Speed walking down the block, I tried to ignore my roaring stomach. My good friend and I had made plans to watch a movie together at The Charles Theatre for weeks, but between an afternoon of window shopping in Harbor East and panicking over a potentially creepy Uber driver, dinner had slipped my mind. Realistically unable to make it through a two-hour movie without nutrition and unimpressed by The Charles Theatre’s dinner options of hot dogs and popcorn, I was paralyzed by uncertainty. Then my friend suggested we try Sofi’s Crepes.
Nestled on N. Charles Street in between The Charles Theatre and W. Lafayette Avenue, Sofi’s Crepes offers Baltimoreans a break from the norm for any occasion. Boasting both savory and sweet crepes, Sofi’s Crepes can be either a full meal, a supplement or a delicious dessert.
The menu is straightforward but creative, ranging from breakfast crepes such as the Bacon & Maple Syrup to the savory Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, Tomato with cracked pepper & olive oil to the Apple Crisp — Apples, Caramel & Cinnamon with Graham Cracker Crumbs.
If the crepes on the menu are not adventurous enough for you — or maybe too adventurous — Sofi’s Crepes offers customers the unique opportunity to create their own masterpiece by adding as many fillings as they would like. At only $1 per filling added, these crepes allow customers to get creative with savory, sweet or a combination of the two. The savory fillings range from breakfast to dinner with bacon, avocado, egg, tomato, fresh spinach, mushroom, gruyère cheese, mozzarella cheese, cranberry chutney and sharp cheddar cheese, while the dessert fillings include bananas, nutella, caramel, chocolate chips, fruit jams, seasonal fresh fruit, peanut butter, homemade butterscotch, brown sugar, melted marshmallows, granola and honey.
The restaurant’s location next to The Charles Theatre is prime; although the workers there would ask customers to only eat food from The Charles Theatre while in the movie theater, it is quite easy to snack on a crepe instead, as the two establishments are next door to one another, and security is relaxed at both. Simply ask for your crepe to go, stash it in a purse or shopping bag and walk into your film of choice to enjoy an alternative movie theater snack.
Although the shop itself isn’t large, it boasts a lot of personality. There’s limited bar-style seating inside and some outdoor seats for those who choose to dine in. The walls are lined with quirky posters and signs, and on the countertop sits a book filled with polaroids of all the famous people who have stopped by at Sofi’s Crepes throughout the years.
The restaurant prides itself on the integrity of its ingredients, using only fresh and natural fillings and components. The crepes are created, filled and folded right in front of you on open-top skillets, allowing customers to marvel at the speed and skill that the creation of a crepe from scratch entails.
Although the restaurant isn’t named after its founder and owner, Ann Costlow, the namesake belongs to Costlow’s handicapped dog, whom Costlow cites as her inspiration.
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