students and desire conversation with them. Their kind spirits and eagerness to get to know the customer are two excellent things about House of Crepes’ service.
One review from a customer on the website guestbook said, “This is the best crepes restaurant. They also have delicious pastas and salads with a Mediterranean flavor. The owners are the nicest and friendliest people. Try it. You will keep coming back for more.”
A full menu is offered online at www.houseofcrepessussette.us as well as a coupon for one free soft drink with the purchase of a crepe. The offer is good until November 30.
Delivery is also available for businesses. For questions about the menu or service contact House of Crepes at (405) 275-1005. With the House of Crepes just down the street from campus, it is worth a try and I would give my overall dining experience a 3 ½ stars out of 5.
