Four Reasons to Love the French Market Crêperie

The French Market Crêperie is Knoxville’s first and only authentic French crepe restaurant, according to their website. But originally, I didn’t go to there for the crepes. It was simply next on the list of “coffee shops” my friends and I wanted to visit. But after one visit, I’m just not sure we’re going to make it to the rest of the coffee shops on our list because we liked it so much. So, what’s so great about the French Market Crêperie? Here are my four reasons to love the French Market Crêperie.

I’ve never been to Paris. But when I walked into the French Market Crêperie it reminded me of all those pictures you see of Parisian cafes. From the adorable blue chairs outside to the ornate chandelier and distinctive ceiling, the French Market Crêperie’s chic, yet cozy, décor makes me feel like I’ve traveled overseas to a café in Paris. (Without having to spend thousands of dollars to get there).

While we didn’t take advantage of the outdoor seating, I can just imagine sitting out there on a warm day in May as I sip my perfectly blended latte. But since it was a little chilly, we chose to sit upstairs in the somewhat secluded loft that overlooks the main floor.

This gave us the perfect opportunity to enjoy all the art displayed in addition to providing us with a great view outdoors. It was perfect for our small group, affording us an element of privacy while we solved the world’s problems over crepes and hot lattes.

Speaking of lattes…that brings me to my second reason for loving the French Market Crêperie: their great specialty drinks.   I know there are people who love black coffee – in fact hubby is one of those. But for me, I want the flavors, the sugar, and milk. And sometimes I want to try something new. And I want someone to suggest a flavoring for me, and the French Market Crêperie always has suggestions.

When I met with my friends last week, it was the Crème Brule Latte. Yesterday when I was downtown shooting pictures of the snow, it was the strawberry white chocolate latte. Both were perfectly blended; not too sweet or too strong.

While I’m a coffee drinker, some of my friends aren’t, and I want them to have a good selection too. With sparkling sodas and lemonade, tea, and a salted caramel hot chocolate I think the French Market Crêperie has all the bases covered.

And that brings me to the third reason to love the French Market Crêperie – the food. Let’s be honest. Sometimes coffee shops don’t have a very big selection of food. And sometimes restaurants don’t have very good coffee or a place where you can sit for a while and enjoy the company of friends. The French Market Crêperie has both.

In fact, according to their website, the French Market Crêperie is “Knoxville’s first and only authentic French crepe restaurant”. They even use flour imported from France. How cool is that? And while we are talking about crepes, I learned I was saying the word wrong…crepe rhymes with pep not grape. And I also found out that crepes aren’t breakfast food in France.

But don’t let that stop you from eating them for breakfast at the French Market Crêperie. They offer both sweet and savory crepes, in addition to omelets and croissants. For lunch there’s an entirely different selection of savory crepes, baguettes and soups.

Everything I’ve eaten at the French Market Crêperie has been wonderful. I love the fact that I can meet friends there and eat something or just sip a cup of coffee while they eat. Everybody walks away happy.

And the final reason I love the French Market Crêperie is the two locations. While I was first introduced to the French Market Crêperie downtown’s location, this week I visited the west location.

Now for a Halls girl, the west location feels like I’m halfway to Nashville, but I was headed out to Costco anyway. While normally I probably would have headed to Sunago for coffee, I knew I would be fighting the hoards because of the snowy forecast, so I decided I needed a little more sustenance than only coffee. Besides, it was a great excuse to call my friend, K, and meet for lunch.

While the west location is pretty far out there for this North Knoxville gal, parking was a dream. Even though there were a lot of people out (prepping for the upcoming snow), it felt like there was unlimited parking. And you didn’t have to pay for it.  

This location had the same Parisian Café feel as the downtown location. While it didn’t have the second floor, it had its own appeal.

I originally planned on trying one of the savory lunch crepes while I was here, but when K pointed out the chicken salad croissant, I was hooked. I love a good chicken salad and the French Market Crêperie didn’t disappoint.

The chicken salad was perfectly seasoned (although I would have liked a little more of it) and the croissant was the flakiest and tastiest I think I have ever had.

But I wasn’t done. Since I knew I was going to be fighting the “snow crowd” I decided it was time to try one of the sweet crepes. But I was facing quite a dilemma. Should I go for the lemon curd and blueberry crepe? Or maybe I should get the strawberries and cream? Finally, I made my decision …. the Bavarian Crème Crepe which featured a velvety smooth vanilla custard folded inside a warm crepe with dark chocolate and whipped cream

That crepe did not disappoint. It was incredible. The only problem was that it was too big for one person. My friend, K, wouldn’t share it with me so I was left to demolish it on my own.

And I did a great job…eating all of it except a final two bites. It was wonderful! The crepe was light, and the custard was a perfectly flavored creamy delight. That chocolate and whipped cream on top added the final touch.

My only suggestion would be to maybe provide a junior size for those of us who are trying to cut back on our calories this year. Or…maybe not.

If you’re downtown check out the French Market Crêperie at 412 Clinch Avenue. It’s the perfect location for breakfast before heading to Market Square Mall. They open every day except Sunday at 8am. On Sundays, they open at 9. Sunday through Wednesday they are open until 3pm.

On Thursday and Friday, they are open until 9 which is perfect for a late night treat. Saturday’s hours are kind of weird. They are open from 8am-3pm and then reopen from 4-9. For parking, I’ve found that the Locust Street Garage seems to be best.

Out west, you’ll find the French Market Crêperie at 161 Brooklawn Street. It is open Monday – Saturday from 9-4pm and Sunday from 9-3pm.

What about you? Have you been to the French Market Crêperie. If so, which location? Post your comments below.