Rachel's Cafe & Creperie

Way back in the eighth grade I went on a trip to Quebec, Canada with my french class.  On that trip I had my first ever crêpe and fell in amour.  For any débutants to the crêpe world, they are basically big thin pancakes filled with either sweet or savory ingredients.

Lancaster is home to Rachel's Cafe & Creperie, a lovely cafe that serves up a wide assortment of crêpes, salads, coffee, smoothies and hot chocolate.  The cafe was originally located on Queen Street, but moved onto Walnut Street in late 2012.

My first experience at Rachel's was with Scott when we met our wedding photographers.  Then I went with my mom, after another wedding appointment.  This past weekend, I got to visit Rachel's again with my old roomie (to chat about her upcoming wedding!) and it was so enjoyable!  What is it about Rachel's Cafe and weddings??  I couldn't believe that Caitie, who lives in Lancaster, had never been to Rachel's, but I was excited to enjoy her first time there together!  The cafe looked lovely all decorated for Valentine's Day.

We started our meal with two specialty drinks.  I tried (and loved) the Spicy Mexican Nutella Hot Chocolate and Caitie ordered the Frozen Nutella Hot Chocolate.  If I haven't mentioned, I am a huge Nutella fan so a place that uses it in so many dishes is right up my alley.  The hot chocolate wasn't overly sweet; I first tasted the kick of spice followed by the smooth hazelnut of the Nutella and creamy whipped cream.  It was deee-lish!

The best way to experience Rachel's is ordering one savory and one sweet crêpe to share.  Caitie and I decided on the savory Capri and sweet Fresh Berry Cheesecake.  While the Capri Crêpe doesn't make for a very exciting picture, it was delicious!  The traditional Italian elements of fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes and olive oil joined perfectly with the light and airy french crêpe.  This one was Caitie's favorite choice!

The star of our meal (in my eyes) was the Fresh Berry Cheesecake crêpe, Ali style.  This dessert crêpe has a sweet cream cheese layer, fresh blueberries and sliced bananas, graham cracker crumbs, Nutella and whipped cream.  The slight tartness from the cream cheese with the sweet Nutella and fruit was just an awesome combination!

While we were chatting I noticed a little paper on our table that mentioned "Suspended Coffee."  The way it works is you can buy a cup of coffee, and when someone less fortunate comes in, their coffee is already paid for.  I loved the idea of paying it forward in an anonymous way so I made sure to take past before we left.  With that and a couple other little things I'm keeping private, I can cross off #10 on my list, a random act of kindness.

I had such a lovely time (again) at Rachel's Cafe & Creperie.  Each time I go I love it more and this time was extra special with my wonderful friend, Caitie!  If you happen to visit Lancaster around breakfast time, or just want to make the totally worth it trip, check Rachel's out- you'll be in les paradis!