My family loves ice cream…a lot. So when we heard about the “new ice cream place on campus,” we knew that we had to head to Campustown to check out Paris Super Crepes in Champaign.
Paris Super Crepes serves Thai ice cream, a trend that hit bigger cities in 2016 but opened in Champaign in late 2017. Thai ice cream is not just delicious; it is an art form. It consists of rolled ice cream (thin frozen layers of ice cream rolled up and put into cups) with different flavors and types of toppings. Yes, it’s just as delicious and photogenic as it sounds.
When we first entered Paris Super Crepes, we were overwhelmed with all of the possibilities to be created. Not having been there before, we only knew about those fun little ice cream rolls! Between the four of us — my daughters, husband and I, ice cream connoisseurs one and all — we ordered four different creations so that we could all sample a little bit of everything.
We were able to watch the employees create our own dessert and the girls thought that was really fun. The ice cream starts out on a cold surface where it is mixed with your add-ins. I ordered bananas and Nutella and yes, if you think that creation sounds amazing, let me tell you — it was.
The add-ins are mixed in on the cold stone and flattened. Our ice cream artist then used a spatula-like paddle to lift and roll each section of ice cream into the small rolls that you see in the bowls. Yes…that is all ice cream that you see in the pictures.
You are allowed to pick a few toppings for your ice cream (think Oreos, chocolate chips, berries, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, condensed milk, caramel, and more). I decided to go for the small additional charge to add chocolate truffles to mine and it was the creation that chocolate dreams are made from.
Other orders from our party included a fruity cereal creation, Oreo creation, milkshakes and more. My husband decided to try the chocolate lovers’ crepe and it also was created in front of our eyes with freshly hand-crafted crepes. Some of their crepes come with ice cream in them, but you are able to add ice cream to any of them for a small upcharge.
Paris Super Crepes doesn’t want you to eat and run. The store has couches inside for people to relax and lounge on. An assortment of games entertained the children as we waited (a pretty intense round of Connect 4).
As each of these desserts is hand crafted, they take a few minutes each to prepare; however, the staff work to ensure that your party’s creations all are finished at the same time.
Final verdict from all of our party – “amazing”, “can’t wait to go back”, “delicious” and “awesome”. We all agreed that the desserts were almost too pretty to eat. The staff was friendly, too.
My girls already decided on the next time that we visit that they are ordering the ice cream tacos, which look equally as amazing as they sound. We also want to try the bubble teas as they come in fun and unique lightbulb shaped containers.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Paris Super Crepes (Facebook)
HOURS: As of this writing, open noon to 10:00 pm Sunday-Thursday and noon to 11:00 pm on Friday and Saturday.
LOCATION: 601 S. 6th St, Suite 106 in Champaign, it is right in the heart of Campustown. Metered parking is available; there is a university lot nearby that has free parking after 5 pm. Read the signs!
Make sure to tell them that you heard about it from chambanamoms!
Love frozen treats? Be sure to follow our Champaign-Urbana Area Ice Cream Trail.