Crepes & Waffles is a very popular chain of restaurants in Colombia that specializes in crepes, waffles and ice cream.
In Medellín, Crepes & Waffles is so popular the company has grown to a total of 20 restaurants and several ice cream shops. And the restaurants are not difficult to find, as over half of them in Medellín are found in malls in the city.
Note the above photo is the Crepes & Waffles restaurant location in the newest phase of Mayorca Mall in Sabaneta. Also, there is a second Crepes & Waffles restaurant in the older part of this large mall.
History of Crepes & Waffles
Crepes & Waffles was started in Bogotá by two students at CESA university. On April 13, 1980, they opened their first restaurant in Bogotá, which was styled like a small rustic French crêperie.
The restaurant was so successful that by 1983 they expanded to a second location in Bogotá. And in 1984, the company opened its first restaurant in Cartagena. In 1989, the chain opened its first restaurant in Cali. And in 1994, the company opened its first restaurant in Medellín, which was its 13th restaurant in Colombia. Furthermore, the company’s first international restaurant opened in Ecuador in 1995.
Since that time, the company has grown to over 100 restaurants in several cities in Colombia and a total of over 120 restaurants in six countries. In addition, the company is known for primarily hiring women who are the head of a household.
My Experiences at Crepes & Waffles
I first discovered Crepes & Waffles in Cartagena way back in late 2006 during my first trip to Colombia. I enjoyed the food there and went back several times.
Since that time, I have eaten at this restaurant chain many times over the past 11 years in five different cities in Colombia. In my experience the food is consistently good. But the service isn’t always consistent and can be slow, particularly if a restaurant is busy.
At lunch and dinner, Crepes & Waffles restaurants are sometimes full as they are quite popular. But many of their restaurants are fairly large. So, it may not be a long wait for a table in my experience.
The Food Menu
Crepes & Waffles has an extensive food menu. Obviously crepes and waffles are the focus. There are 18 different vegetarian crepes options ranging in price from 13,900 peso for the mushrooms crepes to 24,300 pesos for the three cheese crepes.
There are 12 different seafood crepes ranging in price from 17,900 to 27,900 pesos. And there are 15 different meat crepes ranging in price from 14,300 to 25,800 pesos.
Also, there are egiht different classic crepes ranging in price from 11,900 to 25,600 pesos. There are 14 different chicken crepes with prices ranging from 15,900 to 19,900 pesos. Finally, there are many more cheese crepes and special crepes options on the menu.
There are 23 different waffle and mini-waffle options on the menu ranging in price from 5,900 to 9,600 pesos.
In addition, there are 13 different pita options on the menu ranging in price from 11,900 to 27,900 pesos. And there are 14 different salad options ranging in price from 11,400 to 31,200 pesos.
Also, there are eight different soups on the menu with prices ranging from 8,900 to 14,500 pesos. One of my favorites is the cheesy French onion soup that is really good.
There many other things on the menu including eggs and bacon. The extensive menu can be seen online (in Spanish) without prices.
The Drink Menu
The drink menu at this restaurant chain has several options. There are several Colombian coffees and cappuccino ranging in price from 3,000 to 6,500 pesos. And there are 15 different natural juices and lemonades to choose from that range in price from 4,300 to 7,200 pesos.
They also have seven different beers on the menu ranging in price from 5,600 to 8,900 pesos. And there are a few wines available by the cup or bottle. Also, there are sodas and bottled water for 3,900 pesos each.
Ice cream selection at Crepes & Waffles
The Ice Cream Menu at Crepes & Waffles
Crepes & Waffles is famous for its ice cream. And they even have a separate menu just for all the ice cream options with many photos.
On the ice cream menu you can find so many options including banana splits, fondue and many types of fruit flavored ice cream.
In addition, they have many signature ice cream dishes with names like Saint Honore (vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, walnuts and whipped cream) or Delirio (Chocolates playing with different textures, where the caramel crystals melt with whipped cream).
You can see all the options on the ice cream menu on their website (in Spanish).
How to Get to Crepes & Waffles
In Medellín and nearby, Crepes & Waffles has 20 restaurants listed below:
- El Poblado, Oviedo Mall, Carrera 43A # 6A Sur -15, Phone: +57 4 3526888
- El Poblado, Santafé Mall, Carrera 43A # 7 Sur-170, Phone: +57 4 3135705
- El Poblado, El Tesoro Mall, Carrera 25 A # 1 A sur-45, Phone: +57 4 3210795
- El Poblado, Carrera 43A # 5A-95, Phone: +57 4 3661718
- El Poblado, Carrera 36 # 10-54, Phone: +57 4 3115067
- El Poblado, Calle 16A Sur # 32B-38, Phone: +57 4 3136163
- El Poblado, Carrera 38 # 18-101, Phone: +57 4 3666171
- Envigado, Viva Envigado mall, Carrera 48 # 32B Sur-139
- Laureles, Unicentro Mall, Carrera 66B # 34A-6, Phone: +57 4 2655199
- Laureles, Transversal 39B # 73B-60, Phone: +57 4 4131344
- Sabaneta, Mayorca Mall, Calle 51 Sur # 48-57, Phone: +57 4 3772715
- Sabaneta, Mayorca Mall, Carrera 48 # 50 Sur-128 local: 40-75, Phone: +57 4 3660423
- Belén, Los Molinos Mall, Calle 30A # 82A-26, Phone: +57 4 235419
- Belén: Arkadia Mall: Carrera 70 #1-141
- La Calendaria (El Centro), San Diego Mall, Calle 34 # 43-66, Phone: +57 4 2321023
- La Calendaria (El Centro), Premium Plaza Mall, Calle 29 # 43G-10, Phone: +57 4 2283388
- Robledo, Florida Parque Mall, Carrera 65 # 72-125, Phone: +57 4 4187994
- Bello, Puerta del Norte Mall, Diagonal 55 # 34-67 Local 2035, Phone: +57 4 4834774
- Rionegro, Llano Grande, Vereda 3 Puertas, in front of ESSO, Phone: +57 4 5371611
- Rionegro, Calle 43 # 54-139, Phone: +57 4 4182727
Over half of the Crepes & Waffles restaurant found in Medellín are located in malls. In addition to the 20 restaurants in Medellín and nearby, Crepes & Waffles also has 10 ice cream shops in Medellín.
Website: http://crepesywaffles.com.co/
Crepes & Waffles also has restaurants in Colombia located in Barranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Mosquera, Pereira, Santa Marta and Villavicencio.
In addition, the company has several restaurants in other countries. Crepes & Waffles has restaurants located in Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Spain.
The restaurant chain has a total of over 120 restaurants in six countries. In Colombia, they have over 100 restaurants and over 60 ice cream shops. A list of all of their restaurant and coffee shop locations can be found on the Crepes & Waffles website.
The Bottom Line: Crepes & Waffles
Crepes & Waffles is a good option for lunch, brunch, dinner or just a dessert. It’s expected to remain a popular restaurant chain due to having some good food.
Also, I believe this chain would do well in the United States where it hasn’t expanded to yet. I have a very picky friend in the U.S. that traveled with me to Colombia several years ago. He normally finds something he dislikes about most restaurants. But he loved this restaurant. And he later told me he wished he could find this restaurant chain in the U.S., as he liked it so much.
Sign up for the Free Medellin Guru Newsletter – You can see all of the previous Medellin Guru weekly email newsletters and sign up here.
Editors note: updated on October 6, 2018 with a new Crepes & Waffles restaurant location in the new Viva Envigado mall.
Editors note: updated on October 23, 2019 with current menu options and prices plus updated the count of restaurants the chain has in Colombia and the world.
Editors note: updated on November 17, 2019 to add the newest Crepes & Waffles location in the new Arkadia mall in Belén.
22 thoughts on “Crepes & Waffles: A Popular Chain of Restaurants in Colombia”
I want to address something since several commenters brought it up. Crepes and Waffles is one of my favorite restaurants in all of Medellin but they couldn’t enter the U.S. market under their current business model. Why? Because it’s against the law to discriminate in hiring practices in most, if not all US jurisdictions. The C&W model of hiring only single mothers would be grounds for immediate civil lawsuit. In America, a business cannot say, “I’m going to open a chain of quality restaurants and exclusively/deliberately hire unwed mothers”. That’s called marital status discrimination. The welfare state isn’t as advanced in Colombia as it is in the U.S. so it would be odd to endeavor such a franchise on socioeconomic grounds. So let’s just continue to enjoy C&W for what it is; a very good restaurant with fair prices…on Colombian soil.
I am from Colombia but living in the US since 2000, we visit family in Bogota at least once a year, our favorite restaurant is Creppes &Waffles, we go several times during our usually 2 weeks vacation, we hope they open in the US soon to enjoy it here too.
After heating it to the restaurant this past week in Colombia I’ve only got one question.
When will they be opening up in the United States in a town close to me. Thomasville North Carolina United States)
Crepes & Waffles doesn’t yet have any locations in the U.S. even though I am sure they would be successful there. You can see all their locations here – https://crepesywaffles.com.co/ubicaciones
Alright. Just got back from another great trip to Medellin. I admitted to being reluctant to trying this chain restaurant. Trust me folks, it’s the real deal. The food is not only affordable but consistently good. I’ve eaten at both the restaurants in Oviedo and Sante Fe Malls. The crepes are fresh, filling and well balanced. The drinks like the limonada de coco are some of the best I’ve had in the city. The roast beef crepe(pictured above) was also very good.
If you’re in the El Poblado area and you need to get some good grub at a good price then Crepes and Waffles is your joint.
Hi Jeff, happy you enjoyed Crepes & Waffles. It’s popular due to having some good food.
I have never had a bad dish at this chain and I love it. I have been to Crepes and Waffles in Medellin, Bogota and Cartagena and the quality is consistently good. It’s a chain where you can have good food and is not that expensive. Thanks for writing about this chain so more people can know about it.
You can’t beat the quality of food for the price at Crepes and Waffles. They have an extensive menu with many possibilities and fantastic ice cream dishes.
Besides the options with crepes, waffles and ice cream, Crepes & Waffles has excellent lunches of soups, salads and sandwiches. I love this place and I rarely have room for desserts.
I am not very fond of salads but the salads here are delicious. In fact, everything here is delicious including drinks and the ice cream. The prices is lower midrange which makes Crepes & Waffles even more appealing. I also enjoy the atmosphere and free Wifi.
Just yesterday I went to C&W and ordered the tartufino de fresa, nut chocolate covered vanilla ice cream topped with fresh strawberries, capped with a chantilly cream squiggle and swirled syrup all around the plate. I pick my times carefully because during the M-F lunch hour for example the open air deck one on Av. Nutibara is packed to the gills with people lined up waiting. All of these towering and exotic confections are accurately shown in the ice cream menu but they have a separate menu for the crepes. It’s a good deal and reasonably priced.
Nice article. This chain of restaurants is a place you will go to again and again if you live here. The food is good and one of my favorites is the shrimp in garlic sauce crepe and there are many other good things on the menu. The ice creams are really good also.
Keep in mind the waitresses that work there are¨family heads¨which mean they are the sole responsible for financial support of their family The means a lot in a country with so many irresponsible fathers. So, keep that in mind when leaving a tip.
I agree this is a great restaurant. I have been to three different ones in Medellin and they were all good. Free Wifi, great ice cream, so many things on the menu that it’s hard to choose, great coffee and reasonable prices.
Thanks Jeff, sounds good to me. More like an experience, than just eating. Something to look forward to.
Cheers,
Absolutely delicious ice cream at this place and so many other good things on the menu. The food is so delicious and its one of my favorite places to go.
I love this restaurant. There is a huge selection of crepes with many meat, seafood, chicken and vegetarian options. There are so many ice cream options it’s hard to pick one. And the price is lower than many other restaurants. Highly recommended!
What a timely post. It’s mere coincidence that I’m doing restaurant research for my next 10 day trip to Medellin. Crepes and Waffles keeps coming up with high marks from reviewers. I think I need to change my mind of the concept of restaurant chains. In the U.S, I avoid chain restaurants like the plague due to their generally poor customer service and bargain basement quality and attention they give to the food. However, in Medellin it seems the opposite of that is the reality. Personally, I can’t wait. After seeing some of these dishes I’m already starving.
Thanks, Crepes & Waffles has some good food but sometimes slow service if busy. The variety of different crepes and ice cream dishes they have is amazing.
Crepes & Waffles has a very large menu with a huge variety of flavors. Their ice cream is to die for. My family loves this place.
I love this place. I probably go there at least 3 times each month. It is great for an afternoon treat on a hot day with so many ice cream options.
You are spot on! My favorite chain each time I visit Colombia 🙂
Cheers
Harry
The food fantastic, the only problem I find with All of there restaurants is the service. The children’s food arrives first (that’s ok although as a family we all liked to be served and eating at the same time)secondly the drinks for the children often arrive after they have finished the first course ,The same with the adults food and dessert arrives all at different times. I find that this is the case in all there restaurants and that to me is not good enough .