Cafe L’Aube

I really can’t remember any instance where I’ve been in an establishment and been treated more rudely or felt more uncomfortable than my experience at Café L’aube at 17^th and Wallace. I walked in on a weekday winter morning last year shortly after opening around 7:45am when I was the only one in the café. The French guy behind the counter was the only employee there, and he could not have been less courteous. I ordered a cappuccino then asked about bagels:
Me: «Do you sell bagels?» (They aren’t written on the menu)
Employee: Grunts, and slightly moves his head. I assume that’s a yes. In hindsight I think he was motioning his head towards where they are.
Me: «You do?» (Since he hadn’t verbalized an answer and I couldn’t tell if he had been shaking his head yes or no)
Him: «Didn’t you see them over there when you walked in?» (annoyed tone, barely audible. They are stacked in the kitchen out of view when standing in front of the cash register)
Me: «No I’m sorry, what kinds do you have?»
Him: Sighs then rattles off a few kinds very quickly while looking down in a barely audible tone.
Me: «Ok, I’ll have Sesame please» (wasn’t sure if he even said that kind but too uncomfortable to ask again. I just tried to order a generic kind to get the interaction over with)
He walks over to grab the bagel.
Me: «Do you have cream cheese?»
Him: Another sigh. «Have you never been here before?» in a very quiet, annoyed tone. Now I’m starting to wonder if I’m on a hidden camera show.
Me: «Yes, I’ve never ordered food though.» I am legitimately shocked and confused why he’s being openly hostile to me at this point. Why does a quick bagel run involve me having to explain myself to this guy? Unless you insult the staff you should never have to explain yourself or apologize in a café or restaurant. Nothing about how I ordered was out of the ordinary.
Throughout this exchange he never once made eye contact with me. I completed the transaction, ate there and left. I’m not the over-​sensitive easily offended type, but his whole attitude was so over-​the-​top rude it was to the point of being bizarre. It was like he didn’t want me in there. Thinking back, even when I first walked to cash register he never once looked up or even asked «Can I help you?» I’ve seen some comments saying the staff is friendly, so maybe he’s the type that’s only friendly to regulars, or it’s possible there are 2 French guys that work there and one is nicer than the other. I’ve also seen some reviews of people having had similar experiences as me. Whomever works weekday mornings really shouldn’t be in a customer-​facing position. Some people have good people skills, but he just simply does not appear to be cut from that cloth. It’s a shame because I live close by and would love a nice coffee shop in that location as opposed to this place. I’ve avoided it ever since.

We love it here. We live a couple of blocks away and like to treat ourselves to their selections of coffee, crepes, croissants, and sandwiches. Service is so kind but a bit slow, which is the only reason I rate it a 4. Also, be careful when you order coffee to go– the lids aren’t the best fit and you should expect some spillage!
Very kid and dog friendly! Definitely not a place to go if you are cramped for time!

Terrible service. I’ve tried this place 4x now, always giving it the benefit of the doubt because I live so close. The service is terrible. It’s slow and unreliable. They have never gotten my order right in the 4x I have been there and I always pay much more than should be warranted.
If you want to spend $ 15 on a coffee and a terrible sandwich you didn’t order, this is your spot.

Sad. I really wanted to like this place. It’s small, cozy, and seems family-​owned (not sure). The guys behind the counter were nice, but the service and quality were just not quite there.
I ordered a prefere crêpe (bacon, leek, crème fraîche, swiss) but was brought the vegetarian crêpe, which was literally just a few bits of spinach, leek, and mushroom. I’ve never seen a crêpe so sad. See the photo. I thought it’d be too much of a hassle to have them remake it, so I just agreed to eat the one they brought me. They also brought me a small tray of dried, hard bacon bits, which I poured into the crêpe. We also had to ask for utensils (but they seemed to have a line forming at that point so I understand that they were busy).
The coffee was fine. I felt a little eerie drinking from the mug because it looked kind of old and stained, probably because of wear and tear. (Fingers crossed that they wash them thoroughly). Overall, for the disappointing looking crêpe and mug of coffee which came up to almost $ 14, I would not go out of my way next time… it seems like a place that’s conducive to studying, so I’d at least recommend it for that.

A friend and I had some business to do in the area and wanted to get some breakfast to start the day. Since Sabrina’s was already crazy busy, we looked on Unilocal and saw that this place was nearby and had 4 stars… oh so misleading.
The café is cozy and pretty cute. Quiet and definitely a place to study, which we saw many patrons doing. However, most people were studying and NOT eating. We should have taken this as a sign.
I ordered the Vegetarian sandwich and a nutella and strawberry crêpe, while my friend ordered a prefere crêpe and a coffee.
My sandwich had mozzarella, pesto, tomato, and avocado. It was pretty simple and tasted alright. However, I could not justify spending $ 10 on it. My nutella and strawberry crêpe was, admittedly, pretty delicious. It was hot and had a good amount of nutella and strawberries. Again, it was pricey at $ 8. Thus, food is fair, but definitely overpriced. You can get your money’s worth elsewhere.
For my friend, they delivered the wrong crêpe, giving her a vegetarian one instead. First, they just looked awkward and asked her if she was okay with eating this crêpe. She was gracious and took it because at this point we were hungry. They didn’t even offer to make her the correct crêpe, nor did they even offer a discount or some sort of item to make up for their mistake. Second, this was the most pathetic crêpe I have EVER seen. There was barely anything inside. Just a little spinach… and not much else. They did bring her a tiny bowl of bacon bits to put inside.
Overall, half-​decent food, but be prepared to get less than what you paid for.

Excellent study location– quiet, strong wifi, ample table space. I’ve been here so many times that I’ve had almost all of their crepes. The Tuscany, a savory crêpe with ham, goat cheese, and fig jam is a favorite. Their sandwiches, which come with a decent side salad, are solid too.
A nice alternative to the always crowded OCF café.
One thing to be aware of: parking is a nightmare as the café is located in a very residential area. Best to walk.

Super disappointed with my experience at Café L’Aube.
To be honest, Café L’Aube wasn’t our first choice for Sunday brunch. We were sitting in Sabrina’s waiting for our table when the power blew out. We’d heard good things about Café L’Aube and already had a bottle of champagne ready to BYOB so we figured we’d give it a shot.
I was a little disappointed to learn we needed to order from the counter versus a server, but that’s not a huge deal. I ordered a Normandie and my husband ordered a Le Parisiene without cheese. We ordered a Madagascar to split. Everything basically went downhill from there.
They were out of turkey for the Normandie but were able to substitute French Ham. No biggie.
They didn’t have OJ for a mimosa so we had to get apple juice. Fine. I double-​checked with the girl at the counter if it was cool to BYOB and she said she wasn’t sure– she never saw anyone do it before. Boy did I feel like an alcoholic. I double-​checked the Unilocal listing and it certainly said BYOB there.
We took a seat in the back room and I have to admit the room was adorable.
It took quite a bit for our food to come out and by the time it did, I was very underwhelmed by cold, flat crêpe. There was barely any filling and it was cold. There was potential with the flavorings but it just wasn’t too desirable. They totally messed up my husband’s order. I think they gave him a Classique crêpe. Le Parisiene did not have mushrooms and the crêpe he received totally had mushrooms and lacked the sour cherry spread. He was so hungry at that point, he picked off the mushrooms and just dealt with it. So basically he had a plain ham crêpe.
About 10 minutes later our Madagascar sweet crêpe came out. It was the best part of the meal since it was actually warm. It still wasn’t overly stuffed either, and I’ve definitely had better sweet crepes before.
On our way out, we went to drop a tip in the tip jar and realized we needed to make change. We had to wait several minutes for this, even though there were no other customers waiting to be served. The guy who prepared the crepes asked how everything was. I didn’t want to say «not good» so I simply said «ok». He didn’t even acknowledge my response. If I just prepared a dish and someone told me it was «ok» I’d want to know why and what I could do better. He just didn’t care.
We also overheard the two employees converse about how they were running out of most ingredients. No wonder our crepes were so meekly filled.
Still hungry, we decided to move along to another restaurant. I had high hopes for Café L’Aube, but have no interest in giving them a second chance. There are too many good places out there. Two stars go for a cute environment and the food being edible.

It’s a quaint place in Fairmount. Plenty of places to sit and you can easily post-​up and do some work here. The tables and chairs could have used a nice wipe down.
Staff: Super friendly and very nice
Food: We got two crepes (Complete and Simple Vegetarian). They were decent, I don’t think I’d necessarily go back for the crepes. They weren’t filled with yumminess as much as I wanted and the dough/​bread or whatever you call it was a little dry.
Drinks: I had a Café Au Lait and it was good and strong.
Giving it 3 stars for a coffee shop and decent food, but not somewhere I would go to just eat.

The crêpes are alright. I rarely get a French vibe from this place. Prepare to pay $ 10 for a crêpe and almost as much for a mediocre coffee that doesn’t blow your mind…
Friendly staff, though.

Savory and sweet crepes were delicious! No complaints from a family of 10 with ages ranging from 1 to 62 – well done. Service was extremely friendly.
I had the Croque Madame… hit the spot with a nice side salad with a perfectly balanced and light vinaigrette.
Coffee drinks were also spot on. Would love to see this café expand to a full-​sized restaurant – they do everything well. Thanks!

Stopped at Café L’Aube after a morning at the Art Museum. It’s a cute little corner café with outside seating and a laid-​back atmosphere.
Just like you’d imagine a Café in Paris, people seem to spend hours there catching up while enjoying specialty coffees, croissants, and crêpes.
I ordered a Nutella with Fruit crêpe, which was delicious and exactly what I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth, along with a Pumpkin Latte. My companion ordered the Tuscany, which looked equally as delicious.
One thing that I especially liked is that they use fresh, Organic ingredients to prepare their food, as well as buckwheat in their batter (gluten-​free!) and they have Soy and Almond milk for those of us who are nondairy (or try to avoid it.)
They also do take out, which is perfect for my lazy days inside.
I can’t wait to go back again, and next time I’m bringing a group.

I traveled here after a bike ride.
A warm and comfortable vibe envelops the place. The menu, although limited to crepes, coffee, and tea, boasts enough diversity to satisfy any appetite.
The owner, a francophonic wonderful man to speak with, ensured that we had everything catered perfectly. He made small talk and told us about his upbringing.
The crepes, made from buckwheat (Hello gluten free!), were delicious. I normally prefer them with typical white flour, but the buckwheat was just as good. All of the ingredients within my crêpe were fresh (Tomatoes, French ham, leeks, swiss cheese, eggs).
The tea is served in individual pots. I highly recommend anybody to visit Café L’Aube off of Fairmount if they want a chilled out place for either conversation or simply to get away.

DISCLAIMER: Review is being written in real time at the establishment. Beware of strong emotions…
So in full representation of the french people, the staff is extremely rude. When the guy opened the door, he avoided eye contact with me like I was Medusa. No greeting nothing. Just TSA… Total Social Avoidance.
He begrudgingly prepared my latte with almond milk which was mediocre at best. At least he brought it to my table, which was Le Miracle.
The rudeness abated my appetite and I could give two hoots about their oh so good crepes. I will never come back here again. Oh and the french pastries looked so stale, I didn’t dare try it.

This is a great study spot with good coffee and snacks. The last time I came I had an amazing almond croissant. It was perfectly buttery, gooey on the inside, and overall just delicious. I was a little surprised by how much it cost (almost $ 4 for one croissant), but it was totally worth it! Their coffee is also good. I’ve only had the hot, but my friend always gets the iced and says it’s great too.
They have plenty of seating, and I’ve always been able to find a spot to sit even on weekends. There are also a few tables out front if you want to soak up some sun. It usually doesn’t get too noisy, especially in the back room, so it’s a good place to come to get work done. The staff who work here are always really friendly, and they don’t mind if you stick around for hours. I would definitely recommend checking this place out!

Really not impressed with this place. Went on an afternoon coffee run but came back disappointed. It didn’t feel homey, was very empty and my coffee was not the best. It was sort of in the middle if nowhere through some not so friendly looking streets. Tried their chocolate covered pretzels, and they were stale. It was definitely overpriced too.
There weren’t a lot of options for snacks, not even muffins, croissants so all I could choose was a store bought chocolate covered pretzel. Really disappointed, but the reviews have gone up since I went so I will give it another try. Didn’t seem like anything was homemade either. Maybe their specialty really is just crepes…

Before I left Philadelphia to head back to NJ for the second half of my east coast trip, Sue and I decided to get some breakfast. We wanted something close to where her sister lived and saw that this place was open. We both like crepes, so what the hell?
Pretty dead on a Monday morning. To be expected as people do work. There was one customer in the café when we walked in and two staff members. Took a look at the menu and asked our questions (Emmentaler is Swiss cheese). I had the La Quebequoise. Prosciutto cotto, emmentaler, honey crisp apples and maple syrup. Good combo of sweet and savory.
I get sick of eggs, so crepes are a nice step away from that.

I have tasted amazing things from this café from my co workers bringing coffee back to work. I went and decided on a chocolate croissant. I go back to work and took it out and the bottom was burned black. I watched the sales guy look at and I assumed it was dark because it was chocolate. Not so much. Now I’ll never go back to try the crepes

Great staff, great service and great atmosphere. It’s got fantastic crepes and sandwiches for super reasonable prices. Its one of my favorite coffee shops and creperies.
I’ve also noticed a lot of people doing work or studying. Maybe I should try it out as a study spot next time!

If only I did not have this anxiety to have to try every single café in philly before revisiting former ones, I would come here very frequently. Unfortunately, this inexplicable hold has resulted in a mere one visit. I did love that visit, though, and the food was so fresh, simple, and delicious. Lattes and other espresso drinks also good. The café allows lots of natural light and is decorated well.
Owners are non-​pretentious and quietly friendly.

On hopes of finding the little unique café that makes their own delicious almond croissants, I can’t go wrong with a French name as Café L’Aube. I arrived as their first customer that morning and ordered their Almond Croissant and Le Midi.
Since I arrived before they opened, I had the opportunity to look into their pastry case. Their croissant was inside, waiting for the next customer. Question: how long was it waiting though? I’m not sure when it was made, but it definitely wasn’t made that morning or the night before. It had been sitting there for a little while, maybe a day or so. It didn’t look fresh or taste fresh. It didn’t have that buttery, flaky, crispy topping. It just had the soft outer shell to match the soft inside. Even more disappointing was that it didn’t have any almond paste inside. Their version of an almond croissant, was toasted almonds on top. This could have easily been the croissant in 7-​Eleven on your way to work.
The Le midi, which is a crêpe prepared with pears, maple syrup, and blueberry spread, was nice and sweet and crêpe cooked well. It just too small. With any crêpe, I’m expected one that can fill the length of a plate. This made it to a disappointing three quarters across. Even with it folded on top of itself several times, it was still barely an eighth inch tall. The flavor was good though and I would be willing to try one of their savory ones if I had the opportunity.
FYI…I wanted to get one of the waffles from the pictures, but they stopped making waffles. :(