The Bottom Line
Pros
- Unique dishes
- Quality ingredients
- Pancakes come as a side with just about everything
Cons
- Often crowded
- Expect to wait to be seated
Description
- A breakfast-only restaurant
- Specializes in pancakes
- Prices: $$$
Guide Review - Review: The Original Pancake House in Southfield
Atmosphere:
Typically diner, The Original Pancake House has a large dining room with a large number of booths and tables. Even so, most of them are filled, and a large waiting area in the lobby accommodates the line of waiting customers. While a national chain, the restaurant has never exceeded three franchises in the Metro Detroit Area, which keeps people coming from far and wide across. The restaurant actually started in Portland, Oregon as a family business. Its recipes have spanned three generations.
Food:
They do one meal, but they do it right. Many restaurants and diners from Coney Island to Denny’s serve omelets, but the term “omelet” has many shades of meaning. Few restaurants serve the dish like The Original Pancake House: the spinach omelet is created with three (plus) eggs whipped and browned with your choice of cheddar or Swiss cheese. The piece de resistance is the mushroom-sherry sauce on the side. As with almost all dishes on the menu, two dollar-sized, buttermilk pancakes are served as a side dish. The pancakes are light and fluffy –- a result of the sifted hard wheat unbleached flour –- and served with whipped butter.
The Apple Pancake is a big, baked confection smothered with apple and cinnamon. It literally makes your eyes pop out when it is served because it is the size of a large bowler hat -- be prepared to bring home a doggie bag. In fact, there should be some kind of award for finishing it. The menu includes a large variety of both omelets and pancakes, but crepes and waffles are also available.
Service:
Coffee was kept topped off and the wait for the food was reasonable. This is a real feat considering the number of patrons.
