The Original Pancake House

Nom nom nom, nom, nom nom nom… nom! Nom nom nom, nom nom nom nom! Nom, nom nom nom nom.

This morning on the way out of Seattle we stopped here for breakfast/​brunch. As you walk in the long entryway is lined w/​benches. You can tell it’s a super popular place on w/​es, although on a Monday morning there were plenty of tables available. We were seated at a 4 top and given menus. There were so many options it was hard to decide, but what I wanted was blueberry pancakes w/​pecans. When I asked our server, Dana, about it she told me if I wanted it I could have it. I had a choice of three or six pancakes and chose three. Alan had sourdough pancakes w/​blueberries on top. He had a choice of four or eight pancakes and chose four. The fresh fruit today was strawberries, $ 4.50 for a small and $ 6.95 for a large. We ordered the large. We both had iced tea to drink.
The strawberries were good but not fabulous. They came w/​butter, syrups and whipped cream, the latter for the berries, the rest for the pancakes. There were two blueberry syrups and a tropical syrup w/​orange. They looked interesting, but I don’t used syrups, so I didn’t taste them. I did use butter. The pancakes were fabulous, the pecans and blueberries impeccably fresh on mine. Three was quite sufficient. Alan was pleased w/​his too. The price was very reasonable for what we had and it felt as if they priced the extras in the most economical way for us. It was a nice, homey place for our last meal in Seattle.

The pancakes were delicious the eggs are cooked well but a little ant crawled from under my plate of pancakes while I was in the middle of the meal it was extremely gross I didn’t have the heart to tell my waiter probably won’t be coming back

i’ve been going to the original pancake house for about 35 yrs. Originally with grandparents in a suburb of chicago and always loved it. German pancake and fresh strawberry crepes are favs. My kids mom then worked at one 30 yrs ago in san diego, made great tips, and we ate at both locations there for several years. Then, moved to portland oregon area and visited one and noticed a difference. The unbelievable house coffee was replaced with seattles best {a.k.a. fair at best} and they replaced the heavy whipping cream for coffee with std half and half. Major disappointment– their coffee was incredible. The food however was awesome and pretty much the same until i got to eat here in seattle. I’ve also enjoyed the ham and cheddar omelette many times and always enjoyed it. For some reason, the mgmnt here in seattle has lowered the amount of ham and especially the cheddar was cut in at least half, The omelettes at the previous 3 were almost too cheesy, and i love cheese, but here it was barely noticeable, and the omelette was round and cooked at too high a temp– had that cooked too fast flavor. All the other 3 had a flipped over style with the interior a molten pocket of cheesy ham, this was cooked throughout and it was pretty obvious a manager was skimping on the cheese and ham to save money– disappointing. Buttermilk pancakes were good, but hash browns no good also.

Big portions of standard breakfast food being casually consumed by families and white hairs. The 49er pancakes are legendary.

I first heard of the Original Pancake House from a friend who was incredulous that I had never heard of the restaurant/​chain before. He insisted that I had to go, and try the Apple Pancake specifically. Well we ended up going together, and I can see why he was so pumped up about it.
Did the Apple Pancake live up to the hype? I would say that it did — it’s very sweet, flavorful, and filling. Each time I come back here I get the Apple Pancake and it lasts me two meals — the initial meal, and leftovers later. Other menu items certainly look appealing (the Dutch Baby, standard breakfast fare such as eggs and omelettes) but in the multiple times I’ve been back, the vast majority of them I’ve ordered the Apple Pancake as my main course. I did order the Strawberry Waffle once instead, which was forgettable.
Side items such as sausage, bacon, and ham are available and unremarkable, if not expensive. The same could be said of the coffee. There’s a fair amount of seating and the vibe of the place is of a standard breakfast diner, nothing special.
Things to know before you go:
— The parking lot is small and probably full if you go during peak hours. There are side streets in the adjacent neighborhoods you can park in.
— There is a small team (2 people) responsible for taking names /​checking people in at the waiting area. Each time I’ve been here, someone in the waiting room crowd has been adamant that they’ve been passed over in the queue to get in. Hard to say for sure if there is an error being made or things are just more complicated than they seem — but worth mulling over if you think your wait is unreasonably long. The employees always seemed kind if asked about it.
— Speaking of waiting, wait times can be long during peak hours (naturally) but customer turn-​around times are fairly quick. Longest wait I’ve had here has been about 30 minutes.
— Consider getting the Apple Pancake or Dutch Baby (or sharing them with someone) if you go here. Just about all the other menu choices can be had at multiple other breakfast/​brunch restaurants, but these two are less common and in the case of the Apple Pancake at least, done well (the Dutch Baby is probably good too).

De freaking licious! Dutch babies are insane. So yummy. (Western omelette is a very close second) The whole place is spotless. You can tell that they really are watching and paying attention. (This restaurant trains its employees. IHOP take note) My water never got less than half of a glass. Coffee is always great and always hot. I have been here multiple times and I honestly would not change a thing.

By far the worst breakfast I have ever had. And considering their prices are the same as many other great spots I would never come here again. Denny’s is better and half the price. I hate Denny’s. Corn beef hash was canned (who serves canned CBH anymore) potatoes had no flavor nor did the pancakes. Was starving and ate like 6 bites.

Best breakfast my husband and I ever had! The corned beef hash is REAL! they grind it themselves in house with onions and potatoes. It’s over the top delicious. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the pancakes were like heaven!

How I heard of this place: While it took a good friend recommending it, over a decade after I’d lived in Seattle to get me in the doors, I have always — from the first drive-​by — remembered the cute chef flipping a pancake on the sign.
Type of cuisine: Breakfast and lunch: omelettes, pancakes, waffles and lunchtime sandwiches.
Ambiance: Wood-​paneling on the walls, and tables and chairs to match, dark carpets and a strange newness in this old space make one feel strangely comfortable and at home. A lobby space as an entry-​way gives freedom to awaiting patrons to take a seat under the shelter of a covered patio. Windows allow for natural light throughout the large interior, both to the left as you enter, as well as to the right and towards the kitchen.
What I ordered: My first time at most breakfast/​brunch joints has Eggs Benedict on my radar. This was no exception. A fresh toasted English muffin, topped with thick sliced Canadian bacon and two poached eggs covered with rich Hollandaise sauce, served with a side of home fries and three buttermilk pancakes. My dining companion ordered a pastrami on rye with a side of fruit and of potato salad.
What I loved: The home fries, which turned out to be hash browns. The eggs were perfectly poached without any remnant of goopy whites, the Canadian bacon was the thickest I’ve ever seen and the Hollandaise wonderfully tart.
Why I loved it: A stack of pancakes with every order! And a glob of butter accompanying the warmed syrup.
Cost: Average ($ 10 — $ 14 per entrée)

The food is delicious. The portions are great and there is a lot of different variety depending on what you’re into. However, I felt like the service was very lackluster. I was looking for a more friendly, homely feel for such a family centric location, but that was not what I got. It should be noted that while the food is good and the menu is mouth watering, it is a bit pricey for what you’re getting. Will go back eventually!

Funny story. I came to Seattle for a visit and my friend’s friends wanted to take me to a restaurant that didn’t exist in Dallas. The first thing she offered for breakfast was The Original Pancake House. Before I got to respond that we had plenty of The Original Pancake House in Dallas, she called in and made a reservation. So, of course I didn’t want to disappoint her telling her that I’ve been there before and that it was a chain restaurant.
Of course she eventually found out that The Original Pancake House was not the only restaurant in Seattle, she asked why I didn’t want to tell her; I said it was because she seemed so excited about taking me and everyone else thought this restaurant only existed in Seattle. But hey, I can’t blame her. I mean, I just heard that Seattle just got Chick Fil’ A. Which leads to my rating of this restaurant.
I would have rated this place 2 out of 5, mainly because the food was decent and I’ve had better breakfast food elsewhere. It’s not just this location, this is just my opinion on this particular restaurant. I believe that the food here is quite subtle for its price.
I know what you’re thinking, «what? 2 out of five? but you rated it 3!» That one star comes from the interior design and the customer service. The customer service was wonderful, they were helpful and informative about the food. The interior design was obviously very cute and had a home, western-​style feel to the whole restaurant – To the point that my friends thought this was the only restaurant that existed in the U.S.
But would I come here again? No, I wouldn’t. But I at least got a good story out of it.

I was skeptical of a place that claims to be original. It’s hard to say whether this is original or not but nevertheless this place rocks. My Dutch baby was the talk of the table and rightfully so. Cooked perfectly and arriving with all sorts of goodies to put on it. The pancakes my friend ordered also looked excellent. I left felling full, happy and satisfied.

Great service, good food. My belly was happy this morning :)

Pros: delicious pancakes, huge portions, multiple choices, never a long wait time and service is good.
Cons: the coffee never tastes good:(I’ve been here multiple times and the coffee always tastes burnt and metallic.
I love this place, but wish the coffee was better. Maybe, they need a new coffee machine or different beans.

It pains me to give oph 3 stars but this is not the best location for an enjoyable breakfast.
The employees universally seem depressed and unhappy. The cleaning solution they use on the tables is hideous and overpowering, almost like a glade plug in — not something anyone should ever smell, ever, much less in a restaurant. (This is one of the main reasons I’m even writing this review, for a migraine sufferer this was miserable)
The eggs were dry, which was great. But the potatoes were a stale crispy with absolutely no flavor.
The Swedish pancake was bordering on soggy, more like a bad crêpe than it should be, with butter that tasted like it’d been in the walk-​in too long, absorbing flavors, and lingonberries were tasty but cold which brought the temp of the pancake down tremendously.
Used to eat at this location weekly, or more, but that was years ago and I can’t recommend this location at all… try the Kirkland spot or anywhere else.

Pros:
Clean and good coffee. Okay service. I wont be back.
Cons:
The seats are very hard. Literally, they are worth mentioning.
No booths.
Charged me $ 4.50 for a request to garnish biscuits and Gravy with a some sauted onions. McLame.
I had the very white special, Buscuits and Gravy. No color. I asked for some sauted peppers and onion to be added. I got a very large side plate of not very thoroughly sauted vegetables. Better than nothing. Kinda surprised the waitress couldn’t convey the concept of what I wanted. So, caution when ordering. I’ll own half that — communication is a two way street. Still seemed dense of her and then charged a ridiculous amount for it.

Perhaps it was getting soaked to the bones by yesterday’s torrential downpour; whatever it was, I woke up today wanting pancakes, specifically pumpkin pancakes. A short walk later and I was at the Original Pancake House, Ballard’s no-​nonsense, big food, carbo-​loader breakfast spot.
I arrived post-​rush and got a counter seat right away. Service was fast and polite, and my server called me «hon» in a totally genuine way. I got a full order of pancakes rather than the half-​order, meaning that I was soon staring down six pumpkin pancakes and their trusty sidekicks, two sunnyside up eggs. The ‘cakes had that nice kick of pumpkin spice and were light and fluffy and very tasty.
I like this place a lot as an every-​so-​often splurge, but I must remember to order in moderation because the servings are huge here… they clearly believe that they have failed if a customer does *not* waddle out, stuffed to the gills, at the end of their breakfast.

The food’s pretty great, but today they get 1 star for setting the toilet brush — which I witnessed coming out of the toilet — onto the infant booster seats.
Yuk.
These things get gross enough just due to restaurants never wiping them down between grimy little kid hands… but a toilet brush?! That’s just nasty.

Came with some good friends for brunch. I’m not much of a breakfast person so my review is biased. This place was packed so if you are a breakfast person this is the spot!
I had the corn beef hash and poached eggs that came with potatoes and choice of pancakes or toast. Well its called a pancake house so pancakes it is! They were nice and fluffy. So that was good, but as far as my reference to any other pancakes are, the hash was good def not that stuff out of the can. Meaning not salty which was great. Eggs were cooked to order and we’re perfect.
Great spot for breakfast just remember to make reservations ahead of time.

Reader board sign at TOPH proudly stated: CRAFT PANCAKES MADE HERE.
Is that like craft beer? Are my pancakes small-​batched, made by hand? What would be the alternative to this? Kraft pancakes? Frozen pancakes? I have no idea. I have no idea what craft pancakes meant. Do I make craft pancakes at home unknowingly!!! Their reader board displayed this all last winter and every time I read this I laughed. And drooled.
I am a huge breakfast fan because it completely allows me to eat sugar drenched things as a meal and it be perfectly acceptable. Eat cookies for dinner? Oh no! Eat Belgium waffles for breakfast with whipped cream and fake syrup? Oh yes!
TOPH lets me do this happily. The place is all about cozy, with big tables, communal tables (if you like getting cozy with strangers) wooded décor, and old lady serves that fill your coffee cup faster than you can drink it.
Normal breakfast/​brunch places (see Toulouse Petit, Smith, Portage Bay Café) I would order egg whites and boring healthy crap usually, cause carb-​comas and I don’t mix well. But there is something about the original pancake that melts in your mouth. That soaks in the butter and syrup so nicely. That is never tough or burned.
TOPH, sadly, is not cheap. We found a coupon in a reader, to really fit in with the blue-​hairs there on a weekday morning, and our bill still came to over $ 30. I suppose it’s a price to pay to have ~craft~ pancakes melt in your mouth.