Original Pancake House

Compared to other OPH’s, prices are exorbitant. No creativity to menu. Would recommend offering some unique and different items, like selection of Eggs Benedict or omelettes.

This place has decent breakfast food, in fact, I rather enjoy that the menu makes it easy to order a short stack of pancakes for those of us who want a little bit of savory and sweet for the breakfast. The wait staff has always been kind and are usually very attentive in taking our orders and providing refills.
However, the actions of the owner are frankly unacceptable. People must go to the front to pay, cannot pay with card, and have to provide the amount of tip which he physically types into the register. He does not have a friendly demeanor during any of the times, and I have seen him be blatantly disrespectful to other folks paying at the register before. During one day in particular, he had one of his staffers observing the parking lot and telling people leaving the restaurant to move their cars (rather than leaving leftovers in car and walking around I suppose) after coming out of the restaurant after PAYING FOR FOOD IN THEIR RESTAURANT.
Completely uncalled for and enough to make me not want to return — which takes a lot for me.

Short review: Not good. Go someplace else. Skip breakfast if this is the only choice.
Details:
I went to this location with my wife and 2 children. I’d been to two other Original Pancake house locations and had OK experiences.
This location is a disaster. My wife and I almost left within the first minute due to the appearance of the place. Run down and a funny smell. But I wanted to give it a try so we stayed.
The service is slow and terrible. I’m not sure if this is a family run business but it seemed to lack good management. People doing lots of stuff but no one asking me what I wanted for breakfast. We finally got our orders taken and the food came quickly. That’s probably the only positive thing I’ll type in this review.
The food was terrible. I ordered an omelette which was just plain gross. It was kind of runny on one end and then tasted like grease on the other. The hash browns were cold. I took one bite and wanted to spit them back out on the plate.
My wife said her food was cold as well. My children ordered pancakes which had a strange texture. They sort of fell apart when you tried to cut into them. They turned into a big messy pile of pancake crumbs for lack of a better term.
In the end we spent $ 72 dollars for a breakfast we did not eat. It was absolutely terrible and I would not recommend this place to anyone ever.

The Spanish omelette is the standard, massive, fluffy with mushrooms and nice tomato sauce on top, and the Dutch baby is still outstanding!
The owners are so nice, we’ve been going there for years so we got to know them well. The place continue to be a local popular institution, highly recommended for brunch.

I’ll explain why you see so many bad reviews for this place. It’s run down and operated poorly by a gruff, mean and belligerent owner.
The employees are sweeter than sugar. The food is ok but severely overpriced for what you get. Their two speciality items are very good but everything else is rather mediocre. You seriously could be a lot happier at Hobee’s (who has great food, reasonable prices and an excellent staff).
This is a franchise, which you wouldn’t know by the run down exterior and even more unimpressive, run down interior. It’s old and faded, doesn’t look like it’s had a good deep cleaning in decades, the floor tiles are cracked and broken, the ceiling tiles stained or missing. Wall paint is a nondescript dirty beige. None of this is appealing.
None of this is important compared to the owner. He completely ruined the experience for us. Not seating us when we walked in (we stood there for a while until a passing employee was kind enough to help us out).
At no time did the owner check on us, he didn’t scan the dining room to make sure that all was well, he simply ran the cash resister (poorly) and calculated his profits (I suspect they are huge because this is simply mostly pancakes and sugar, there is no significant cost to make this product).
Our server was excellent, one of the best I ever had, he went through a lot of trouble to fulfill my atypical request and after quite the effort he convinced the kitchen to mostly create what I wanted (something other pancake places do all the time).
The food arrived in a reasonable amount of time but half the pancakes were undercooked enough to be considered raw. I was starving, we were so busy that morning that we hadn’t eaten and decided to stop here for brunch (a few minutes before lunchtime) which turned out to be a mistake.
I put aside the undercooked pancakes to show the owner but he never toured the dining room (there is no manager).
This is when things really soured for us. The owner lassoed our server while we were trying to flag him for the check. The owner proceeds to yell at the employee right in front of us for not covering another employees area as well as his. It turns out the owner let that other employee leave very early but didn’t ask the staff to cover the unattended area.
Potential customers were getting up and leaving because they were unserved so instead of attending the tables himself he decides to yell at our innocent server.
We received our check and were surprised to find that the employees were not allowed to touch customer credit cards so we had to go to the cash register and face the grumpy owner.
We stood there for a while as he added up his profits then he manually operated the card reader. I asked if I could simply use Apple Pay, he said no, I said there was a sticker on the door that said they did accept it. He mumbled for a while and it didn’t sound good so I’m glad I couldn’t understand him.
He then asks me if I want to tip the server, of course I do, I’ll put it on the skip. No slip! He exclaimed, tell me and I’ll put it into the credit card machine.
That was so odd that I was dumbfounded for a moment. He told me he did this because he didn’t trust his employees with my credit card and that «you trust me!»
No, actually I don’t trust him, nor anyone else that can’t trust his own employee with a credit card, especially when we are eating the food they are preparing for us.
This really annoyed me so I politely told him that we had never met and that I had no basis to trust him. I asked for Apple Pay again (because that is in fact completely trustworthy) but he was too clueless to finish the transaction.
We needed to leave so I told him to add a very generous tip to which I was forced to look at his unpleasant grimace. He barely got the transaction through (it’s not rocket science!) and I started walking out, making it as far as the exterior door.
I then realized that my wife stayed at the register, she very politely told him that it was completely inappropriate to talk to his employee in such a demeaning fashion, doubly so since it wasn’t his fault and triply so in front of the customers.
He started arguing but she told him it was inappropriate to talk back to a customer for any reason at any time. He hung his head down and said «yes, you’re right», but then started arguing again. I let go the front door, walked over and stared him in his beady eyes, he shut up and we left.
I can guarantee you that we will never ever return here ever again. The owner is atrocious, ill mannered, and doesn’t know how to put perfectly cooked pancakes on your table. Go to Hobee’s instead.

Not the friendliest hostess who should be more appreciative of customers! She was very rude to me and I won’t forget it! I have worked in restaurants and know customers are where your money is coming from!

The quality of the food here is mediocre. My boyfriend and I ordered the omelette and pancake with a side of potatoes special. The price for that was OK at $ 13 but the for quality of the food, it feels like I was over charged.
The omelets were flavorless and not that full of toppings. I could taste more flavorless egg than any of the toppings. The pancakes were OK. They were a little salty and nothing more special than ones I can make at home. The side of potatoes were over salted and distasteful. I didn’t even finish them because they were so unpleasant.
They also give way too many plates for something I could fit on one. Needless to say, there was a pile of unused plates at our table.
However, the unique thing about this place is the coloring pages and crayons offered to children. That’s not something you see at other restaurants.
In conclusion, the food is not good for the price so I would not recommend to others.

I give it two stars just because my kid does like the banana pancakes but this place is really bad otherwise. Service was terrible. Food took a very long time and when it came, it was cold. The food is mediocre at best and for the quality you get, expensive.

If you like warm and sweet pancakes– just get the dutch baby. You won’t go wrong. Super buttery and sweet– with powdered sugar on top. There are normal pancakes, omelettes, and a lunch menu, but I always get the dutch baby. A close second would be the apple pancake.

Awful!
The service is atrocious. I’m sitting here at the table with my kids for 30 minutes… I still do not have menu and no server has come by. I’m going to just sit here and count the hours we will sit here until being served with a menu.

After living in the area for many years, my husband and I stopped in about a month ago for a mid-​week breakfast-​time treat, but based upon our experience that day, we won’t be back.
Forgiving the incredibly dingy atmosphere, we were looking forward to what we hoped would be classic American breakfast fare. I ordered an orange juice (fine) and waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. The latter was a single very so-​so waffle, with a lovely sprinkling of fresh, sliced berries (best part of the entire meal), and a scoop of whipped-​cream (possibly Cool Whip, as it didn’t seem to be real cream)…all for about $ 15 –yikes! I was skeptical of the price when I placed the order, but I was hoping for a dish worth the price, which was not the case. Had it included a side of bacon, sausage or eggs, it might have justified the price but the «meh» waffle just wasn’t particularly good and certainly the value wasn’t there.
My husband ordered house coffee (he said it was fine, nothing special) and a ham and egg omelet. These, too, were sorely disappointing. We had to ask/​plead three times with our server for a coffee refill as she was more intent on bussing the previously departed tables than tending to the very few of us still there (& there was no one waiting for those tables). The omelet appeared to just be an overcooked/​dry loaf of egg with cubed ham in it. No garnish, no accoutrements or other ingredients: just really dry egg and diced ham.
Our tab was $ 42 + tip for these items, which even in Los Altos seems exorbitant –especially in light of the poor service and ambiance. No wonder there are rarely cars parked outside or the lines out the door that I remember from many years past… skip it and head to Hobbee’s instead.

Oh dear! I think this place needs Gordon Ramsey to come in to swear a bit and clean it up! The place is really, really dingy! The service is very poor and very slow. The food tastes pretty dang good, but it scares me to eat there. The prices are crazy high! Why not invest some of that $ 14 for a pancake into a gallon of paint? I would love to come here for pancakes, but I don’t trust a place that is so dirty and run down. It isn’t charming, its just dirty.

Definitely one of our favorite places for weekend lunch. We love the old school feel coupled with good service and tasty food. We ordered the Strawberry Crêpe, Dutch Baby, Apple Pancake, half order of their House Potatoes, half order of crispy bacon, and a half order of link sausage.
Everything was delicious. However, the size of the pancakes was smaller than previous times. And, the potatoes were missing something. Perhaps there was a new cook at the helm?

I asked specifically how long the pancakes would take since I was in a rush. They promised 10 mins, took 30 mins.
Small, but annoying.

My friend and I decided to come here one day for breakfast because our plans coming here was way long overdue. So I went and I finally tried what OPH has to offer.
First off the store-​front is bland and simple with the title just being well. boring. This place can easily be missed while driving. Let’s get straight to it!
I ordered their original short stack pancakes which is basically three medium sized pancakes with a slab of creamy butter on the side. Then they serve their hot pancake syrup along with it.
I personally didn’t think their pancakes were anything special. They tasted normal to me; kind of like house made pancakes. The price is great though which is about $ 6 but the pancakes were just ok. Their syrup was the real star of the show though because it was thin, light, and water-​like. This hot drizzle over the pancakes soaked in between and made the pancakes that much better.
I’ve had better so I will not be coming back. Sorry

Home style food, and lots of it. Unlike other reviewers, I never complain about generous portions!
Service was on the slow side, but the breakfast food was pretty good, not excellent. Honestly, it was quite forgettable, as I have no recollection of my order. Our coffee cups were refilled upon request, but the request was necessary. The coffee was good.
They don’t take American Express. Sigh.
As an aside, I think prices are lower at the San Diego location. «Whatever the market will bear».

My husband & I are fond of the Original Pancake house. It’s our first time in this location. We came early around 7:30 am & we were the first guests. Took us a few minutes to figure out what to eat but took 25 – 30 minutes before the food arrived on the table. We watched as other customers started pouring in around 8 am. We were a bit worried about the service after reading Unilocal reviews but we weren’t that disappointed.
The Dutch baby came out warm and good. The ham & scrambled eggs were okay. I ordered hash browns but we ended up getting diced but mushy looking potatoes. I’m used to going to places where food is plated nicely & the ambiance is pretty classy. Don’t expect that here. Not being negative but this location is pretty homey, laid back & casual. You’ll get your food & it tastes okay to good but don’t expect more. The customers during breakfast were mostly older couples & a few younger ones (40s).
Prices are the same as in other locations. The menu is similar too it’s just lacking in ambience & class. But most ppl come just to eat & not expect more than that & it’s totally okay with me too. I’m flexible that way.
Turns out that this is considered a historical location & had gone through some renovations in the past. Didn’t look like it had a makeover to me. There were pictures of events & important ppl who were actively involved so it looked like this is a pretty legit hangout for some Los Altos residents.

We walked in with a Groupon and noticed only one other patron in there. At 11am in the morning??? Okay, this isn’t going to work out well, but no point in turning away now.
Having gotten the Dutch baby before at the Las Vegas location, I decided on that again, since it was pretty solid there. Every location is not the same and it would be safe to say that there is no location that compares to this one. And that is a good thing… a VERY good thing.
The center and bottom might as well have been mush, because that’s how soggy it was. As disgusting as the food was, the manager/​owner lady was something else. The young male waiter was fine and helpful, but you could tell he was scared to be himself, because she was overlooking and micromanaging everything.
She came over to basically be a bitch (80% probability that being a bitch is just her natural self, but so it goes…) about the coupon and over a single dollar or whatever. I thought I would stop shaking my head after I gave up on the Dutch baby, but little did I know, I still shake my head in utter disgust every time I think about my experience here.
Do yourself a favor and never step foot in here. NEVER.

Very average breakfast food here. Nothing memorable and everything could probably be made pretty easily at home and still taste the same, but the food at least isn’t terrible here. Typical brunch prices between $ 10-​$ 15 with big portion sizes.
I ordered a WESTERN OMELETTE, which had ham, red peppers, tomatoes, onions and cheese, and got french toast as my side (option of pancakes, toast, hash potatoes or french toast). The omelette was huge and pretty average, though it wasn’t very warm by the time it got to my table. The french toast was on the room temperature side as well and was pretty dense rather light and fluffy.
I tried some of my friend’s DUTCH PANCAKE, which seemed to have positive reviews from Unilocal.This was probably more worth trying since it’s more unique, but it wasn’t particularly memorable either. It just tasted like a light pancake with apple slices inside.
Service here is pretty slow. We waited a while for our food, which didn’t come out hot, and for our check.
Not a terrible breakfast place but not really worth paying for in my opinion.

4 WORDS. DO NOT GO HERE. I get mad just thinking of my experience here.
Had a groupon to go here as it was near my work. Took my coworker here on a Friday for lunch. It’s old and rusty, but has some character. Walk in and you see the owner at the hostess stand. No smile, no acknolwedgment. I tell her that we have a table of two and she points to the main room. Might help if you show some appreciation to your customers that are keeping you in business or have a sign that says «Please Seat Yourself.»
Sat down, and since I’ve been to the Original Pancake House in Cupertino several times, I expected a pretty decent meal. Given menus, and the menu did not match what was online. Prices were also hiked up than what their menu shows online. We were given water, and I asked for lemon and a straw, and it took so long and multiple requests til we finally got one.
I went with their version of eggs benedict with sausage and potato pancakes. Coworker chose the pecan pancakes. We received our food shortly and the potato pancakes tasted sour and funny. Not good at all. The sausage benedict, even worse. The gravy that it came with was basically cream of mushroom out of the can. Disgusting.
My coworker’s pancake was basically pancakes with some pecans thrown on top. I had a bite and it was whatevers. Midway, she noticed their was a black hair in the middle of her pancake. We were both disgusted, I felt like vomitting. I mentioned it to the waitress, and she asked if we wanted anything else. No thanks. Too bad I already showed my groupon as it was deducted.
As I went to pay the extra cost, I let the mean looking owner/​hostess know and she wanted to see the pancakes right away. She then went back to the kitchen after seeing the hair and came back to let me know that none of her staff had black hair and it wasn’t there. That made me livid! I saw plenty of workers with black hair come out of the kitchen door, and she was basically implying that we put the hair there ourselves?! (My coworker has light brown hair). That was just uncalled for and extremely unprofessional. Since my groupon had already been applied it was too late. Truthfully I am glad as I would never come back and wish I hadn’t wasted my $ that I used to purchase it. Downright no service, rude service from management and lies, and horrible food.