Breakfast crawl...Restaurant Review: Original Pancake House

Date: September/October 2008

Guests: Diane and Laura Cañate, very often Liz Anderson and sometimes Rebecca Cañate 

Place: Original Pancake House

790 East 2100 South #400

Salt Lake City, UT 84109

Phone: (801) 484-7200

Hours: M-F, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.; S, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Su, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Order: Various picks (see below)

*SLC location

We've been to the Original Pancake House many times, since it's about a 2 minute walk from our house and so I figured it is about time that I review it. Original Pancake House is famous across the country for it's huge pancake menu. They are known for their Dutch Baby (an air filled delight oven baked to a golden perfection and served with lemon, whipped butter and powdered sugar*) and their Apple pancake (a single large pancake smothered with sautéed apples and cinnamon sugar*), but note these dishes take longer to cook than the other fares, so don't come too hungry you won't be able to make it. 

Dishes we've had:

*Dutch Baby

Pumpkin Pancakes: Rich and light pumpkin pancakes served with fresh whipped cream (my favorite pick so far!) Seasonal only!

Banana Pancakes: Buttermilk pancakes filled with diced bananas and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Served with whipped butter and hot tropical syrup.*

Fresh Fruit Pancakes: Buttermilk pancakes topped with strawberries, blueberries, and bananas, lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Served with whipped butter.

Plain Crepes: not the prettiest crepes I've seen, but definitely a large portion and in th end quite satisfying, despite the lack of Nutella. 

French Toast: classic medium thick piece of toast, lightly dusted with powdered sugar. 

Old Fashioned Oatmeal...good size portion, but is lackluster and seems more like an obligation than a dish to be proud of. 

I wanted to focus on the food at the beginning because it really is consistently delicious, however, it is almost fully eclipsed by the appallingly bad service. It is difficult to find one person at the pancake house  who will serve you adequately or even politely. One particular bad service can be understood in 5 quick notes:

1. Despite there being three people at the table, the server gave us only one glass of water and did not return with another 2 for over ten minutes. 
2. Or simple order of pancakes, french toast, and crepes took over 20 minutes and when it did arrive, she had no idea who ordered what.
3. Our server never checked back with us to make sure our food was to our liking and cleared plates very quickly.
4. Our server never made eye contact with any of us or really acknowledged us much at all other than to take our order. 
5. We felt rushed due to the frantic nature of the wait staff, our server giving us our ticket before we were even close to finishing our food, and the constant stares at our table by hosts/managers to check on our "progress." 

All in all, after my latest visit to the Original Pancake House, unless your jonesing for a particular type of fare, like the bacon pancakes or the Dutch Baby, try another spot for breakfast. The combination of long waits, crowded/rushed vibes, and unbearable service, makes me willing to forego the two minute walk and get in the car to drive to a overall more satisfying breakfast. 

*Apple Pancake

*Descriptions and photos taken from the Original Pancake House website.