Gabino's Creperie, Palm Springs
Warm, crackly, chewy goodness wrapped around fresh, savory ingredients and questionable cheese.
Our rating: 4 stars (out of a possible 5)
Menu | Closed Sunday & Monday
Address: 170 E Palm Canyon Drive | ph: 760-808-8150
After a year of lunch at home eaten over the kitchen sink, it finally feels like the right time to branch out of for a quick and easy bite in the company of others, right?
In early April, we tried out Gabino’s Creperie for the first time- and liked it so much we returned two days later and plan to go back again.
It’s tucked in a south Palm Springs alley just behind the popular (but pricey) Kreem ice cream parlor and the southern outpost of El Mirasol Mexican restaurant (one of my standbys). You would definitely miss Gabino’s if you were not looking for it.
We learned about this hidden gem (which opened last summer) while catching up with our friends at Wally’s Desert Turtle (read my review about that here). They loved their recent take-out lunch at Gabino’s so much that they took one of its promotional post cards to give to us, with a very strong recommendation.
Two days later, we jumped online, ordered two crepes (from it’s somewhat wonky website) and drove downtown to pick them up through a tiny delivery window at the secret stand.
What we found was a variety of fresh, savory ingredients (chicken, turkey, barbecue, veggie) nestled inside a warm, chewy, yet crispy and fragrant, crepe. (No Nutella crepes here!) This remarkable melange of tastes and textures comes about when the chef adds a slathering of a chimichurri sauce (parsley, garlic, olive oil) and a sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese on the crepe as it cooks on the hot griddle, then flips it over and cooks it until it develops a caramelized cheesy crackle.
You can watch the magic happen in the big picture window at the front of the stand behind which are three big round crepe griddles.
Once cooked and crackly, the crepe is folded into a portable cone and then filled with a selection of fresh meats or veggies, plus lettuce, tomato, cheese and special sauce. Cooks then pop this luscious creation into a thick paper cone, and lodge it into what appears to be a cardboard drinks carrier, and then deliver it through a tiny window at the front of the creamy coral-colored stand.
The first few bites at the top of the crepe are mostly just the crusty crepe and the lettuce, but as you bite deeper into the cone, things get juicier, warmer and tastier until you hit the very last, lovely triangular bite.
The big crepe looks hard to eat at first, but ends up not so bad…not too different from tackling a gyro wrap or an oversized burrito— but you have to keep an eye out for drips and have plenty of napkins nearby. All crepes are $13 for the full size, $9 for half size.
For immediate gratification after pick up, you can try to snag one of the 4-5 two top tables in the alleyway to dine in the sun, or like most patrons, take it away to eat in your car, home or hotel balcony.
The verdict after our first two visits? The chicken ranch crepe (with additional avocado- $1) was the winner along with the chicken pesto crepe. The turkey cheddar option was good, but I was disappointed (and surprised considering the $13 price tag) with the limp half-slice of Velveeta-style American cheese inserted into the wrap- not cheddar. My pesto-crazy companion ordered the shredded chicken and pesto crepe twice and loved both of them— except for “that weird piece of processed American cheese food.”
Several other options I look forward to trying on subsequent visits: The jalapeno crepe, which I’ve heard is tasty, tangy and not too spicy, and is made with the same chimichurri and cheese blend with the addition of the peppers. There are also a gluten-free crepes and salads with the same ingredients, but no crepe at all. I’m also looking forward to trying the BBQ chicken crepe stuffed with “corn and crispy onions.”
Owing to the owner’s South American roots, the three beverages on offer are yerba mate based iced teas ($4) in passionfruit, lavender rose and Arnold Palmer flavors.
With the increasing popularity of this little lunch stand, it’s best to order online and pick up rather than waiting in the sometimes long line, which is likely to grow longer as word spreads about Gabino’s Creperie. Have you been yet? Tell us what you think in the comments!