Crêpes Suzette in Paris, flambéed with Grand Marnier at Café Max.
Crêpes Suzette are one of Café Max's signature desserts. Three crêpes per person, Normandy butter singing in the copper pan, our homemade Suzette mix, a twist of fresh orange zest. And the showstopper: the Grand Marnier flambé, right in front of you, at the counter.
Where to eat crêpes Suzette in Paris?
At Café Max, a historic bistro in the 7th arrondissement founded in 1941, crêpes Suzette are a signature dessert. They are prepared in front of the guests at the counter and flambéed with Grand Marnier in a copper pan, at 15 euros for three crêpes.
Address: 7 avenue de la Motte-Picquet, 75007 Paris, steps from Les Invalides. Open Monday to Friday for lunch (12:15pm to 2pm) and dinner (7pm to 9:45pm).
The ritual, live from the counter.
Crêpes Suzette flambéed at the Café Max counter: the full ritual : voir cette publication sur Instagram
The Grand Marnier flambé of the crêpes Suzette, Café Max Paris : voir cette publication sur Instagram
How our crêpes Suzette come to life.
Here, it is three crêpes per person. Not two, not one big one: three. Generosity is part of the recipe.
It all starts with Normandy butter. We let it sing in the copper pan. Yes, sing: when the butter reaches the right temperature, it crackles in music. As we like to say at the counter, butter is a musical.
We then deglaze with our homemade Suzette mix, made with orange juice and sugar. The crêpes are rolled one by one in this glossy sauce, then lifted with a twist of fresh orange zest.
And then, the showstopper: the Grand Marnier flambé. The flame rises, the whole room turns around, and a few seconds later the plate lands in front of you. Magnificent, silky.
Even if it is not the original tradition, crêpes Suzette flambéed at the counter is how we do them at Café Max. A signature dessert of the house, served at lunch and dinner alongside our menu of classics, and we have lost count of the neighbouring tables changing their order at the sight of the flambé.
Where do crêpes Suzette come from?
The most told legend places their birth at the Café de Paris in Monte-Carlo, in 1895. Henri Charpentier, then a fourteen-year-old commis, was preparing a crêpe dessert for the future King Edward VII, Prince of Wales. The orange sauce caught fire by accident. Panicked, the commis tasted it: delicious. The prince then asked that the dessert bear the first name of the young woman accompanying him that evening: Suzette.
Food historians still debate this version, as Escoffier published a similar recipe without the flambé. What is certain: the crêpe Suzette became one of the most spectacular desserts of the French repertoire, and one of the rarest in Paris. Few houses still accept the constraint of flambé service in the dining room.
At Café Max, a bistro founded in 1941 steps from Les Invalides, we chose to keep this ritual alive. Because a dessert that makes a whole room look up deserves to be done by the book.
A crêpe Suzette noticed by critics and food lovers.
« The rich crêpe Suzette flambéed with Grand Marnier. »
« Restaurant Guru lists Café Max among the recommended Paris addresses for crêpes Suzette, based on more than 700 aggregated ratings. »
« On Instagram, Paris food creators regularly film the flambé ritual at the counter, including the reel by @marionseregale featured above on this page. »
« The crêpes flambéed on the bar and the baba au rhum bigger than a mountain, everything is a delight. A beautiful wine list and impeccable service. »
Frequently asked questions.
One table, three crêpes, one flambé.
Monday to Friday, lunch and dinner, at 7 avenue de la Motte-Picquet, Paris 7th. Steps from Les Invalides.
Crêpes Suzette Paris · Flambéed dessert Paris 7 · Bistro Invalides
