The Original Pancake House

The 49er pancakes are delicious and the actual pancakes are the fluffiest on island !!! My heart is always smiling every time I leave this restaurant !

It is nothing special but it is good if you want pancakes and/​or eggs. Their signature dish is the Dutch baby, which is a lemon German pancake. It is good but not spectacular.
If you are planning a trip to Oahu and looking for recommendations, please see

The service is usually quick, though they seem to rely on all the waitresses taking care of all the tables, which sometimes means you wait a while for refills. The pancakes are top notch, as are the omelettes.

My gf loves it here. She’s a breakfast person. Me, not so much. I’m not a morning person in general, so maybe I shouldn’t be writing this review while I’m tired and hungry…
I’ll try to be fair.
First off this place is tucked away in a very «local» area of kalihi. And by «local» I mean, it’s in a location that might scare some people at night. The good news, is that it’s a pancake house, so you’ll be here in the broad daylight where no one (well in most cases at least) will be robbed or mugged.
My girl and I only can come here on the weekends because of our jobs and it’s usually on Sundays. Sundays gets pretty busy here, there is always a few people before us on the list waiting, so be prepped to wait outside standing against the wall because the seating wait area on the inside only fits about 8.
Now if I were to judge this place on the food quality and service alone it would be 5 stars. The servers here are exceptional and the food is consistently delicious. But the prices are a tad too high for the portion sizes. I had the Portuguese sausage, eggs, with white rice, and albeit it was probably a perfect serving size for one of those tiny waikiki japanese tourist ladies that find thier way here, I’m far from tiny so these portions don’t do. I have to mention on the cleanliness side as well, there was this one time my utensils came and as I unwrapped the napkin, there was a hard piece of rice stuck to my fork. That was kind of gross… the other thing that kind of bother me is that they serve sandwiches here, but not on the weekends. I don’t really understand why not. I know they get busier on the weekends, but too busy to prep for and make sandwiches? *shrug*
So yeah, as much as I hate to give them an average rating, I have to due to the location, kind of high prices to their portion ratio, somewhat limited menu on the weekends, and that one time with my fork.

The Original Pancake House continues to serve up a consistently good breakfast experience. It’s hard not to like the pancakes and omelettes because they do a good job on both. The specialty items like the Dutch Baby and crepes are worth a try.
The service is typically on point from the same long-​time waitresses who are not young. Lots of refills on the coffee and that is key.
Price creep warning though. A standard cup of coffee is $ 3! This will often boost the cost of a meal to well over $ 12. Also, the portions of meat appear to be shrinking.

The blue berry pancakes and all the omelette are delicious. I have never tasted better omelette in Hawaii or in Taiwan. Way better than Any breakfast shop in Hawaii (I have tried them all, since I love breakfast food). If you come before 12, on a weekend, most likely there will be a 15 – 30 min wait, and honestly the service is sometimes good, sometimes bleh. But the food is so good I don’t care. Oh, but the crêpe and French toast is mediocre. Just order pancakes and omelette!

This place is always busy… no matter what time on a Sunday. We waited about 15 minutes for a table of 2. Waitress and busboys were busy, busy, busy, taking orders and cleaning tables. I ordered poached eggs (which were cooked perfect), crispy bacon and pancakes. Those pancakes were so delicious. I think they have the best pancakes on this whole earth!!!

Basic American breakfast. You can’t go wrong!

49ers BABY!
I love this place. My family has been coming here for breakfast for years. Small place with a country diner feel, this place has the best waffles, omelettes, homemade corn beef hash and my ultimate fav– the 49ers. 49ers are thin, crêpe-​style flapjacks that light and slightly gooey. Topped with their whipped butter and their warm maple syrup– it is so good! Waffles are also another solid choice. My other fav is the garden omelette. I’m not much of a meat eater and love veggie omelettes. This is by far the best I’ve ever had, ever! Omelette is really fluffy and is super flavorful– they use a good amount of butter. Being that this is the ‘pancake house’ you’d think the star would be the pancakes. Their buttermilk pancakes are good in flavor but super heavy. I don’t recommend them. The other thing they are known for is the Dutch Baby. It takes 20 minutes to make it so order it as soon as you are seated. It’s like a big soufflé when it gets to the table — –airy and gooey on the inside. It slowly deflates as the seconds pass. Nice flavor, recommended to eat with a squeeze of lemon but this thing is made with a ton of butter. My stomach hurt the rest of the day after indulging I this. Not my fav but had to try it. Go for the 49ers– light and hits the spot when craving a sweet breakfast.

Die Lokalität ist sehr altbacken und die Toiletten sind etwas eklig, aber die Pancakes waren sehr, sehr lecker.
Wir hatten Blueberry Pancakes und Veggie Omelette, das Omelette war allerdings etwas fad! Die Bedienungen waren sehr freundlich!

I got the early bird special, 2 pancakes and 2 eggs. Coffee was almost the same price as my meal! I debated between 3 and 4 stars for this place, landed on 3 because the service was only decent. We weren’t greeted, and they made it seem like a huge hassle to split the check.
The pancakes were very good, eggs good. My friend got the corned beef hash omelette and said it was pretty good.
I’d eat here again for a quick and easy breakfast if I was close, but wouldn’t make a drive to get here.

The best place for local breakfast and traditional American breakfast.
All I can say is the cooks look like they know good food so they cook good food. I have been eating there for years and not once have I had food that was «Meh.» Don’t compare this Original Pancake to the one in town or Vegas because you will be disappointed.
I hope they can stay open till I’m retired because I know I will be one of those older people that go there on a daily basis looking for food.
Tip: Go there before 8:00AM on the weekends. Going there past 9:00AM could possibly result to long seating times. The longest wait I probably had to do was 30 minutes, but it was so worth it. If you don’t know what to order get anything. Eat half and switch with the better half or your partner.

Went at 11am on a Tuesday and was seated right away. The furniture and overall atmosphere felt very old school-​like. I digged it. The waitress seemed friendly but you could tell she didn’t speak much English. We asked for a little more time to look at the menu (since it was our first time) and she came back a minute later. It was kind of funny actually so my sis and I just ordered on the spot.
We shared the macadamia nut pancakes, which were bomb! I personally think it’s better than Koa pancakes: D We also ordered the corn beef hash which was perfectly crisp.
Overall, I am definitely going back to this joint.

My boyfriend I would come here almost every morning when I visited Hawaii. My favorite pancake would have to be the banana pancakes. Next would be the poi and then coconut. Sooo fluffy and delicious, and the pancakes are all so big. Also, the coconut syrup and lilikoi butter are heavenly. We would come back almost every day just because of that.
Their omelettes are huge and fluffy. My favorite is definitely the corned beef, with actual corned beef.
I usually get an omelette and substitute the plain buttermilk pancakes with the banana pancakes. I can never finish everything, but that’s okay because that just means I can eat the pancakes again later on.
The service is great even on their busy days, which would be the weekends. There can be a line at times, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

I’ve been eating at TOPH for decades now and the food has not changed one bit. My favorite are the pancakes and omelets! Pancakes are fluffy and tasty, nice balance of sweet/​savory; omelets are more like soufflé frittatas… very generous fillings and huge portions! My husband LOVES the Dutch Baby and will wait 20 minutes each time for them to prepare it.
Visit early on the weekends or after the rush to avoid long lines. Parking in the lot can also be a mess during peak times. The décor and furnishings are old and dusty, probably hasn’t changed since they opened… but we still love this place for our weekend brunches. Will definitely be back soon!

So this is just for a Take-​Out experience.
My parents and I were running errands and decided to stop by to pick up lunch somewhere. I was in the mood for pancakes so I went to the Pancake house. I asked the hostess for a menu to order take out and she seemed so flabbergasted that I had to repeat myself three times. She took my order and so forth. While waiting for my food, there was a very «interesting» smell going on throughout the place. The time it took to get my food was ridiculous and the taste? Terrible! No flavor and looked like someone made it then forgot to let someone know it was ready. Come on people!

Excellent customer service! I came in for lunch and had an awesome breakfast omelette. Specifically I ordered the spinach and bacon omelette. My omelette arrived looking fluffy. I thought it was going to be full of air but was stuffed! The spinach was fresh and definitely not from a can. The amount of bacon was spot on. I had hash browns which were decent. My pancakes were awesome!
If you order any omelette here I recommend having pancakes. If you want sides get rice or hash browns. It’s a better deal for the price.
Overall rating is 4 stars for good food and excellent customer service in a true pancake house atmosphere. Be polite to your server for excellent customer service.

This place has a lot of options and that I like. I felt that for the price, you get a lot of portion, except for sides, those are overpriced. $ 3.99 for 4 pieces of toast? You can buy a whole loaf of bread for that.
I ordered the chicken and waffles, and I ended up with 2 breast instead of thighs, YAY. It came with a bowl of gravy and a HUGE waffle. This is a large dish and it was excellent. I didn’t get the waffle because my son decided that toast with butter on it is «disgusting» so I had to trade. Still, I wasn’t mad, my food was yummy.
I suggest coming here, if you can, on a weekday after 9:30AM when it’s not crowded. On the weekends it’s a long wait, parking is a nightmare, and it’s not so delicious that it’s worth that kinda headache.
This is like a fancier Waffle House with more options.

I love breakfast food! I use to live around the area growing up so this was a family spot for breakfast food as it was in walking distance from our old home in Kalihi. It’s always busy here though no matter what time you go, well for all the experiences I’ve gone here. So I usually always take out whenever we’d be craving some breakfast and pancakes.
On our recent visit, we decided to dine in since we weren’t going home yet. As expected the line was long but we decided to wait anyways. It was about 20 minutes in when we were seated but greeted politely from our waitress who served us. Water and coffee were offered to us as we viewed the menu. But we already knew what we wanted so we place our order right away.
It seemed we didn’t wait too long for our food. We both ordered omelettes, mines with mushrooms and his with side of short stack pancakes. Omelettes are huge and so fluffy! It’s always my go to food choice when I’m here. Love their pancakes too!
Ambiance is pretty old school and you can tell it’s been around for decades but it keeps their restaurant simple and just the way I remember it. Sometimes, old fashioned restaurants gives a nostalgic feeling of growing up with their comfort food. Probably won’t be dining in as much but its worthy of take out service.

The Original Pancake House is a Kalihi institution. My grandma used to eat here when she was young, and my dad, and now me. The interior is dated, it’s a throwback to an earlier time, and so is the food.
Plates are huge, lighter eaters should definitely share. They have a variety of pancakes, of course, but also crepes, waffels, omlettes, and egg and meat plates. Yes, they use frozen and packaged ingerdients. This is homey food, the kind grandma might have made.
Two things that are hard to find elsewhere are the Dutch Baby and Apple Pancake. Their Dutch Baby is like a thick, dense crêpe, cooked in the oven in a cast iron pan so the outside gets a little crusty. Served with lots of lemon and powdered sugar, it’s tasty though heavy. The Apple Pancake is also oven baked and has apples and cinnamon glaze which gets warm and gooey and cinnamon roll-​esque.
With all the new and trendy breakfast places popping up, The Original Pancake House remains steady and unchanged.

So far during my visit to Hawaii, this is the place I will miss the most when I return to Tampa. La Chica and I still have several days to go, so it’s possible that other businesses could be added to the list, but what a bitter sweet list to have, huh?
Located in the unsavory Waiakamilo shopping center, sits some of the world’s most delicious pancakes. Macadamia nut variations, apple and standard buttermilk all exist here. I didn’t get too experimental, so I went with Junior Plate fir $ 6.50, which included 2 big ass buttermilk flapjacks, one egg and a meat. I went with the Portuguese sausage, which was basically Spanish chorizo – so toothsome. Throw in some coconut syrup and the win is epic.
After sleuthing around on da innerwebz a bit, I found that this place is based out of Portland, Oregon and there are locations all over the U.S. However, the mainland restaurants don’t offer the coconut syrup or chorizo, so be sure to local up your breakfast while here in HI.
The only downside here is the hilariously outdated décor. This place needs a major Kitchen Nightmares renovation.
A definite must visit though. No doubt.

I love coming here with my bf on the weekends! When he asks if I want to come here for some 49er flapjacks my answer is always yes!
Located in one of the sketch parts of Kalihi, nested among four korean bars, is this little pancake gem. Parking is horrible, half the parking lot is ‘reserved’ and the other half has very small spaces. Sometimes people take two spots, come on man.
No reservations taken, you walk in and sign your name on a sign up sheet. If they call you, you need to have your whole party with you or they will call the next name on the list.
Nice variety of breakfast items here. I get the 49er flapjacks 95% of the time. Somewhere between a crêpe and a pancake, they are deliciously crispy and soft at the same time. Comes with a huge glob of butter.
They also have a variety of omelets, breakfast meats and eggs. Most of the items come with a short stack of pancakes.
During the weekdays you can also order sandwiches.
The syrup served here is the corn syrup type. Not pure maple syrup. Coffee is ok.
Service is ok too, not too fabulous but not junk either. Restaurant will need some updating soon, I just sat on a vinyl chair from the 80s with cracks in the seat pad. Bathroom is average, no toilet seat covers.
Prices are ok, most under $ 10

If you love breakfast food, you’ll love The Original Pancake House. I’ve dined in a bunch of times and the food has always been good but I guess I was never compelled to write a review because the service has been good, sometimes so-​so but recently, on my last visit there, the customer service was excellent and the food hit the spot. I think what took it over the top was that we had a table of 10 and everyone was completely satisfied-​our food came out quickly, everyone loved what they ordered and there were no hiccups. Our server was really friendly, upbeat and she was on the ball, which I know isn’t easy for everyone during the morning.
If you plan to dine in on the weekends, be prepared to wait because The Original Pancake House is one of the established and reliable sources of good breakfast food in Kalihi. So naturally, there are a ton of families dining in on the weekends. Timing is really everything because sometimes it’s a long wait, and sometimes it’s not but I think the food is worth it. Speaking of food-​yes I’ll get to the important stuff…
Their pancakes are fluffy and taste pretty amazing and I prefer them with the coconut syrup. I’m content with the buttermilk pancakes but I love the Forty-​Niner Flap Jacks which are flat and not fluffy and they’re soft and chewy. It’s kind of like eating a mash-​up of a pancake and a crêpe. My usual order is the 49’er (NO, definitely not the NFL team) Flap Jacks and a Broccoli and Mushroom Omelet. Yes, 2 plates-don’t judge! The omelets are huge (big enough to share if you’re not that hungry), fluffy and don’t disappoint.
Overall, The Original Pancake House is a great place to go for some good breakfast. It’s a little old-​fashioned, no frills, just some outdated furniture and decorations but it works. It’s perfect for the food, customer service, patrons and it’s one of those homey-​type of restaurants that is nice to take your family to for a good breakfast/​brunch.

«Oh that’s the way, uh-​huh, uh-​huh, I like it, uh-​huh, uh-​huh.»
This breakfast place is the one with the quintessential, classic mainland offerings with that local touch. An oldie but goodie, both locations are very consistent in their execution and flavor and I have never really been disappointed with the taste, but a little disappointed with the downsizing of their portions. But then it becomes the proverbial restaurant question when expenses go up: raise da price or cut the portion so they really can’t be faulted much on this call.
My standby is always the hash and eggs with pancakes and this is one of the few places that always has the corned beef hash, spot on– crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. Eggs are always done perfectly, over medium is always done the way I like it.
Have had the Dutch Baby only once because it takes so long to prepare and they will not allow you to order it in advance. If you are going to be there for awhile talking story this is not a bad choice, something unique, delicious and worth the wait.
Service has always been good, but there is usually a wait to get a table but so worth it.
Having recently tried a competitor around the corner from the Kapiolani location it just made me appreciate more what this restaurant has to offer.
To paraphrase the classic KC and the Sunshine Band song, «oh, that’s the way I like it!»