DINING

Tres bien! New crepe and waffle dessert place opens in East El Paso

Maria Cortes Gonzalez
El Paso Times

Sweet District Dessert Lounge, a new place that focuses on crepe and waffle desserts, has opened on the East Side.

The dessert business is connected to a second business, Urban Gyros, with both owned by El Paso businessman Mohamed Panjawani. The eateries are in a shopping strip at 1551 N. Zaragoza Road.

Panjawani said both businesses are his original idea. He opened the dessert place about three weeks ago, and the gyros restaurant June 1.

"We've been in El Paso for more than 20 years. I own a Wienerschnitzel in Fabens and my brother owns the Fast Track car washes," he said. "I wanted to offer a different approach to crepes and waffles. I think people get tired of ice cream cones and yogurt in a cup."

The crepes and waffles are freshly made to order. One thin crepe, the size of a regular pizza, is cooked at more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit on a round cooking surface and then folded into a triangle.

A Sweet District Dessert Lounge employee makes a crepe on a more than 400 degree cooking surface. The eatery focuses on dessert crepes and waffles.

Depending on the type chosen, the crepes can be filled with Nutella, strawberries and banana slices, or Oreo cookie pieces among others and topped with dark chocolate and white chocolate.

They are generous with the melted chocolate so you better speak up if you only want a hint of it. Crepes start at about $8.99 on up. A dollop of ice cream adds $1.50 to the price.

The Cookies and Cream crepe features Oreo pieces and is drizzled with dark and white chocolate. Ice cream can be added to the dessert.

Panjawani said he is getting some additional equipment to offer boba shakes and alcoholic boba drinks in the future.

Both businesses have the same hours except Wednesdays, when the sweet shop is closed. The businesses are open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. the other days of the week including Wednesday at the gyro place.

The banana and strawberry crepe, at Sweet District Dessert Lounge, is a pizza-size crepe folded into a triangle and filled with fruit slices and covered with dark and white chocolate. Ice cream can be added.

Panjawani said the businesses are new but he likes the response he is seeing from the community. The gyro place is a modern take on Mediterranean, he said, and they make their own original sauces.

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María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @EPTMaria on Twitter.