Chez Elle Crêperie and Coffeehouse

Chez Elle Crêperie and Coffeehouse is a daytime crêperie and espresso bar on the ground floor of the 1913 Summit Theater building at 1713 Summit Street on Kansas City’s Westside. Ellen Trakas, who owns the building with her husband Tony, opened it on December 16, 2009 with baker Chelsea Williams; sixteen years on it is still the same Parisian-themed room — Eiffel Tower on every table, an open kitchen where the crêpes are made in view — with a menu of roughly thirty savory, sweet, breakfast, vegan and buckwheat crêpes, quiche, salads, soups, French pastries and a coffee bar, plus a crêpe truck for catering.

Description

Chez Elle sits behind the restored façade of the Summit Theatre at Summit and 19th, a neighborhood movie house that opened in 1913 with 622 seats, ran under Commonwealth Amusement in the 1940s, closed on June 29, 1955, reopened the following May showing Spanish-language films, and later served as an antique store before the building was rehabbed — the ground floor as a restaurant, the rest as apartments.¹ The Pitch’s opening-day report described the entrance as “grand, with a balcony in the center of the foyer and black leather armchairs arranged in casual groupings,” a left-hand dining room doubling as a gallery for local artists, a small children’s reading corner, and a main dining room attached to the open kitchen “where you can see the main attraction — the crepes — being made.”²

The menu is organized by number. Savory crêpes run from the house #1 Chez Elle (roasted chicken, mushrooms, sun-dried tomato, spinach, mozzarella, pesto, marinara) through the #2 Tour Eiffel (smoked salmon, capers, caramelized onion, artichoke, herbed cream cheese, crème fraîche), a Black Forest ham-and-asparagus Suisse with hollandaise, a Greek-leaning Acropolis, a Brie-and-fig Le Franco, and a Philly Cheese Steak crêpe; sweet crêpes include the strawberry-banana Patriote, a lemon-curd Citron, a Nutella-banana Paris and the warm apple-crisp Pomme Tarte; breakfast crêpes and a buckwheat Galette are served all day.³ Vegan and gluten-free batters are available for a $2 surcharge, and the kitchen notes it is not a certified gluten-free environment.³ KCUR’s May 2026 crêpe guide counted “nearly 30 crepes,” singled out the Philly cheesesteak version, and noted the salads, soups, quiche and pastries alongside.⁴

The Pitch’s Tiffany Watts reviewed it in November 2025: “Tucked inside a Parisian-styled brick building in the Westside neighborhood, Chez Elle Crêperie and Coffeehouse feels like a little slice of Paris right in the heart of Kansas City.” She praised the Pomme Tarte (“This tastes just like apple pie”) and the Tour Eiffel, noted that plant-based substitutions were accommodated, and described “a fun lineup of breakfast cocktails.”⁵ The prices she quoted ($13.75 and $17.50) run above those on the website’s menu page, which suggests the online menu lags the printed one.⁵³

A Chez Elle food truck takes the crêpes to weddings, birthdays and private events; the site lists a $100 deposit, a $500 minimum, and two hours of service with extra hours at $50.⁶⁴

Ownership and history

Ellen Trakas and her husband Tony Trakas own the Summit Theater building. According to The Pitch’s Jonathan Bender, Trakas was planning to turn the ground floor into a coffeehouse when she met Chelsea Williams, a baker who had run Chelsea’s, a Westport bakery, and had since worked in commercial baking at The Classic Cup and Whole Foods. “We wanted something fun, eclectic, that could help be part of what’s happening on the West Side,” Trakas said; Williams “was yearning to get back to what I was making and to have people come to you, where they can feel welcomed.” Both used the word serendipity. The crêperie opened the morning of December 16, 2009.²

Williams’s current involvement is not documented in any source retrieved here. A Cinema Treasures commenter reported in November 2020 that “Chez Elle has closed,” which is best read as a pandemic-era interruption: the restaurant was reviewed by The Pitch in November 2025 and listed by KCUR in May 2026 with current hours.¹⁵⁴

The space

Cinema Treasures files the Summit Theatre at 1717 Summit Street and notes that “the restaurant occupies only the ground floor of the former theater building,” with the remainder converted to eight residential apartments; a 2020 comment adds that the theater was restored in 2006 and used for special events before the residential conversion.¹ KCUR describes the building as “built in 1913 as a theater” whose “iconic facade opens to Chez Elle.”⁴

Links

• Website: https://www.chezellekc.com/
• Menu: https://www.chezellekc.com/menu · Bar menu: https://www.chezellekc.com/copy-of-menu
• Hours/contact: https://www.chezellekc.com/address-and-hours
• Food truck: https://www.chezellekc.com/food-truck · Private parties: https://www.chezellekc.com/private-parties
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chezellekc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChezElleKC

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-28 · Source: the restaurant’s own menu page on chezellekc.com · Confidence: Medium-high — complete, but a November 2025 Pitch review quoted higher prices for two items, so the online prices may lag the in-house menu.³⁵

Savory crêpes

• #1 Chez Elle — roasted chicken, sautéed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, mozzarella, pesto, marinara ($12.75)
• #2 Tour Eiffel — smoked salmon, capers, caramelized onions, artichokes, herbed cream cheese, crème fraîche ($15.50)
• #3 Suisse — Black Forest ham, Swiss, asparagus tips, hollandaise ($9.75)
• #4 Acropolis — roasted chicken, tomato, Kalamata olives, spinach, feta, cucumber tzatziki ($10.75)
• #5 Le Franco — caramelized spiced green apple, toasted walnuts, fig compote, Brie, crème fraîche ($10.25)
• #6 Le Jardin — spinach, artichokes, mushrooms, caramelized onions, provolone, crème fraîche ($9.75; vegan option)
• #7 Pollo Verde — pepper jack, verde aioli, chicken, red pepper sauce ($10.75)
• #8 Jambon — Black Forest ham, pesto, spinach, mozzarella, crème fraîche ($10.75)
• #9 Petite Maison — Swiss, mushrooms, spinach, crème fraîche ($9.25)
• #10 Fromage — Brie, maple bacon, pesto, crème fraîche ($10.25)
• #11 Legume — caramelized onions, spinach, tomato, mushrooms, crème fraîche ($9.25; vegan option)
• #12 Philly Cheese Steak — beef, provolone, caramelized onions, red peppers, hollandaise ($13.25)
• Weekly special crêpe — chef’s choice ($11.50) · any crêpe gluten-free +$2

Sweet crêpes

• #13 Patriote — strawberries and bananas, crème anglaise, whipped cream, raspberry sauce, blueberries ($10.75; vegan option)
• #14 Tropicale — coconut cream custard, tropical fruit ($10.25)
• #15 Citron — lemon curd, strawberries, whipped cream ($10.75)
• #16 Glace — vanilla ice cream, strawberries, crème anglaise ($10.25)
• #17 Paris — Nutella and banana, whipped cream ($10.25)
• #18 Build your own savory or sweet ($12)
• #19 Vegan Tarte — apples, caramel, powdered sugar ($10.75)
• #20 Mon Cheri Amour — cherries, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream on a chocolate crêpe ($9.25)
• #21 Au Chocolat — chocolate batter, chocolate mousse, raspberry and chocolate sauces ($10.75)
• #22 Pomme Tarte — warm apple crisp, crème anglaise, caramel ($10.25; vegan option)

Breakfast crêpes (all day)

• #23 Bonjour — maple bacon, ham or andouille; cheddar or Swiss; scrambled eggs, hollandaise ($12.50)
• #24 Monsieur — spicy chorizo, cheese potatoes, gravy, scrambled eggs ($12.50)
• #25 Cheese Blintz — strawberries, ricotta ($12.75)
• #26 Galette — buckwheat crêpe, Brie, ham, spinach, scrambled eggs ($13.25)
• Specialty batters (buckwheat, vegan, gluten-free) +$2

Salads, soups, pastries

• Greek salad or Spinach salad (strawberries, walnut, red onion, red-wine vinaigrette) — small $7.25 / large $9.95; add cheese, chicken, bacon or ham $4; salmon $4
• Quiche special ($9.75)
• Soup — chef’s choice cup $4.50 / bowl $6.50; lobster bisque cup $8.50 / bowl $10.50
• Muffins, sweet breads, Danish ($3.50) · Macarons — lemon, raspberry, chocolate pistachio, vanilla, caramel ($2)

Coffee, tea, drinks

• Drip $3.75 · café au lait $3.65 · cappuccino $4 · latte $5 · mocha $5.25 · latte miel $5 · London Fog $4.25 · chai $4.50 · dirty chai $5.25 · breve $4.75 · shot in the dark $4 · steamer / hot chocolate $4.35 · full French press $7.50 · alt milks $2 · extra espresso $3 · flavor shots (vanilla, hazelnut, coconut, peach, mango, raspberry, caramel, Irish cream, lavender, blackberry, strawberry) $2
• Teas by the cup $3.70 / pot $5.70 · iced tea $3.50 · French soda $4.50 · Italian soda $4.25 · juices, Coke, milk, San Pellegrino $3.50

Sources

Footnotes

1. Cinema Treasures — “Summit Theatre, 1717 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: opened 1913, 622 seats; Commonwealth Amusement operation c. 1941–1950; closed June 29, 1955; reopened May 18, 1956 with Spanish-language films; later an antique store; 2006 restoration for events; ground floor a restaurant, remainder converted to eight apartments; user comments dated 2010 (Chez Elle in the building) and November 2020 (“has closed”). ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Jonathan Bender, “Chez Elle opens on the West Side today,” The Pitch, 2009-12-16 — Confirms: opening date; co-owner Ellen Trakas, who co-owns the building with husband Tony; baker Chelsea Williams (Chelsea’s in Westport; The Classic Cup; Whole Foods); first floor of the historic Summit Theater building at 1713 Summit; interior description; Trakas and Williams quotes. ↩ ↩²

3. Chez Elle — official website, “Menu.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: every item and price in the Menu section; $2 gluten-free/specialty-batter surcharge; “not certified gluten free environment” note; vegan options list. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Kelly Bunch, “Where to find Kansas City’s best crepes,” KCUR, 2026-05-02 — Confirms: Summit Building built 1913 as a theater; Eiffel Tower décor on every table; “nearly 30 crepes”; Philly cheesesteak crêpe $13.25; vegan and gluten-free crêpes, salads, soups, quiche, pastries; food-truck catering; hours as listed by KCUR (Mon 10–2, Tue–Wed 8:30–2, Thu–Sun 8–3); address 1713 Summit St. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Tiffany Watts, “Dish & Drink KC: Infused BBQ at Night Goat and Parisian crepes at Chez Elle Crêperie and Coffeehouse,” The Pitch, 2025-11-12 — Confirms: restaurant active November 2025; Pomme Tarte ($13.75) and Tour Eiffel ($17.50) as served; plant-based substitutions; breakfast cocktails; chalkboard menus and Parisian décor; address. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. Chez Elle — official website, “Food Truck.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: food-truck catering terms ($100 deposit, $500 minimum, two-hour service, $50 per extra hour). ↩