Citizen on Queen Anne rolls out sweet, savory crepes

Citizen does crepes. Everyone does crepes. But this modest joint on Queen Anne has gotten a lot of love from the cyberspace community and the art scene since debuting last fall, in a space that was an auto-crash shop in its previous life.

A quirky reincarnation, Citizen has become a hipster hangout — as a coffee stop, an unpretentious place for wine and an affordable spot for a meal.

The menu: Simple and modest, the menu includes six breakfast items ($3.95-$7.25); about a dozen soups, salads and sandwiches ($1.50-$7) including banh mis; and lots of crepes, both savory and sweet ($7.25-$8.95). Specials are posted on a board, but the best deals remain the $5 wine-by-the-glass list and wine bottles (all priced under $20).

What to write home about: The apple-smoked bacon and sharp-cheddar crepe, drizzled with maple syrup. Hard to mess up this combo, and Citizen didn't. Also tasty was the signature Citizen Crepe — stuffed with bacon, goat cheese, caramelized onion and spinach.

What to skip: The roasted-pork baguette was dry and flavorless. All I could taste were the sweet caramelized onions and pickled peppers. The crepe with caramelized apple, pear and caramel sauce? Sounded better than it tasted; a bit too sweet.

The setting: Citizen is a charming two-story cafe with exposed wooden beams and brick wall. The main level is laid out like a neighborhood coffeehouse, with seats facing large windows. There's a floor-to-ceiling blackboard with Crayola-color chalk drawings, where specials are posted. The second floor looks like a refurbished attic, fitted with tables and chairs. A hipster vibe without the slickness. Service can be maddeningly slow.

Summing up: Three crepes and a sandwich totaled $35.03. With lots of wine bottles priced under $20, Citizen is a great place to meet up in large groups. The cafe doesn't aim for culinary daring, but there's nothing wrong with that. A cool layout and crepes with bacon and Nutella are enough.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com