For a man with an economics degree and parents who grew up in Europe, an eatery that serves crepes and milkshakes made perfect sense.
“I’ve been cooking crepes since I was a kid; I grew up with them as part of our regular diet,” said Simon McGowan, who recently opened Budgies Crepes es & Shakes on 17th Avenue. “And nobody does milkshakes anymore, so I thought, hey, those will sell really well.”
To sell them, McGowan chose the building most recently vacated by Full Measures Bakery. He painted the space lemon and lime and put in nice granite tables and a counter lining the front window to look out onto the cozy patio. Customers order at the cash register and then have a seat while everything is made.
Budgie’s is a family affair. Simon’s brothers, Sebastian and Ian, and his dad, Dr. James, and mom, Maggie (who in turn helps run the doctor’s office down the street), don aprons on the weekends and pour coffee and bus tables. It gives Budgie’s an added sense of fun. Everyone pitches in, even you, the customer, because by the time you leave, you kind of long to be a member of the family too.
Especially if that means eating one of these well-crafted crepes on a regular basis. Using 18-inch, cast-iron professional crêpe makers to ensure a generously portioned end product, the kitchen offers a regular roster of four breakfast, seven savory and five dessert versions, as well as daily specials.
That can make it hard to choose, but a sure bet would be the Santa Fe ($6.95), stuffed with black beans, diced tomatoes and avocado, a tiny bit of minced red onion and cilantro, just a hint of jalapeno and enough pepper jack cheese and sour cream for moisture. It came with a choice of fruit or green salad.
The breakfast crepes are simpler, such as ham, cheese and spinach ($5.25), thin bits of ham with cheddar and fresh greens; for another $1, scrambled eggs can be added to the mix. The simplest yet is a Nutella ($4.25), the chocolate-flavored hazelnut spread melting into a gooey slick. A healthier one has apples, strawberries and brie ($4.95), the cheese also melting just a tad around the edges.
Budgie’s does sandwiches too and gets its baguettes and baked goods from the estimable Trompeau Bakery, which knows from French bread. A regular-sized English ($5.95) was a hefty assemblage of roast beef and cheddar with the usual trimmings and a hit of horseradish, while the Italian ($5.95) put sweet roasted red peppers against salami and provolone.
And don’t forget about the shakes ($3.85). They’re the old-fashioned kind, with loads of flavor and ice.
Staff writer Kyle Wagner can be reached at 303-820-1599 or travel@denverpost.com.
Budgie’s Crepes & Shakes
CREPERIE|1730 E. 17th Ave., 303-355-2299|$3.25-$7.95|Breakfast-lunch 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, MC, Visa, AmEx; street parking.
Front burner: Fresh ingredients, a welcoming family-run business, and delicious, generously sized crepes.
Back burner: Each crepe is made to order, so when it gets busy, things can take a little while.
