Walking into Cafe Crepes takes you away from the hectic feel of Bakersfield to a place that seems to be almost hidden.

Located downtown in a small building complex from the ’20s, across from the Rabobank Arena, Cafe Crepes takes its guests away from busy schedules and gives them a taste of French food.

Having French food downtown is very different than the usual restaurants that can be found in the area.

“It’s very unique for Bakersfield,” said Brian Homes as he finished his lunch.

With a friendly welcome, guests of Cafe Crepes can order variety of crepes, paninis, Peet coffees and blended drinks.

“I think they put drugs in the food because they keep me coming back,” joked Win Eaton while enjoying his chicken pesto crepe.

Eaton is not the only one who thinks the food is good.

“Oh my God, it’s wonderful,” said Gina Renslen. “This is my second time, and I am ordering the same thing…the chicken pesto.”

Owner and Chef Andres Barragan enjoys hearing the good reviews that his guests tell him.

Barragan said that he has had customers travel from far off places to come and enjoy a crepe.

“I’ve had customers come from Southern and Northern California specifically to enjoy our crepes,” said Barragan. “We have customers from Europe tell us our crepes are the best.”

Keeping the customers happy is one of the main goals at Cafe Crepes.

“I emphasize customer service. I want customers to have an experience,” said Barragan. “We think our food is good. I’ve never heard of someone unhappy with the food.”

Barragan admitted that while he doesn’t have a favorite dish, he enjoys making the chicken pesto crepe, which also seems to be the most popular.

“I think that the chicken pesto is my favorite to make because of the contrast of colors and the drizzle of pesto on top,” said Barragan.

Barragan and his wife decided to open Cafe Crepes in 2009.

In their quest for something different in their lives, they decided to learn more about making crepes and paninis. Together they made a menu that really stands out in a city like Bakersifield.

“We always toyed with the idea of having a restaurant,” said Barragan, who used to work in the world of technology. When the economy started to change, he decided to change his career path and open a restaurant.

There are nine employees at Cafe Crepes, and eight of them attend Bakersfield College. Andrea Bersentes, a graphics major at BC, has worked at Cafe Crepes for two and a half months.

“It’s hard to make crepes, but once you get used to it, it becomes easier,” said Bersentes.

With the help of their employees, Barragan and his wife have been able to serve their own recipes of crepes.

“When we found all the many different types of crepes we asked ourselves, ‘what can we do different?’” said Barragan. “And that’s when we thought of the baja crepe and the gravy crepe.”

Along with crepes and paninis, guests can also find many different types of blended coffees, like the Mescolato, which also happens to be one of the favorites.

“I am proud of our recipes, particularly because we make our own sauces and spreads, and we use fresh organic ingredients,” said Barragan. “We serve our crepes fresh.”

Cafe Crepes is available for private parties at no additional cost, and has been a place where many organizations have held their meetings as long as 12 or more order from the menu.