Richard Walker’s Pancake House

THE BEST BREAKFAST IN SAN DIEGO!
This place is off the hook! Love it and eat here every time I am in town. The customer service is excellent. You will be greeted by all employees with a warm and inviting smile. The menu has a wide variety for breakfast and lunch. They are famous for lots of their specialties — but my favorite is the pecan bake. I and my guests have never been disappointed with anything ordered here. It does get busy, and sometimes you might have to wait a bit. Highly recommend!!!

Good food, not spectacular. Service is rushed. I wouldn’t come back since I have an hour drive not worth it.

Had breakfast here two days in a row not because it was out of this world, just out of convenience. The first time didn’t leave a good impression, we waited forever to get our meal. I was really annoyed because I saw other people that came after us that were being served, and we were still waiting. I got the turkey bennie which was good but the hash browns weren’t that great. The following day the service was much better which was strange since they were busier than the day before. We ordered the wheat germ pancakes and my bf got the Santa Fe omelette, which were just right. It was nothing spectacular but it’s a nice stop on a Sunday morning.

I came here last Saturday per Unilocal elite recommendations…
Yes, it’s true long wait… Stood in line for about 20+ minutes.
The place is SUPER tiny and tight. The ambiance of the restaurant makes me feel like I’m in New York for some reason. Nice stained glass.
WHAT TO GET:
CHOCOLATE CHIPPIES PANCAKES ($ 6.95 for ½ stack or $ 8.95 for full)
IT WAS SO FREAKING GOOD! Super heavy! The full stack comes with 6 large pancakes. It’s so hard to finish! I recommend getting the half stack if you’re not a heavy eater.
MUSHROOM AND CHEESE OMELETTE
My friend ordered this and I had a bite, had me wishing I ordered it for myself! DROOL!
I just wish this place had iced or flavored coffee :(They only have your regular cup of joe.
I wouldn’t mind coming back. Only come if you have a lot of time to wait, also since the place is small I wouldn’t come here in a large group. Since there’s a long line to get in, the service is a bit rushed. Yeah they’re nice, but I feel like they try to get a party in and out within 30 minutes. No time to chat…

YUM-​OH!
I saw pictures of the lines for this restaurant but after looking at the food photos, we were not daunted. We arrived Sunday morning close to 1000 am and waited for 45 minutes for a table. If you are not from the area, this is a small restaurant with about 14 tables inside and 8 tables outside. If you arrive with 2 people in your party, it is a snap to get a table. Anything more, you will have to wait a bit because this place is busy and it is always easier to seat a «two-​top.»
The service is friendly and fast and the food is delicious. Again, as an out-​of-​towner visiting, I loved this place so much that I went twice. Also, it is one of the few places that opens before 700 am for the early risers. [They open at 630 am.]
I shared the «must have» apple pancake on both visits. And both times, they were consistently die-​licious! The apples were fresh and crisp, the cinnamon sauce was just the right amount, and the edges of the baked pancakes were light and remained crisp through the breakfast!
I also tried Veronica’s Veggie With Cheese Omelette. It was tasty and a good sized portion, but I thought that the hash browns (shredded) needed to be crispier. In fact, I asked for them to be crispy, but they were not.
All-​in-​all, this place is iconic and definitely worth the wait.

This would be a deadly place for me if I lived in San Diego! The service was excellent and the wait was minimal considering the line outside! I couldn’t decide between the Eggs Benedict, or the blueberry crepes, so I got both! And I am VERY glad I did! Not even 24 hours later I am craving it all again! I wish they had this spot in Portland. I would be a regular!

Holy mole! This place smells heavenly! Do know that your baked pancake will take 15 minutes… it’s worth the wait! The San Diego French toast is totally worth sharing. Plenty of yumminess for two as it is loaded with fresh strawberries, bananas and blueberries. If you could make it on a weekday, get to it! Very attentive service as my coffee cup was full and warm.
This place is so good… I visited two days in a row!

Really good. Fast service. Fresh ingredients. Complete with a high five! we tried San Diego French toast, strawberry pancakes, and chocolate chip pies. Yummo!

This place is amazing. We waited in line for about 35 minutes or so but the line kept moving so I know they were working hard. There is s coffee shop across the street so just grab a coffee before you wait and time passes quickly. Once seated the waiter was prompt with drinks and attentive to our order. Be sure to look at the menu while in line so you know what you want end seated. This helps their flow of restaurant.
I ordered eggs and bacon, hash browns and the Dutch Apple pancake! It was so delicious. The pancake with gooey caramels cinnamon goodness was delish! It’s almost like a bread pudding. The bacon was really thick and flavorful! The only bad part was that there wasn’t room in my stomach to try the crepes! I will definitely be back to this restaurant. It was truly a great experience. Good for kids too!

Great service, seated promptly, not rushed, food was perfect, the menu has amazing options.
We had a baked pecan pancake and a baked omlete, both were amazing, a lot of food. But seriously, if you’re visiting the area and you don’t stop in for breakfast you’ve missed out !!

This place is incredible. I feel lucky, there was no wait when I came here on a weekday. It’s got an ambience nice enough for a morning brunch date.
I am looking forward to coming back to try everything else on the menu, but I can safely say the Dutch Harvest is the best breakfast dish I’ve ever eaten in San Diego.
I didn’t get to try the Apple Dutch pancakes but they smelled amazing from afar. They’ll be first up to order on my next visit.

What can you say about an awesome Unilocal friend who comes and picks you up at your hotel, for breakfast?
It was my first time meeting Phuong N, and she was an absolute delight. Since I was the traveling guest, she let me choose the venue, and Richard Walker’s was the solid choice… and luckily, right down the street from the DoubleTree.
It doesn’t seem to matter what day/​time you arrive… you’re looking at a 40 minute wait minimum, and yes, it is worth it.
But today, I looked forward to the wait, as I could use the time to find out a little more about my San Diego living friend. For instance, she recently came to this country, not speaking English, and acquired a job at Zion National Park. She then learned our language in three year’s time. Phuong is a successful illustration of the American dream, who’s ambition and intellect are allowing her to improve her education and way of life.
When she was young, her family lived hours from the school she attended, so during the week she slept on mats with her other classmates, and commuted on the weekends via a motorbike. This was her way of life, and she adapted to it through her high school and college years.
I am thoroughly impressed with this young woman. She is smart, funny, and down to earth… and thinks enough of the elderly to take me to breakfast. Thank you, sweetie!
It’s interesting… Phuong calls me a funny and sweet Unilocaler. I told her, I’d rather write funny and positive things because you never know what someone is dealing with. Maybe they just need to be lifted up, or have their mind taken off of their problems for a few moments. Let’s give people something little to be thankful for today. She thinks I do a good job at this.
But that morning, before she called to tell me she was almost at the hotel, I was having a very rough time, and could have easily brooded the morning away in my room. It was she who drew me out of my self pity. It was she who made me feel better with her conversation, and by spending some time with an old fool. It was she who allowed me to take my mind off of my problems for a few hours. In reality, my young friend is a sweet Unilocaler.
Today, I’m thankful for Pancakes with Phuong

This place is alright, average American brunch spot. The food is mostly omelettes/​eggs and pancakes. The eggs are oven baked with butter and the omelettes taste okay. The difference from other places are the egg omelettes are crunchy and crisp.
The pancakes are like Denny’s, ordinary.
I ordered the bacon cheese omelette with jalapeño cheddar. It was good but lacked flavor that we had to pour pepper and chalula hot sauce on it.
The hashbrowns were good and crispy.
Also my partner ordered the corn beef hash browns hat came with eggs any way you want them cooked. All the meals depending on which category come with either pancakes or hashbrowns.
It’s a good place to eat just to try only once but my friends and I agreed we would not come back. The one hour wait just for alright food is not worth the hype.
Other than that the workers were friendly.

I came on the day after Christmas for brunch around 10:30 and there was a line. It was expected though, since everyone else said there’s always a wait time on normal mornings. It was a long line but it went by pretty quickly! Good thing it wasn’t raining or too windy or else I would’ve left.
There’s a worker who comes out constantly to hand out menus. ALSO, parties of 2 are lucky because those get seated a lot quicker. The server was constantly coming out to ask for parties of 2. One couple literally came and got seated right away. Lucky them! I waited about 50 minutes before I got seated. Not too bad! Our server was very friendly. I can tell he was rushed with how busy it was since it was the day after Christmas but he covered it very well. I can just observe people’s actions and feelings very easily so I can tell how he felt! Haha, but he was super nice & even jumped into a picture when I was taking one. Funny guy!
The menu all sounded so good so it was hard to choose. They’re most popular for their baked omelettes and pancakes. Especially the german pancake & apple pie pancake. My mom, brother and I ordered the German pancake, vegetable omelette, mediterranean omelette, steel cut oatmeal and Belgian waffle with strawberries. We also got sides of avocado, chicken breast & fruit. Lots of food, I know. It was hard not to order too much :(
Let me start off with the German Pancake. They give you an instruction card on how to eat a german pancake. It involves 3 mandatory steps (Add butter, powdered sugar & lemon juice). Then some optional steps (rolling it up, cutting it into pieces kinda like sushi). It’s cool! It was HUGE, it didn’t even fit on the plate. The sides were brown and crispy. The pancake flour tasted very unique but good. This is something I definitely would order again. It’s so good when you add butter, powdered sugar & lemon juice. I totally see why it’s mandatory! :P
Now, the baked omelettes. The omelettes come with a side of either pancakes, hashbrowns or toast. I got wheat toast for both. It comes with a side of jam which is simple but good! The omelettes are perfectly baked because it’s not too dry. They use butter to bake it, not oil. So the smell & taste is a lot stronger when you eat it. The middle of the omelette is a bit runny but it’s perfect that way. Not too dry :) Kinda like a poached egg but a little more cooked! The omelettes are something you NEED to try if you love eggs!
The Belgian waffle was alright. It wasn’t anything too special! I prefer the pancakes and omelettes over this. We got the steel cut oatmeal because my mom is asian and loves her oatmeal. It’s a great healthy breakfast choice here since it’s plain. We got a side of raisins and added fresh fruit with it. A bowl of fresh fruit was $ 7.95 which is quite pricey! The side of avocado is ½ an avocado, so they don’t skimp on portions for that. The side of chicken breast is about 3.5 oz of meat. Not worth the price!
I say if you come here, get the baked omelettes or pancakes. Especially the pancakes because that’s what they are known for. The pancakes are something you share too. Especially the german & apple pie. The apple pie pancake is like 3 inches thick so it’s huge! Smells so goooood though whenever servers walked by me with them!
When I come back to SD for vacation, I definitely will give this place another visit :) Definitely worth the wait!

It’s just an average place with average American breakfast.
Just a few notes:
Service was great — we were seated quickly, they kept coming by for coffee and water refills, waitress was very nice
Food — just average — I felt like it was overpriced for just average breakfast food, turkey patty was really dry, hash browns were decent as well as the cinnamon pancake
The place is rather small so it wouldn’t be a good idea to go with a big party. They also make you leave your stroller outside so it’s better not to bring one.
I probably won’t go out of my way to come back again. There are plenty of other breakfast/​brunch spots that are better in San Diego.

Mushroom cheese omelette — ⁴⁄₅ — cheese and mushrooms well incorporated. Not watery or rubbery. Sherry sauce a little sweet and not especially complementary.
Bacon — 3.5÷5 — thick and a little sweet and smokey. Decent.
Hash browns — 3.5÷5 — crispy but a little greasy.
San Diego French toast — ⁴⁄₅ — perfect mix of cinnamon, sugar, and egg in the batter. Good flavor. Strawberries, however, were hard and unsweetened (unripe). Otherwise, great!
Staff — friendly and helpful.
Environment — busy! But worth the wait.
Overall — think of this as a smaller but better version of original pancake house.

Given its raving reviews and the convenient walk from the Marriott Marquis, my friends and I decided to try this place for breakfast. Luckily, we came on a weekday morning and so we only waited about 15 – 20 minutes. Between the four of us, we decided to split the apple pancake and the German pancake.
Apple pancake: SO GOOD. It’s a «baked pancake» so it’s not like the traditional fluffy pancakes you get at places like IHOP or Denny’s. I would say the thickness of the pancake is somewhere between a traditional pancake and a crêpe. The apples on top were also perfectly sweet. It wasn’t too sweet, something that we were worried about when we ordered it.
German pancake: Because this one is also baked, the texture is pretty much the same as the apple pancake. If you’ve never had a German pancake, the servers here give you a handout with instructions on how to eat it, haha! Basically you squeeze lemon over it, spread butter over the pancake, and top it off with powdered sugar. Simple and delicious!
The food here was great and the service was awesome. I would definitely recommend this place if you’re in the area :)

An A-​Ok experience for us. Had we waited in the usual line that wraps the building we probably would have been a bit more on the disappointed side. Our service was a definite 5 star all around however, the food was over cooked and just not over-​the-​top as I envisioned.
We ordered a few dishes like Eggs Benedict (hearty portion but eggs were over poached) the corned beef hash was homemade and our favorite dish here but we came for the pancakes. We witnessed a delivery of an apple pancake while waiting in line and decided it was large enough to feed us all!
The apple pancake is an eye-​catcher because of its off-​the-​plate, over-​the-​top size. The home baked smell from that bad boy fills the air making it impossible to not want to try.
Sadly, ours was over cooked, nearly burnt and dry. So, although the favors were true to an apple-​pie pancake the dry, overdone dish made me grateful that we did not wait more than 10 min. to experience this breakfast hotspot.
Would we return? Yes. On a Monday after 11am, never during a weekend when there is a mega-​line.

Stopped by for lunch with a colleague and it was great. It’s a small place so seating is limited. Be sure to come early or just dress yourself with patience. I’ve never been to a Richard Walker’s so I wasn’t really expecting the «diner» experience but I must say it was really good.
I didn’t give the 5^th star because (1) it felt like we were sitting on top of each other; (2) I ordered the cherry pancakes and when the food came out the waitress was like «oops, we don’t have cherry» so they just brought plain pancakes. Suggestion: actually tell me this before the food comes out. Maybe I would have ordered something else.
We tried the blueberry (after-​the-​fact) GF pancakes and the bacon stuffed pancakes which my colleague loved. Just work on the service!

I’m only docking a star due to some of the pricing. Wasn’t thrilled with the side of bacon for 5 bucks that came with three strips that didn’t taste that special. However, their home made corned beef hash made up for what the bacon lacked. Definitely the best I’ve ever eaten.
The dutch oven pecan pancake tasted more like a deconstructed cinnamon bun with loads of toasted pecans. I’m not a pancake fan but could become one if I knew how to make them this way! It was well priced for the quantity too as it became breakfast the next morning. The service here is outstanding. Never needed to ask for more coffee or water. We came on a weekday so didn’t have any issues with waiting for food or a table. Will be back!

Buen lugar pero la espera es demasiado para lo que te te dan. El pie de manzana es muy americano y en mi opinion demasiado grotesco. El servicio en general esta bien pero me sentía presionado para que dejara la mesa ya que había mucha espera.