Sands Pancake House

We had to wait 30 minutes for our meal. The pancake was cold the ham had a wang to it and food was mediocre at best. They take cash only. And it took us 15 minutes to get them to take our money to pay out. One waffle, one piece of tainted ham, one pancake and one egg, one sausage and two milks cost almost $ 20. One wasted hour!

If you’re looking for a nice quiet place to enjoy breakfast any time of day, Sands Pancake House is the place for you.

Basic traditional breakfast. Great service usually unless understaffed. It’s a local dive. One of the few local restaurants left in Cape Girardeau.
They have a pretty good take on breakfast. They really are not skimping on anything. French toast is an event. Pancakes cover the whole plate!
I’ve almost stopped eating omelettes out except for Sands. I think most get too involved in making the omelette look fancy or dupe the buyer into thinking it’s high quality and then cheat you on ingredients. I last ordered a typical sausage and cheese omelette and it was loaded with both! See? How hard is that? I don’t want some chopped ham from a salad bar or a tablespoon of inferior cheese sprinkled on top! Dammit put some ingredients in. WE KNOW THE FREAKING DIFFERENCE!
Thanks Sands… you do a great job with that.
The only thing is the cleanliness. Somebody clean the ceiling fans please… If you are avoiding smoking establishments, you might want to avoid this one.
BRING CASH!!! they don’t take credit cards.

Don’t be turned away by old, shabby restaurant because Sand’s is THE place to eat breakfast in Cape. You can definitely tell the difference between their «old-school/grandma’s» type cooking and that of the national chain restaurants. It’s not a pretty building, inside or out, but it’s completely worth it once you try their pancakes!
You should know ahead of time that it’s a cash-​only business! No cards accepted.

A for real small town USA diner!
I got invited by coworkers (who seem to make it a mission to have me try all kinds of new food, candy and places) to go to Sands for lunch during the work week and it was a blast
I got the Early Morning Special: 1 egg, hash browns, sausage and pancake. I tried substituting the sausage for bacon but that didn’t work out. I also tried substituting the pancake for their new cinnamon spice pancake, which I did get substituted except not for the cinnamon spice but the reese’s pancake. So after being difficult (yes I know you shouldn’t mess with the menu) I ended up with a great meal and the waitress somehow made the best decisions. The sausage was GREAT and for someone who doesn’t like reese’s (Not American — sue me!) I did really enjoy that pancake. Photo opportunity was missed due to hunger and exciting company, but photos wouldn’t have done it justice anyway. Go and check it out, but be aware you will smell like smoke afterwards!

It’s not pretty on the outside. It’s not pretty on the inside. But what it does is serve a good old fashioned breakfast! The waffle was delicious and they make the barbarian cream themselves and their ham was stellar! super good! I didn’t try it but my friend said her omlet was write gout as well. The only drawback is they do allow smoking and there’s no designated smoking section it’s a bit outdated but this is small town America so its really a small complaint.

The pancakes alone are why I go. French toast is amazing too, but I’m a huge fan of their ginormous, thick, delicious pancakes. Better than any big breakfast chain and nicely priced. Friendly wait staff at this down-​home local diner. !!Cash/​check only! Smoking is allowed in the diner, although its not overwhelming even for a non-​smoker like me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I was looking for a place to eat with the townies — be careful what you wish for. Food was bleh, atmosphere was worse.

Pancakes. Ohhhh, pancakes.
I went to school at SEMO and a few of my best friends are from Cape, so I make short trips down there occasionally to visit and catch up. This morning we woke up really craving breakfast, but most of the local spots are closed on Sunday morning. What gives?! At first I feared that we might have to resort to Huddle House or Denny’s, but then a friend of mine remembered hearing about Sand’s. As soon as I heard «pancakes» and «hole in the wall,» I knew it was going to be our morning spot.
Two things you definitely need to know about Sand’s:
–It’s cash or check only. Yes, they seriously take checks. Just bring cash for the sake of everyone.
–You can smoke inside. You can go here expecting a great breakfast, but do expect to leave with your hair smelling like smoke (ugh.)
This place was everything I wanted and more. To say it’s a hole in the wall is an understatement, and I loved that there were a bunch of tables pushed together to create family seating. The people watching was superb, and the coffee (which was excellent but a tad watery) was served in plastic coffee cups. The menu is huge and they also offer lunch foods in addition to breakfast. But really, just get the breakfast.
I ordered the Western Scramble which had eggs, onions, peppers and tomatoes. It was made perfectly and the flavor was awesome. You also get a huge helping of hash browns, two hearty biscuits, and meat of your choice (I recommend the sausage.) Do NOT leave here without getting pancakes, but get the smaller size because that’s all you’ll need. I promise you these are some of the best pancakes you’ll have in your entire life. They’re made from their own «secret recipe» and they’re worth every bite.
This place is so rough around the edges but I’ll remember my breakfast for a long time. Give it a shot if you’re in the area!

An institution in Cape Girardeau. Full of regulars and a random guest from the somewhat shady motel next door. That being said, it has some of the best old-​school food around.