Crepes at midnight, with a side of fries

SOLAR DE CAHUENGA is one of those inspired hybrids L.A. does so well; this time, a coffeehouse meets creperie meets hookah bar (sans alcohol). It’s a spot that has a very different feel at different times of the day, and that’s defined as much by its location and ambience as by its food, which works because the menu is just right for off-hours eating.

Want a salad at 7 a.m.? No problem. Something hearty after midnight? Bingo. A late afternoon tea party with a side of fries for you and dessert for your friend? You’ve come to the right place.

But crepes is what this place does best. At first scan, the cafe simply looks like a neighborhood espresso spot, with work groups of four or five Wi-Fied guys at one table, girlfriends at another. But the big-windowed room on the corner of Franklin and Cahuenga is more spacious than most, and the brick-walled patio is filled with people eating real food. Owner Milton Sznaider, born and raised in Argentina, has given the place a pan-Mediterranean air, with warm North African colors of ochre, brown, brick red and apricot.

Almost immediately, the individual sensibility of the place is apparent in details such as the citrusy lemon-myrtle iced tea, the pillowed and carpeted casbah room next to one of the patios and, not least, the anything-goes lineup of sweet and savory crepes that turn out to be just the thing at all hours of the day and night.

Open from 7 a.m. to midnight (beginning May 15, till 3 a.m.), Solar de Cahuenga has been open about five months. Although it’s still evolving, it nicely fills a couple of niches. It’s a good neighborhood hangout, a handy crossroads meeting place; it’s fine for lunch as well as a bite after a club date (Concorde Club has reopened next door as Shag).

Late breakfast? You didn’t know you wanted it but you do: a crepe, lightly golden and folded into fourths around a filling of sauteed banana slices, yogurt and sweet, crunchy granola clusters. Yes, it’s the last wrap frontier: your cereal bowl.

Or -- and why hasn’t this faux-French breakfast burrito idea surfaced before? -- the satisfying Campestre crepe, with scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage and cheddar cheese.

Because Solar de Cahuenga’s crepes are, like the sandwiches and salads on the menu, designed as what might be stereotyped as updated guy food (generous portions, fresh herbs, hearty flavors, excellent veggies) the savory ones are most successful. The cannelloni crepe is everything you like about Mom’s Italian food (if your Mom’s not Italian); its tasty but light filling of spinach, onions, chopped red bells and ricotta is as good in a crepe as in pasta and better than in most calzones.

The wacky but delicious Adrian’s favorite crepe -- made with smoked salmon, capers, lemon juice and sour cream -- balances those wonderful flavors beautifully. Each bite is full-bodied; it’s a package that delivers.

The more traditional Sunny path crepe, chicken and mushrooms in Dijon sauce, is indicative of the style here -- robust, not refined. The chicken is moist, the mushrooms meaty; the sauce is rich with a kick, not cloying, and the whole thing’s sprinkled with a bright handful of chopped chives.

These are crepes for spring roll lovers and burrito buffs. It’s about a chewy wrapper with good body, a hearty flavorful filing and a dollop of zippy sauce. Folded into quarters, these babies still fill the triangular dinner plates they’re served on. They’re all-Californian: light but bountiful, odd but appealing.

Though there are plans to apply for a liquor license, you won’t be able to get a glass of wine with your crepe here anytime soon, so if caffeine isn’t your intoxicant of choice, you might want to stop first for a cocktail at Musso & Frank Grill on your way in.

They’re desserts too

THE kitchen’s headed up by David Augosto, formerly a pastry chef at Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey and Sushi Roku, so the sweet crepe lineup is extensive too, with choices ranging from a nicely spiced, brandied-pear version to a restrained suzette made simply with butter, orange zest and sugar.

Housemade cheesecakes and cakes are on offer as well, but because they’re also in the hearty mode, they too easily go over the edge into heaviness. And too many seem to be banana-driven, as it were (including, one day, chocolate-banana cake, banana-caramel cheesecake and banana-walnut bread), a fact not known to counter people who, though they’ll venture a guess, don’t correctly identify the display-case offerings.

The menu’s long and after a good crepe experience, you might be tempted to explore other choices. But while you’ll get fine coffeehouse versions of well-done burgers, hot and cold sandwiches and the usual Greek, chicken Caesar and Cobb salads, descriptions are sometimes misleading (“capresse” salad is a big bowl of squeaky-fresh spinach topped with chopped tomatoes and grated undistinguished mozzarella) and they’re nothing special.

But do specify sweet potato fries when asked for your choice of sides. They’re a great idea and are always superb here: crisp on the outside, tender, rich and full of flavor within.

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Solar de Cahuenga

Location: 1847 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 467-7510.

Price: Crepes, $5 to $8; sandwiches, $7 to $10; salads, $6 to $10; omelets, $6 to $8.

Best dishes: Adrian’s favorite crepe, cannelloni crepe, Sunny path crepe, pear crepe, sweet potato fries.

Details: Open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily and until 3 a.m. after May 15. All major credit cards. Free lot parking. Street parking.

Special features: Hookah service. WiFi.