Crepe escape at Nat’s Nook

Avocado, tomato, and goat cheese crepe, Iced coffee with coffee ice cubes, and a strawberry, banana, Nutella crepe. — Stacey Rupolo

There’s nothing like a good crepe to start the day. Or end it. That’s what makes the delicate pastry such a convenient meal choice. A crepe is the empty canvas with which you can fulfill all your wildest cuisine dreams. But this isn’t downtown Montreal. Our sidewalks aren’t lined with quaint crepe cafes for the choosing. Luckily, there’s one spot you can always count on.

Nat’s Nook is a year-round cafe in Vineyard Haven. It’s located at 38 Main St., tucked off to the side — you have to look for it. It has an outdoor garden patio with round wooden tables and small black chairs — perfect for the spring and summer, and for the absurdly warm fall we’re having. Inside, multicolored wooden floors, tables, and bookshelves make you feel warm and cozily at home. There are people quietly sitting at scattered tables, reading, writing, sitting, and sipping. Soft music plays in the background. If there were a University of Martha’s Vineyard, this is where all the kids would crank out their term papers.

The menu is broken up into a couple of sections: sweet, savory, and, of course, caffeine options. Nat’s Nook brews Raos coffee espresso, and tea. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is — winter iced coffee drinkers exist, and we’re a particular bunch. We like to make our cup last, and one way to do that is to ask for less ice; that way you’re avoiding any midday watered-down disturbances. Nat’s Nook came up with something profound to combat the phenomenon. Coffee cubes. They fill ice trays with coffee and freeze them, and offer them up for an extra 50 cents. So simple. So genious.

The sweet section on the menu lists all the crepe options for your morning or afternoon sweet tooth. There you’ll find a Nutella Crepe ($8.50) with fresh strawberries and bananas, and dusted with powdered sugar. You’ll also find more traditional crepes, like the Butter Crepe (($7), which is simply sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. There’s also a loaded S’mores Crepe ($7) with rich chocolate chips, melted marshmallows, and crumbled graham crackers.

The savory section has your lunchtime cravings taken care of. The Avocado, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Crepe ($11.50) is where it’s at. It’s made with arugula, mint, sunflower seeds, and wild raspberry dressing. Whoever created this menu item understands me on a deep and personal level. The Smoked Turkey and Cheddar Crepe ($10.50) is another popular option. It’s made with sliced tomato and creamy chipotle ranch dressing. I’d also try the Greek Crepe ($11.50), which is made with tomato, feta, kalamata olives, cucumber, red onion, arugula, and feta dressing.

There’s something for everybody at Nat’s Nook, and you get that feeling just by setting foot into the place. It’s accommodating and welcoming, and aesthetically inspiring. You could sit there all day, and never run out of things to try, thoughts to have, and people to meet.

Nat’s Nook is open 7 am to 4 pm year-round. For more information, visit natsnookmv.com, or call 508-338-2340.

This article by Brittany Bowker originally appeared on mvtimes.com.