Godiva's New "Croiffle," A Croissant & Waffle Hybrid, Is Some Big Breakfast Energy

Breakfast is always one of the high points of my day; breakfast foods rank highly on my list of favorite things to shove in my face. Now, though, I may have found the breakfast food to end all breakfast foods: Godiva has invented the "Croiffle™" — a sort of croissant-waffle hybrid which, truly, sounds like my ideal morning meal. You can only get it at one place, though: The soon-to-open Godiva Café in New York. Looks like I’m taking a trip back to my old stomping grounds in the near future.

I’ll be honest: I thought we’d left the hybrid pastry obsession behind in 2014. That’s when the trend was at its height; kicked off the year before by Dominique Ansel’s Cronut, which debuted in May 2013, 2014 gave us the Cragel (a bagel-croissant hybrid, not to be confused with the Kragle), the Donnoli (a cross between a doughnut and a cannoli), and mass-market versions of the Cronut, such as Jack-in-the-Box’s Croissant Doughnuts. The trend began decline somewhat after that, and as far as I know, lines for the Cronut at Ansel’s New York bakery — now bakeries, plural — aren’t hours long anymore, as they were during the Cronut’s peak popularity. (That's probably a good thing, though, honestly.)

Apparently, though, I was wrong when I thought we'd seen the last of the hybrid pastry, as evinced by the Croiffle™’s newly-minted existence. Available in both sweet and savory options, the Croiffle™ takes a freshly-made Godiva croissant stuffed with a variety of tasty fillings and presses it in a waffle iron — hence the treat’s name: Croissant plus waffle equals Croiffle™. Choose from Three Cheese; Ham and Swiss; Bacon, Egg, and Gouda; and Sausage, Egg, and Gruyere for a savory option. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can get you Croiffle™ filled with either milk or dark Godiva chocolate. Prices run between $4.95 and $5.95.

Interestingly, Godiva aren’t the first to have thought of sticking a croissant in a waffle iron and seeing what happens; IHOP did something similar in 2015 with their Criss-Croissants, which consisted of croissants smashed in a waffle iron and filled with fruit and sweet cream. The items were only offered for a limited time, though, both during their initial release and during a brief 2016 revival — so in that sense, the Croiffle™ fills an existing void for Criss-Croissant fans no longer able to get their hands on their favorite treat.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject, let’s talk about the fact that there is a GODIVA CAFÉ now. Or at least, there will be soon — and not too long after that, another one is scheduled to follow. In February 2019, the first one will open up shop in New York’s Penn Station on the lower concourse level utilized by the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). Its main offerings will be “grab-and-go” items like pastries and Greek yogurt parfaits, along with coffee, tea, and specialty drinks like affogato with soft serve and hot chocolate — the bulk of which will feature Godiva chocolate, of course. In addition to the Croiffles™ , you’ll also be able to get regular Belgian waffles, both full-sized and in miniature form. Prices for both drinks and food will generally be in the $5-to-$7 range, according to press information provided to Bustle. A second café will open up on Lexington Avenue in Midtown East sometime in the spring.

Godiva Cafés have existed elsewhere in the world since about 2010; according to the Financial Times, there are currently about 40 in locations such as London, Istanbul, and Shanghai. The Penn Station and Midtown East cafés will be the first to open in North America. The Financial Times reported in December that Godiva plans to roll out a total of 2,000 cafés over the next six years.

Find out more about the upcoming North American Godiva Cafés here. Happy munching!