Ma Petite Shoe Café

Extremely friendly staff who were excited to talk about the neighborhood. Crepes were on point too. Had the lox one and had to order another to go cause it was so good.

I’m so glad I found this place. It’s dainty, divvy and has delicious food. The ambiance is relaxing and inviting – feels like home (literally, sit upstairs). The food was great… fresh ingredients. I got the spiced apple, Brie and bacon crêpe as well as a lavender latte and the two complemented each other well. Honestly, I’m afraid to say much more. This is the kind of place I hope not too many people discover. I want it to stay personable– a little selfish, I know ha! I will definitely frequent this place.

Fantastic. The crêpe was delicious, the staff friendly and the décor charming. I will be back and soon. Just charming.

Very friendly folks, and the savory crepes are a nice change of pace for lunch at a reasonable price. Reasonably good tea selection and good coffee as well. The magic mushroom crêpe hit the spot as a hearty bite on a cold afternoon. The upstairs seating area is a nice, brightly lit space but can get a little close when full. Great cookies for take-​away, too.

Who doesn’t love shoes and chocolate? Well I don’t love chocolate, but I love shoes enough to count twice. Ma Petite Shoe has a nice little café with tons of seating upstairs and outside. It’s not just coffee folks, they have a crêpe master who is getting it done quickly and tastily. Plus, I got to watch the whole thing.
There are a large number of coffee selections, traditional lattes and cappuccinos, but also iced Brazilian coffee, bombay latte with ginger. We went with a thai latte that had honey and lemongrass and the horchata with rice and almond milk. The barista was a little slow, but the coffee was hot and tasty.
The crêpe’s though — so many choices. Be sure to take a few moments ordering or you might have some crêpe envy. It was breakfast time, so I went with a bacon egg and cheese crêpe. I chose cheddar — the classic — over the tasty brie, goat, and swiss options. First they pour the crêpe batter on the griddle. They use what looks like a window squeegee to move the batter into a large thin circle. I had an egg on mine so he cracks that egg right on the cooked crêpe and kind of spreads it around so that it cooks while the rest of the filling is warming. Next, bacon and cheese is added on half. He folds the crêpe in half, slightly scores it into three sections, so that it folds nicely and the filling doesn’t spill all over the place.
The pork belly crêpe on special was also fantastic. Pork belly, greens, and a tomato jam. The tomato added a little smoky sweetness to the crêpe. If it were me, I would have added goat cheese, but I am a sucker for cheese everyday.

ok, I discovered Ma Petite Shoe Café online since I live in Boston. So, I went and absolutely loved the place. The area reminded me of Boston/​Cambridge. I bought 2 pairs of shoes, but since I was with a cousin from the area, but not familiar with Hamden the food menu did not appeal to her. Well, the menu definitely appealed to me and will definitely make a trip back and enjoy a meal at the café. I describe myself as eclectic bohemian, so this place works for me. Love it!

When I think about this place, I almost cry in joy. My favorite part of traveling to Europe years ago was the «pancake houses» there. I’ve been craving savory crepes since then (nearly 15 years ago). I run into them every now and then, including IHOP (as if that compares). But to have them appear in Baltimore… not far from my home… it’s like a gift. The chicken/​turkey dinner crêpe is heaven. The curry crepes are magical. My toddler even ate a spinach and cheese one. And limeaid to boot?!? Are they serious?!? If I could eat there three times a day, I would.

So I wanted to update my review because a lot has changed at Ma Petite Shoe Café since last year. The vegan hot dogs are out. Jalapeño is no longer the seasonal limeade flavor. Crêpes are in. Cherry is the seasonal limeade flavor (there’s also lavender lemonade). They’re open until 7 pm during the week now (closed Mondays). But the level of deliciousity and the kindness of the service hasn’t changed. This is still quietly one of the best, if not the best, vegan options in Baltimore. Try the vadouvan curry crêpe or the seasonal ratatouille crêpe with house-​made seitan. If you’re good, they’ll bring some knock-​out dark chocolate from next door to make a killer vegan chocolate banana dessert crêpe.
And they roll out those amazing vegan hot dogs for HonFest and Hampdenfest, so make sure you don’t miss them.

This is a must have for me when in hampden! I always get the lavender latte and strawberry Nutella crêpe! I’ll need to try the savory ones sometime too!

Ehhh. Sigh.
We visited the «café» portion of Ma Petite Shoe Café, since my husband and I wanted something hot on a very cold Saturday afternoon. The first thing that struck us both was how much this place looked like a converted rowhouse — apparently this is the «new» thing in Baltimore now, for some reason — but that it had considerable charm. Which it does, most definitely. The menu is VERY large and makes it difficult to choose between dishes.
The staff gets the stars here. I explained to the very nice woman behind the counter that I couldn’t have anything too carby, full of sugar, or much caffeine, and she steered me toward something called a Teechino latte, flavored with vanilla and hazelnut. Sounds good, okay. My husband tried a Tiramisu crêpe, since he’s not bound by such restrictions. We took it all to the upstairs seating — which is definitely VERY small, as stated. I felt like I was dining in someone’s bedroom (which I’m not all too sure that it wasn’t at one time or another). They yell your name up the stairs for you to come get the food, which I guess works for a very small place like this, but if it was larger, I could definitely foresee some problems with that.
The latte was good and just what I needed for a cold day (although if I were able to have something else, I probably would have). The crêpe was a huge disappointment, though. All of the filling (which looked like chocolate syrup and thin vanilla crème) just… ran out of it onto the wax paper. The crêpe itself was made correctly, but it just tasted doughy and unappetizing (I tried a tiny corner) — perhaps it was just the wrong thing to order, I don’t know, but my husband suffered that one, not me.
However, when I found out that crêpe was eight bucks I nearly had a coronary. Say WHAT? You’re kidding me, right? Again… it’s a damned good thing 1. that wasn’t for me and 2. I wasn’t paying.
This isn’t my kind of place. If I’m going to pay eight dollars for a dessert, I want substance. This wasn’t it. And while the drink was good, it’s not enough to make us want to visit again.
Staff was very pleasant and helpful. But the food? Not up to par, at least for me.
No WiFi connection/​service here either, a definite negative.

I wanted to like this place, I really did. From the outside, I was drawn to it immediately with its lovely signs and the lavender latte was practically calling my name. So of course I ordered one along with a French crêpe with Indian curry. My partner ordered an Americano and a Black Forest Ham crêpe. The latte was interesting but it didn’t blow me away. I also found my partner’s Americano to lack flavor. I was really looking forward to the crepes because I haven’t had them in a while but I was really disappointed to see how empty they were. The descriptions of the food sound a lot more exciting than the food looked and tasted. Are they usually this skimpy with food or is that what people are used to? I was still hungry after the crêpe and its not that I need large portions of food, its that the proportion between crêpe and filling was not well-​balanced at all. I felt like I ate a curry-​flavored crêpe. The ladies who work there are very sweet and they are clearly doing well but I probably won’t come back here again.

I live in hampden and I just had the opportunity to pop into the café for a latte. Yummmm!!! I wish I had not discovered this! Also, while I waited for my coffee a crêpe was being made. It looked delicious. I can’t wait to come back and try the food!

I LOVE the lavender latte! It’s is sweet so be warned but when I want a sweet drink it hits the spot. Crepes are excellent! They have great flavor combinations both sweet and savory and seasonal (pumpkin pie crêpe? Yes please!!). Everyone working there has been friendly. It’s a very small place. It’s made to order so if they’re busy you need to wait. But it’s worth it!

It smells divine in this place because it is so tiny but they make crepes! I only got the lavender latte which was good. I’ll definitely be back.

Oh man, this place is my guilty pleasure… Of the coffee menu, I’ve only ever tried just a plain iced coffee and it was pretty good. The food however, I am far too familiar with. I’ve had three or four of the different quiches they make and each one was eaten to the last crumb. The early summer soup is also incredible and the variety of mixed veggie salads are delicious.
The porch is a great spot to take in both the delicious food and interesting Hampden main street scene. Every time I’ve been in, the people behind the counter are so nice and seem to know all about everything they’re serving. I always try to stop in whenever I’m in the neighborhood!

Most weekends, my dog and I will walk down and have breakfast on their porch. It’s a great spot for people-​watching down the Ave, and nicely shaded.
I’ve yet to have any absolute disappointments here. The various menu items are all tasty, and I especially love the maple bacon quiche.
Every coffee drink on the menu, I’ve had. My favorites are the raspberry beret and the lavender latte. Not too sweet or heavily flavored.
My dog loves the croissants.

So I’ll get the negatives out of the way because there aren’t many: seating is severely limited and tricks you into thinking you can’t actually eat there, though you may be able to sit upstairs. That part was unclear, and either way it’s carrying your food/​drink up steps and whether it’s group or private space I don’t know. Our barista/​server/​cashier indicated she was new, and she was very careful not to get any part of the orders wrong, but it was very slow service. Some of that is the set up; if you want something heated, it will have to heat in another room.
The good: The place is pleasant and bright, with tons of things to look at and choose from when you’re deciding what to eat. There’s goat’s milk lollipops! Teas! Gum that donates money to a cause! Chocolates! (Of course.) Everything is labeled with little chalk plaques, and indicates whether what you’re eating will be vegan or gluten-​free. There’s a bunch of options for each. both sweet and savory.
The food is amazing. I got something for breakfast and my roommate and I both picked up lunch, as well. Mostly because we’re indecisive and there was a lot of good stuff to choose from. Their quiche is super tall and very fluffy, and I liked the spring veggie combination of onion and asparagus. There were a couple other varieties of quiche available, too. I took one of their vegan «dogs» home for later: it’s a spicy seitan wrapped in puff pastry with herbs. It’s delightful, and legitimately piquant. My roommate’s pork pie was worth a shout, with sweet potatoes on the inside.
The London Fog wasn’t too sweet and it was a good balance of tea and vanilla. I’ll have to hop around the menu — some great recommendations from other reviews. Café Miel? Don’t mind if I do.

The Café Miel was exceptional. It was clear that Choux is committed to only using the finest ingredients and preparations. There were lots of vegetarian and vegan things if you’re into that stuff. Due to spotty WiFi they could only accept cash.

After giving up on espresso drinks for about 5 years this place has brought me back to a weekly habit.
They are pretty serious about their milk preparation, and are very good about getting a consistently thick foam product. I’ve been brought back to a practically perfect plain latte and it is fabulous. This is after about a month of weekly trips, they train their front person well, because I have gotten excellent product from at least 3 different people.
They also offer a decidedly eclectic mix of french/​european inspired quiches, handpies and assorted pastries. I found the mushroom pastry to be perfect, though I felt I was paying too much for what I got. This somewhat mitigated with the uniqueness of their product offering, and the local area.
On a side note, they really take their eco-​policy seriously, there is a minimum of packaging and eco-​waste if you choose not to use a drink sleeve or lid. They even go through the trouble of providing real spoons in the sugar area, along with a simple syrup bottle.
All in all, this is what an intimate café experience should strive to be. I have heard there is seating upstairs, but have never been.

Not my normal type of joint but I really liked it. It’s hidden in a converted house and when you walk in you will be struck by how small the café is. The display case has a creative mix of baked foods which all looked fantastic. I ordered an ordinary coffee and when I sat down I noticed that my coffee had some steam on it. I asked if there was espresso in it and the barista told me that they actually don’t serve coffee and when someone asks for coffee they get an Americano. The drink was actually the best Americano I had ever had. The food was likewise really great by café standards and the girl behind the counter was incredibly nice. I will definitely repeat.

SO GOOD! First thing is the customer service is spectacular! Super friendly, attentive but not sales-​y. Very welcoming and not awkward though it is a very small storefront.
I follow a super low carb diet (meaning I usually eat salad everywhere and keep an almond butter packet in my pocketbook so I don’t get all hangry when my blood sugar drops) — but CHOUX had so much food i could eat!
Curried egg salad had perfect texture, the cauliflower salad was perfectly tendercrisp and lightly seasoned with a bit of olive oil, my favorite was the chicken salad. Best of all, they come in tiny containers so you don’t have to load with wagon if you just want a snack.
Outdoor seating is limited but has a perfect café view. An employee brought us real plates and utensils if didn’t want to eat from the container. Lovely gesture.
My buddy got this ham and cheese baked thing that looked like it would be nice to die in a life raft made of them.
The only downside is all I wanted was a snack and ended up buying lime green suede shoes from next door. Dang. :)

I stopped by the just-​opened Ma Petite Shoe Café this morning on my walk to work. It’s a cute space and jam-​packed full of things I wanted to buy: flowering teas, drinking chocolate, superfood bars, and other specialty treat items. The pastry case was filled with cookies, pain au chocolate, pastries and croissants, which all looked mouth-​wateringly fresh.
Good news for vegetarians and vegans: The cold foods case was stocked with meat-​free options, including kale salad with dates and almonds; sweet potatoes with fig, onion, and thyme; carrot-​ginger salad; and beet salad with a shallot vinaigrette. I also spotted a raspberry rhubarb bread pudding in the cold case, and various macaroons (not macarons, though — boo) and muffins on the countertop.
I can’t wait to try some of their veg lunch options (maybe I’ll go back later today!) but since it was only around 9 a.m., I opted for the soy latte and grabbed a couple of treats for my boyfriend: the triple chocolate threat cookie and an apple goat cheese muffin. The latte, though small for a medium (and the small is very very small) was perfection. The cookie, which had gooey melted cacao nibs in it, was downright awesome. The muffin was the low point. We cut it open and searched and couldn’t find any goat cheese, barely any apple either. It was also a bit dry and crumbly; it didn’t seem like it was baked today.
I received very sweet and patient service, which always helps. The girl at the counter said that this is the ‘soft open’ and they are still working on developing the menu and establishing an indoor seating area (right now you can sit on the porch). She also mentioned that they are open to suggestions and looking to fill the needs of the neighborhood, so stop in and help them out. I suggest they get some matcha powder. Can’t a girl get a green tea latte in this neighborhood?!
I look forward to updating my review after I try their lunch options!