For the benefit of those who don’t often take the trek over to Campustown, I took the time to review Paris Super Crȇpes. A rarity in Champaign-Urbana, Paris Super Crȇpes specializes in thinner crȇpes made with gluten-free flour from Japan. Unlike crȇpes served elsewhere in town, Paris Super Crȇpes rolls their crȇpes into cones and stuffs them with sweet or savory ingredients.
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
From campus, the restaurant is only a few minutes’ walk from the Alma Mater statue.
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
Inside, there are a few different options to sit depending on the size of your group. However, don’t expect to fit a large group in during busy times as seating isn’t plentiful. As an aside, the two small round tables show some wear after several years of use as the black duct tape holding their edges together indicate.
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
I also felt safe with all the staff wearing masks. Overall, the pop music playing in the background with the dark wood paneling all around the interior contributes to a chill vibe that makes for a nice place to relax.
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
Speaking of friends, takoyaki ($5.45 for five pieces) is a great treat to share at Paris Super Crȇpes. Made with wheat flour, octopus, tempura, green onion, and then fried, takoyaki is a savory Japanese street food typically eaten with small skewers. While they can be eaten with your hands, the drizzling of mayo and other savory sauces make that a messy proposition. I loved the crispy exterior and the soft dough on the inside. Paris Super Crȇpes doesn’t put a lot of octopus in their takoyaki, so the chewiness is minimal for those who aren’t used to that in their fried food. As one last piece of advice, wait several minutes for the takoyaki at Paris Super Crȇpes to cool, as the interior is deceptively hot and will burn your mouth.
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
To wash down a hot bite of takoyaki, I recommend a lychee lime green tea with chia seeds ($4.99) or one of their other teas. Not too sweet, the lime gives it a small punch while the lychee cuts down on the green tea bitterness. I also liked the soft, chewy texture added by the chia seeds and lychee pieces. If you want something more substantial to drink, Paris Super Crȇpes also sells a wide variety of milk teas.
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
For my main meal, I ordered a chicken teriyaki crȇpe ($7.50). Served like a bouquet and stuffed with greens, chicken, carrots, corn, crunchy onion, sesame seeds, mayo and teriyaki sauce, this crȇpe is lighter than I expected, though not in a bad way. With about sixty percent of the crȇpe vegetables, I felt satisfied but not overstuffed at the end. I wish I had eaten this crȇpe before the takoyaki as it cooled very quickly. Surprisingly, it remained crispy on the edges despite me waiting a little too long to start eating it. While the vegetables are crispy and the chicken is tender, it was the various sauces that kept this crȇpe from being too dry. The savory crȇpes are a nice small meal at Paris Super Crȇpes.
Photo by Matthew Macomber.
For dessert, I went with the Paris Super Crȇpe ($7.75). If you order nothing else here, get this crȇpe. The fruit is wonderfully sliced, well-presented, and all the tastes mesh perfectly. Filled with mango, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, custard cream, whipped yogurt, chocolate pearls and pistachios, this crȇpe has it all. If you’ve ever eaten a piece of fruit pizza, this tastes similar, just a larger portion filled with more fruit and embraced in a crispy crȇpe.
While competition is fierce along Green Street near the University of Illinois, Paris Super Crȇpes is worth a visit. With a nice mix of sweet and savory, you’ll find something to suit your tastes. Take a walk around campus and stop by Paris Super Crȇpes for a break. With how refreshing the Paris Super Crȇpe was, I look forward to trying their other sweet crȇpes.
Paris Super Crȇpes
601 S 6th St
Champaign
noon to 10:30 p.m., daily