SOUTHWICK – Crepes Tea House owner Arturas Ribinskas had a vision for his second location.

He wanted a space that would be welcoming to families, couples on a date night and local teens who need a safe place to hang out. He found all of that and more in Southwick.

Crepes Tea House opened at 157 Feeding Hills Rd. last summer to rave reviews of its Eastern European specialties, which, of course, include tea. The Southwick location, like the original at 261 Union St. in West Springfield, offers more than 100 teas from around the world. Tea options include a myriad of black, white, green and red teas. There’s oolong, chai and herbal varieties as well that can be served hot or iced.

If tea is not your thing, Crepes Tea House also makes a good cup of coffee. Crepes also offers a variety of freshly made fruit or vegetable smoothies, milkshakes and juices. Ribinskas said he wants to introduce people to the food and beverages of Eastern Europe and the drink menu includes kvass, a traditional fermented Slavic and Baltic drink made from rye bread, and cranberry Mors, a sweet and tart cold beverage traditionally enjoyed in Russia.

Crepes in Southwick recently acquired a liquor license and will have a full line of alcohol, starting with wines from Maldova and a variety of beers, including from Poland and the Czech Republic.
“We also have traditional liquors including vodka and brandy, but we plan to serve cocktails made from Eastern European liquor and tea,” Ribinskas said.

In addition to teas, the star of Crepes Tea House is the crepe. There is a full menu of crepes, with options ranging from sweet to savory and even a stuffed breakfast crepe.

Sweet fillings include warm honey, puffy cream cheese, farm cheese, jam, Nutella and more. You can add fruit to the mix and create your own crepe. Savory fillings include beef, pork, spicy chicken and salmon, among others, with a variety of sauces to choose from, including rich nut sauce, white or red mushroom sauce and spring veggie sauce. You can add a variety of vegetables inside, as well as cheese and guacamole.

 Crepes has a fondue menu that also has sweet and savory options. Those with a sweet tooth may choose a caramel fondue with apples and cookies, or if you’re craving something savory, bacon and broccoli in cheese sauce may hit the spot.

Crepes also has a salad menu that includes traditional style green salads with various toppings and dressings, as well as side salads such as spicy carrot salad, beet salad and spring crab salad.

“We just added a shish kabob grill to our everyday menu, only in Southwick,” said Ribinskas.
And while people come to Crepes Tea House to try the food, they come back for more than that. Ribinskas said the atmosphere of Crepes Tea House is just as important as the food.

“It’s a place where people gather and talk,” he said. “Especially young people who don’t want to party or hang out at McDonald’s.”

Ribinskas said Crepes has a large group of young people from the area who talk and drink tea there regularly. He said he is happy to have youth gather in his restaurant and is open to having local drama clubs and youth organizations make it a regular meeting and performance place.

“Anyone who wants to come in should talk to me,” he said, “We want to be a nice place for young people.”

Crepes has live music on Wednesday and Friday evenings, which Ribinskas said is “background music, not a concert” that features piano and accordion performances. He said he is considering adding other events to the business this spring. Among the considerations is an ice cream truck offering cold plate ice-cream specialties and creating a dog-friendly outdoor space.

Currently, Crepes Tea House offers Senior Day on Mondays, with free drinks or 15 percent off the entire bill for older adults, and Family Day on Tuesday, with free beverages for families.

“We have a lot of ideas that we hope to bring here in the spring and summer,” Ribinskas said. “We can do it with the help of the community.”

Crepes Tea House is open 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday - Thursday, and 7 a.m. - 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.