French native Jonathan Pajot recalls how, since he missed the taste of crepes, he started making crepes at home.
“I’m from Brittany, which is in northwest France, where crepes are really popular,” he explains. “Buckwheat crepes have a certain flavor and smell — especially when they’re savory. I was starting to have crepe parties, and all of my friends were like, ‘This is really good, you should do something about it.’ They kept saying that for five years, and I decided to do this — I bought a beautiful Volkswagen bus on Craigslist, made it pretty and we started North Shore Crepes Café.”
That was about 10 years ago, and you can still find North Shore Crepes Café’s iconic VW bus in Haleiwa today. The business also has a second location at Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie.
“We make beautiful French crepes for lunch (savory crepes) and desserts; we also have a few iced teas and iced coffees,” Pajot says. “We have vegan and gluten-free options for our creeps; we try to do it the French way, but with a Hawaiian twist.”
In terms of savory crepes, Pajot recommends the Hawaiian ($12.75) — made with kalua pig, mozzarella, coleslaw, sautéed onions and barbecue sauce — and garlic shrimp ($12.95), which pays homage to the plentiful shrimp trucks on the North Shore. The latter comes with shrimp, mozzarella, scrambled egg, avocado, tomato, spinach and pesto.
“All of our lunch crepes are made with buckwheat flour,” Pajot says. “The Chef ($12.75) — a combo of chicken, mozzarella, scrambled egg, avocado, tomato, spinach and pesto — is also really popular.”
Customers especially enjoy the sweet crepes, such as Waikiki ($10.75) — Nutella, banana and strawberry with vanilla ice cream on top — and Delice ($8.25), which comes with Nutella and bananas.
“Our dessert crepes are especially popular,” Pajot confirms. “You can also add vanilla ice cream to any dessert crepe for $2.”
While customers can call in their orders via phone, Pajot recommends ordering in person.
“The best (way) is to come directly; crepes are made on demand, and they’re meant to be enjoyed fresh,” he says. “Come see us and bon appetit!”
North Shore Crepes Café – Haleiwa
66-470 Kamehameha Hwy., Haleiwa
Phone: 808-238-7206
Web: northshorecrepescafe.com
How to pay: Credit cards and Apple Pay; no cash accepted
How to order: In person or call ahead
