The Original Pancake House

Came here today with my husband and it was alright. My husband got the German pancake which was huge and liked it. I got the vegetarian omelette and it was average. Nothing special, definitely not worth the $ 13. The service wasn’t great, I had to ask 3 times to refill my water and the restaurant wasn’t busy. Won’t be back again.

I came here to eat brunch on a weekend afternoon and the place was packed. Fortunately, the wait wasn’t too long, it took about 20 minutes for us to get a table. I looked at the menu and there’s a lot of choices. It was pretty hard to decide which one to get.
I ended up getting the California Benny, which was basically an english muffin topped with tomatoes, avocados, bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. It also comes with your choice of either potato pancakes or toast on the side, so I chose to get the toast.
You definitely get enough to fill you up. It tasted great, but I don’t think anything about it really stood out to me. The yolk wasn’t runny like most egg benedicts, which was slightly disappointing to me, since I love getting runny yolks.
Service was decent as well, they came by once in a while to check up on us and to refill our glasses so it’s pretty nice. Everything about this place was just decent. Nothing really went wrong, but nothing really stood out to me either. It’s just a nice place to have breakfast or brunch with your friends and/​or family.

The California Benny is great, 2 English muffins w/​bacon avocado grilled tomato and poached eggs, served with delicious potato pancakes.
Food came out super quick despite it looking very busy, especially for being a Tuesday morning.
My only complaint is that it is a little over priced. got the little girls I babysit a side of 2 eggs to share and it was $ 4.
Not to mention a cup of coffee is 3 bucks and it tastes like dirty water.
If you’re going to claim yourself as a great breakfast place please get some better coffee.

Been here twice now and it has been pretty good both times. Got the Homemade Corn Beef Hash today which is served with two farm eggs (choose your style) and three potato pancakes. The portions are a tad on the lesser side as I left satisfied, but definitely not full. The corn beef hash is one of their better items as the texture was a nice blend of soft, meaty, and chewy. The potato pancakes is great comfort food. It was served here with apple sauce and sour cream and made for a light and hearty addition to our meal. The food in general was good and was much needed after we finished a long hike. If your looking for a good pre-​hike or post-​hike meal to the nearby Iron Mountain or Mt. Woodson, definitely go here.
The customer service was great! We came in at 2:40pm which was cutting it close to closing time but they never made us feel rushed at all. They offered to refill our coffee on multiple occasions too. It is slightly pricey considering the portions aren’t too big, but the quality of the food makes the price worth it. If I’m ever nearby, I would come here again.

I’ve been a fan of Original Pancake House for years, I’ve just never written a review. I figured it’s about time.
OPH is our go-​to place for birthday breakfasts and other special occasions in our house. They offer gluten-​free pancakes, which is a must for the three kids, and plenty of hot coffee which is a must for the parents of said three kids.
OPH consistently uses fresh ingredients ensuring the tastiness of all of their offerings. Having tried most everything on the menu at one time or another, I’ve settled on blueberry pancakes as my traditional morning meal, with a side order of some of the best bacon on the planet. Thick cut and prepared with a brick on it to keep it flat on the griddle, it comes out flavorful and perfectly cooked every time.
While not inexpensive, it is worth the premium over a more pedestrian breakfast joint, and also worth the wait that you will inevitably find on a weekend morning.
Enjoy!

Whatever that apple monstrosity that i ate was… it was amazing. Worth every penny, if I hadn’t had all 8 cups of coffee I would have fallen into that deep food coma right on the table!

I made the mistake of Not ordering pancakes, although I really wish I did. I’m a simple breakfast kind of gal, so I just ordered toast, eggs and bacon. This meal came with four, thick, strips of bacon. They offer many different types of pancakes, though, I’m really excited to go back and get more adventurous.

Yumminess, thy name is Apple Pancake! Reminiscent of the Russian Charlotte cake (Charlottka) but served as a breakfast dish, rather than a dessert. Not a cake, not a pancake, not an omelette, but a combination of all three — this cinnamon-​apple-​egg baked dish is delicious!
The service is quick and efficient. Coffee is just the right strength.
I would definitely come back here again.

Dutch Baby was a bit too small for the $ 11.85 price. Full sized German Pancake is much more worth it for about $ 2 more. Service was pretty good, aside from the 45 minute wait for a table but that was expected for a Sunday morning.

Very inconsistent. I have dined in 1 time. That one time was a great experience (food and service). I have gotten take out 4 times. 2 of those 4 times was good (fast, all food packed, good service, etc.). The other 2 times I received takeout bad service, waited over 30 minutes, they missed packing some food, etc.
Overall good food for price.

I have been here several times. While the food is good, service is decent depending on who you get and how busy it is, I rarely come here because of how popular and busy they are. Skip coming here on the weekend. I have driven by and seen lines of people outside waiting from across the parking lot.
Food portions are a good size. Not huge but it will fill you up. This visit I decided to try a german pancake. It was a first for me and I was surprised how good it tasted. I got the regular size. It is pretty big. It was not dry but mildly moist. A friend mentioned to me she does not really like them because she finds them dry. I enjoyed this one. I ate it without adding anything to it. I would stop in just to eat it again. Place inside is a little tight. Tables ate set up pretty close together. They could use an expansion. They have plenty of benches and heaters for the large amount of waiters they get on the weekend.

For some reason, this spot gives me the sense of a «Sunday Brunch» only feeling. The only times I remember coming here are days after church. It gets packed between 9 and 12. Today we came at 2 and we’re seated right away. Menu really hasn’t changed the past 10 years and I must have tasted everything on the menu. Today I got the turkey, avocdo, cheese omelet with buttermilk pancakes. Both items were fluffy and tasted ok. Nothing to die for. A nice glass of apple juice quench the thirst.
There is a half way in/​out patio that is separated by glass. Inside is cold because of the A/​C and fan. I could imagine the outside is a little warmer.

Having been to several Original Pancake Houses over the years I will say that this one distinguished itself in one way for sure. It was the absolute fasted turn around for a Big German/​Dutch Baby/​Whatever its called now for any OPH I’ve ever been to. I don’t know how this was accomplished and it’s probably a good thing that the nearest one is several hundred miles from me but there did not appear to be any diminution in the quality of the food.
Parking here is very nice because it’s in a shopping center. You are unlikely to be unable to find a place to park.
If you are looking for a special place for breakfast, Original Pancake House always gets my vote.

Let me start by saying that if you come here for breakfast, you better bring your appetite! Came on a Thursday morning around 8am and it was the perfect time. Not crowded, the service was attentive and restaurant clean.
Food: ordered the Denver omelette with a side of pancakes so my husband and I could share. The omelette filled and entire plate! We asked the server how many eggs they use to make the omelette. 5 EGGS! I’m telling you, it’s huge. I have half in a box in the fridge right now. But it comes with melt in your mouth cheese, diced ham, lots of bell peppers and some onion not to overwhelm you. Very good! The pancakes are delicious. Although we didn’t go fancy, just the buttermilk pancakes, they melt in your mouth and are soooo good. Served hot with a plate of whipped butter and warm syrup.
Service: very friendly and on the ball. Coffee and waters were refilled right away and she was there for whatever we needed.
Next time I’ll try a specialty pancake. Will definitely be back

This has been my family’s favorite breakfast spot for 25+ years. My parents took my sister here when she was a baby and we’ve been going ever since. The service is always efficient even on weekends when it’s packed. Although the best times to go are for lunch on week days.
My all time favorite is the German pancake followed by the Swedish pancakes, Dutch baby, and Apple pancake. The German overflows even the gigantic plate that it’s served on, and is enough food for 2 – 3 people depending on your appetite. The Dutch baby is the same pancake only normal people sized.
For those that want to try something even sweeter, the Apple is a must. For those that want something on the lighter end, the Swedish pancakes are similar to crepes but with a distinctly different flavor and served with fresh lingonberry jam. What’s a lingonberry you ask? Think of a small fruit somewhere between a cranberry and a blueberry that tastes delicious.
Finally for all the coffee lovers, fresh brewed bottomless coffee will more than fulfill all of your caffeine needs.

We got here around 11 on a Saturday. There were couple groups of people waiting to get seated inside but no wait for the outdoor seating.
I ordered the sausage and egg from the egg specialist. I like the butter milk pancakes the most because they were very fluffy! I can eat the pancakes without chewing so that’s perfect for people who just got their 4 wisdom teeth removed! The egg was OK. Not as fluffy as the pancakes. The server was nice. She kept checking on our drinks.

This place is legit. Showed up on a Saturday morning a little after 9AM and there was already a line. Gave our name to the host and she said it would be about 10 – 15 minutes. We were seated in about 5 – 8 minutes at a cozy table inside near the kitchen door. Beverage orders were taken and we were given time to study the menus. I decided to be adventurous and try one of their popular items, the Apple Pancake. Hubby ordered an Egg plate with sausage and spinach with potato pancakes on the side. Food came out in about 10 minutes or so and the Apple Pancake was everything BUT a pancake! It resembled a large apple monkey bread. It had a base layer of what tasted like baked egg/​bread (almost like french toast) topped with cinnamon apples and a tropical syrup. The smell was amazing and the taste was ok, but it wasn’t a PANCAKE!
Hubby’s eggs were tasty, the potato pancakes seemed a little overdone, maybe too rubbery. The service was great and coffee was refilled quickly. I would definitely return but I’ll get the simple stack of pancakes next time.

I can understand the crowds of people always waiting to get in for some good food! Fyi, 30 minute wait for a table of 4. I didn’t mind since I had expected it anyways, but for some people, this could be a huge issue.
Overall, the food here was quite good! And you get a LOT for the price you pay, so don’t be discouraged when you see eggs benedict is about 13 – 14 bucks. The flavor and quantity is quite filling on all of their meals.
Our waitress was lovely. All staff was atyentive, helpful, and calm considering the crowd. It’s a small diner, so expect the tables to be more European style — as in you dine VERY close to others. So if you are a fairly private person, perhaps claustrophobic? You MAY want to skip this one. At least on the weekends.
I am giving this a 4 instead of a 5 mostly because I’ve had a bit better quality food for the same price or less, and/​or I’ve had the same quality food in a better atmosphere for a breakfast diner. Will I come back? More than likely yes :) the 4 star rating is by no means a pass.
My only deterrents really would be I want a breakfast place with a better view (i.e. La Jolla area and not looking at a shopping center) or a quicker sit down breakfast place on the weekends, so I may try another option… OR I could always order for pick up and eat it at home! Yep! They have take out. Sounds good for those days you want a nice breakfast that you don’t have to make, but it is still socially acceptable to look like you just came from Wal-​Mart.
Thanks for the food Pancake House!!! :)

I came here last Wednesday for breakfast & surprisingly, it was pretty busy for a weekday. Nonetheless, the line moved quickly & I was seated within 15 minutes. My server was super friendly & I ordered:
Eggs Benedict (substitute Canadian bacon for regular bacon), served with 3 Potato Pancakes — The Eggs Benedict was great, the bacon was crispy, & the hollandaise sauce was thick & tasty. If you have not ordered potato pancakes before, I recommend giving them a try. It is served with applesauce & sour cream, & also good with ketchup. Delicious!

I’ve only eaten at the Kearny Mesa location once. And now here once.
Personally, I think that this location is VERY SMALL.
We did come here on a busy Easter Sunday.
The wait was about 35minutes which wasn’t too bad.
But I didn’t like that they had to squish people at the ends of the tables with barely any space to move around or walk. Plus the tables are super tiny whereas the plates are huge. There was barely any room to put my cellphone on the table with so many plates on the tiny tables.
Although I do give them props for keeping up with the busy flow.
FOOD:
Irish Omelette with Potato Pancakes
Any of their omelettes are huge! It can definitely be shared between two people. I only ate half of it. I like that they offer corned beef hash inside of the omelette and you get to choose what kind of cheese you want. Although I went with pepperjack cheese, I felt like the omelette was very flavorless. Even after I added sour cream and Cholula hot sauce, it was still quite plain. Needs some more seasoning and some cream cheese would’ve been great.
But the potato pancakes… oh my they were amazing! So crispy and flavorful. My only complaint was that they were really thin and small and fell apart easily.
Overall, this place is known for their pancakes. That is all.