Euro Delights

It is true one can find any sort of food in Astoria, including a restaurant devoted to all types of crepes: sweet, savory, and breakfast crepes. While sweet and savory crepes are common, I had never encountered a breakfast crepe, and was eager to try one on a recent Saturday morning. Euro Delights is an unassuming creperie on Broadway that offers an endless amount of different crepe combinations, as well as breakfast dishes, Panini, burgers, wraps, and just about anything else you can think of. Their main specialty is the crepe, and it is my belief they should stick to that, but for all those crepe haters out there, Euro Delights has you covered too.

From the outside, Euro Delights looks like a typical diner, so I never gave it a second thought whenever I walked past it. It was after I found out they serve crepes that my interest was heightened. I’ve always found crepes to be a bit difficult to find in this city, where I have to wait for the Memorial Day through Labor Day street fairs to indulge in my love for crepes. Once I found out Euro Delights not only served crepes, but a whole bunch of different types of crepes, I had to give it a try.

from the outside

From the inside, Euro delights still looks like a typical diner. The place does not have much character in its orange walls and picturesque painted scenes of many unbeknownst harbors. A few lonely Snapples sit in an empty fridge in the back, and tables fill the main dining area.

interior

interior

dining area

The crepe selection is lengthy, but upon reading the descriptions of the crepes, you notice that they are just the different combinations of the same ten or so ingredients, mixed together in every way possible.  My friends and I all ended up ordering from the breakfast crepes selection, getting the La Basic Crepe, the Stallion Crepe, and the Maple Madness Crepe.

I ordered La Basic Crepe, which consisted of cheese, eggs, and ham (or salami). I chose this crepe because I wanted something simple where the flavors could really shine, and because in Brittany, the region in France where crepes and galettes were invented, this is a common savory galette that is served in every creperie. I thought it would be best to compare apples to apples.  When my La Basic came out, I was a bit disappointed – it did not look anything like the crepes I had from my time in Brittany. The crepe at Euro Delights consisted of scrambled eggs, mixed with cheese and pieces of ham folded inside the buckwheat crepe, whereas in Brittany, the crepes are served thinly, with melted cheese and thin layers of ham, with an ever so slightly cooked (or sometimes raw) egg laid delicately on top. While the crepes and galettes I got to eat in Brittany where absolutely delicious, I guess it is a bit unfair to compare the regional birthplace of a dish to a shop in Astoria, Queens. Putting that comparison aside, my crepe at Euro Delights was good. It was generously filled with my scrambled eggs, cheese, and ham mixture. While the flavors in my crepe were not as delicate, it was an enjoyable crepe that was made well.  It also came with a lone cucumber and tomato wedge covered in balsamic vinegar on the side, which left the cook in me confused and my taste buds offended. I believe this cucumber and tomato slice came with every breakfast crepe, which makes no sense from a culinary viewpoint, as not every crepe flavors’ on the menu harmoniously taste well with balsamic vinegar covered vegetables. It seems as if they were placed there as some sort of lazy attempt at a side or garnish. I had no care for them, and would rather have them not be on my plate, as the balsamic vinegar coat of course found its way on to my crepe.

La Basic Crepe

My friends ordered the Stallion and Maple Madness crepes. The Stallion was filled with cheese, eggs, sausage, caramelized onions, and green peppers. Why the owners didn’t just call it the Italian Stallion will remain a mystery to me. This crepe had the same scrambled eggs as mine did, with a zestier and fulfilling filling. The Maple Madness Crepe had bananas, walnuts, butter, and maple syrup, and came out with whipped crème and topped with powdered sugar and syrup. More of a sweet crepe than a breakfast crepe, it was great and also, generously filled.

the Stallion Crepe

the Maple Madness Crepe

I enjoyed my breakfast at Euro Delights, and will be visiting there again. For a creperie in Astoria, it is great and something we needed. The crepes are hearty and varied, which is nice for trying out new flavors you may not normally have thought of. With that said, there are some pretty wild combinations that do not appeal to me, but may appeal to others. I probably would not order from the breakfast selection again, due to my dislike for scrambled eggs in crepes. I have yet to try their sweet crepes but from what I saw with the Maple Madness Crepe, they seem to have their sweet crepes covered. The crepes will cost you between $6-$12.