The culinary experience of Vivel Crepes & Coffee owner Ali Bendella runs the gamut—Italian, Spanish, French and Moroccan.

Vivel Crepes & Coffee is located in a corner suite at the Oaks at Lakeway shopping center.[/caption]

For his first Austin-area restaurant, Bendella pulled together these influences to create a flavorful menu, available for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“We are offering a five-star meal at a cafe environment and price,” said Bendella, who owned a restaurant in Houston for nearly a decade.

With an all-day menu including crepes, hamburgers, paninis, gelato, smoothies and coffee, he said he has succeeded in making Vivel a one-stop cafe that can please anyone.

Owner Ali Bendella (left), who opened Vivel in January, and Salma Khadira sit inside the cafe.[/caption]

The brunch crepes are the most popular section of the menu, Bendella said, with items such as the Harvest Omelette, a crepe filled with eggs, avocados, tomatoes, grilled arugula, spinach and ricotta cheese; and the Almondine, filled with almond butter, toasted almonds, honey and bananas.

All ingredients are fresh, and crepes are made from scratch, not premixed batter, Bendella said.

The Vivel Latte, made with lavender- or rose-infused milk, is a favorite drink of customers, he said. For patrons craving something sweeter, Vivel features a White Raspberry Latte, he said.

All Vivel crepes are made from scratch.[/caption]

All Italian cream sodas are made with fresh, homemade gelato, and a variety of organic teas are also available, Bendella said.

Open for eight months, Bendella said he has loved seeing the community embrace his concept and come in for a meal, spend time hanging out with friends over tea or smoothies, or using the Wi-Fi to get work done.

“I’d love to see more of the community and people passing through,” Bendella said.