the original pancake house

Typically, I’m not looking to eat much food two days after Thanksgiving. In fact, the thought of plowing through another gorging meal sounded like a dangerous venture for my already overinflated spare tire. But as soon as we pulled up to the Original Pancake House in Anaheim (1418 East Lincoln Avenue), those thoughts quickly melted away.

If you’re in a rush this isn’t the place to go, but the line is always out the door for a reason. Our table of eight was seated rather quickly given the crowd and there are plenty of places to sit around while waiting.

The menu offers a wide selection that would please even the most distinguished of breakfast connoisseurs. The restaurant specializes in pancakes, as the name implies, but they also have some omelets and waffles for those that aren’t feeling the pancakes.

The service was quick. Given how crowded the restaurant was I fully expected to wait a bit for the food, but the operation seems well run. In no time at all we had hot plates of Swedish, potato, pecan, and blueberry pancakes sitting in front of us.

I got the Swedish pancakes, which are essentially crepes with nothing wrapped inside of them. It came with a side of exotic imported berries. I quickly dumped them on top of the hotcakes with the two basted eggs that I ordered separately. Two popped yolks and a gallon of syrup later, I was in heavenly bliss.

I also tried the pecan, potato, and blueberry pancakes, which were all delicious. I thought the pecan pancakes were the real stand out of the crowd, however. There was also a “Dutch Baby”— an oven baked pancake that comes with lots of lemon – and a very impressive omelet ordered. I didn’t get a chance to partake in those impressive masterpieces, but they looked great and those that did eat them looked very pleased.

All of this great food sat amongst the interior of the building, which is full of hideous wood paneling and orange benches, what a perfect setting for a Saturday morning breakfast.

In sum, you shouldn’t go to the OG Pancake House if you are in a hurry, but the food truly is worth any wait. And, you can get a party of eight out the door for under a hundred bucks, which is an impressive feat these days (even for breakfast).

4.5/5 Stars…

(review courtesy of kevin e)