The Original Pancake House

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Original Pancake House – Breakfast on Another Level! During this visit to The Original Pancake House, we tried several dishes, and one of our absolute favorites was the Western Skillet. It was delicious — full of fresh ingredients, perfectly seasoned, and cooked just right. Every bite had that homemade flavor that makes you want to come back. The pumpkin pancakes with chocolate were also amazing — fluffy, soft, and with just the right amount of sweetness. The omelette was flavorful and perfectly cooked as well. The restaurant has that classic, cozy vibe, with friendly and fast service. You can tell they really care about making every breakfast a great experience. If you’re in Chicago, The Original Pancake House is a must-visit spot for an outstanding breakfast or brunch. Highly recommended!

The Original Pancake House in Chicago delivers something you don’t expect from a breakfast spot — that unmistakable sidewalk café magic you usually only find in Paris. Sitting outside beneath the canopy of trees, watching the neighborhood wake up, feels like stepping into a different world. And the food matches the vibe. These Benedicts were fantastic — perfectly poached eggs, silky hollandaise, and a bed of fresh greens and crispy bacon that brought everything together. Rich, comforting, and beautifully balanced. Between the charm of the neighborhood streets and the quality of the food, this spot is a breakfast delight. A must-visit if you want great food with a side of European café atmosphere.

food: some of the best brunch i’ve had in the city so far, the pancakes were perfect, love the variety from sweet to savory that they nail. my meat lovers skillet ale hit the spot and portions are big enough to have leftovers service: staff was very nice ambiance: it’s nice interior, gets very busy so it will be loud and packed

Love this place. I live in Northwest Indiana and we used to have an original pancake house when I was growing up. I work in the city, so any time I can treat myself to some breakfast, this is my go-to. The Apple Crepes remain my ultimate favorite dish!!! I dont like sweet things often, but I'll always get it there!

Seriously amazing blueberry pancakes. Some of the best actual pancake that I've had in a long, long time. Very friendly staff as well! Great atmosphere, just a nice place to sit and eat breakfast.

Amazing, huge portions so its worth the cost. Worth the wait. First come, first serve.

Such good food. The local hot spot. There us even a line to get seated.

Amazing experience! Caitlyn provided outstanding service! She was friendly, attentive, and made us feel genuinely welcome from start to finish. The breakfast food was just as impressive: fresh, delicious, and perfectly prepared. Everything came out quickly and tasted great. Excellent service paired with a great breakfast made this visit a 5-star experience. Highly recommend!

I ordered takeout, so I cannot comment on the service or ambiance. I got a western skillet with a side of strawberry pancakes. The western skillet was very yummy. I liked the southern style potatoes in it. They were seasoned very well. The strawberry pancakes were phenomenal. I added whipped cream to them. The strawberry sauce that comes with it was delicious. It was my favorite part of my entire breakfast and I highly recommend commend them!

I enjoyed breakfast at Pancake House before heading to the airport. My daughter had told me about it, and I was just as impressed as she is. I had the Belgian Waffle, which was melt in your mouth light and fluffy. My daughter had chocolate chip pancakes, and the two of us split an order of bacon. Everything was so yummy!

Great service, great food, great vibes! We came for a late brunch (2pm on a Saturday) and were seated immediately. The food came out so fast and we were thrilled with how good it tasted and how much food there was. Their pancakes are so fluffy and delicious. I got the Meat Lovers skillet and was not disappointed at all. It was so filling and so good! Highly recommend for anyone who wants breakfast for any meal.

I am NOT a chain person but convenience trumped! After reading the history, I'm impressed and happy I chose this spot. This is an old diner-style spot. I had the build your own skillet with feta, broccoli, jalapeños and spinach. It was fresh and delicious and perfectly spicy. The server was so fast on those coffee pours. Betcha I drank an entire pot. Oooopppps! History: This spot was started in 1953 in Portland, Oregon by Les Highet and Erma Hueneke. It is currently a second and third generation family business, maintaining those old ingredient standards. These are required....93 score butter, pure 36% whipping cream, and fresh grade AA eggs, along with their special recipe sourdough starter. Today, there are over one hundred-thirty restaurants worldwide, each with its own menu, owned privately and designed uniquely.

Clean plate club!!! Solid breakfast spot with very cute ambiance. Food was classic breakfast. Service was a little slow.

Food was great and our server was very friendly and noticed us speaking in spanish and then spoke to us in spanish, felt very sweet. Not loud nor crowded, will come again!

This has always been a solid breakfast place in Gold Coast but recently they food is not as tasteful as before. I always get egg benedict with potato pancakes. The cakes used to be good but recently they are simply nasty. It looks like the cooks take hash browns and turn them into potato pancakes. For the love of god, take some pride in the quality of food you are serving and stop cutting corners. You have unbelievable location with no other pancake houses within 5 block radius. Service was good. The waiting staff do a great job all the way around. If you still planing on eating here, keep in mind that the dinning room area is small and fill out fast. It's very common to stand in line to get a table. After my last experience with the potato pancakes, I would not recommend wasting your time in line.

The Original Pancake House has all the attributes of what I look for in a breakfast/brunch establishment. Good traditional breakfast items like corn beef hash and eggs and awesome pancakes plus zero ambiance or the ambiance of a fast food diner. With a side of fast and brusk service. One would think I would absolutely love this place. First off, they don't take reservations so the hierarchy is just to show up early or wait in a long line. There's little to no space to spread out and if you're a small party, be grateful you're not you don't wind up sharing a table with a family of four kids. There's no pretense with the menu, if you want healthy go somewhere else. If you want hearty then this is your place. I got the corn beef hash and eggs over easy with buttermilk pancakes and a side of salami. Not great for the diet, but definitely will keep you warm on a chilly spring morning. Corn beef hash is corn beef hash and it should taste like it came out of a can, but not really come out of a can. This did. However, be advised that normal breakfast sides like hash browns or potatoes does not come with the meal, so my plate was literally corn beef hash on one side and eggs over easy on top with the pancakes on a separate plate and the salami as well. The pancakes were definitely the star of the show. You can taste the buttermilk and with the addition of syrup and butter, it felt like childhood on a plate. The salami however was overcooked to the point of being charred. It had no taste at that point, which was disappointing. The coffee was too watery for my liking, but the orange juice might or could have been fresh squeezed. Overall, Original Pancake House doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. We were lucky to have gotten there early as we were staying right across the street, but had we gone any later I'm sure the experience would have been very different, especially by the long lines that we saw on our way back from a run.

Good value in terms of omelette that comes with 3 pancakes on the side. Make it a premium pancake past the potato pancake section of their menu for only $3 more or something like this. I got buckwheat and chocolate chip pancakes. Get the chocolate chip...you won't be sorry. The pancakes with the omelette are also thinner than the standalone pancake portions which I figured out. I loved them thinner than too thick and iHOPish. Jessica our server was sweet and awesome. We loved the hashbrowns on the side NO CHEESE. Omelette is cheesy enough! I got the fajita...which I wouldn't get again. Chicken was bland and I picked it out mostly. In terms of value it's a 4. In terms of food maybe a 3.8. The prices are not bad either at all. Fresh squeezed orange juice is nice also. Overall 4.

My husband and I stopped by here this Sunday hoping to get breakfast. I asked my waitress if she'd butter my toast and she told me that they don't butter toast. I begged her citing that I did not want my toast cold and by the time she brings me toast it would be cold and the butter would not melt. I am uncertain why this place would refuse to perform such a simple task such as buttering toast. Eggs were runny and cooked in oil instead of butter. I had gotten into an argument with a customer who sat next to us simple because she thought I referred to her as "spoiled". In reality I was speaking about the customers who left only a few minutes earlier. But for some unknown reason this woman wanted to pick a fight with me and told her I had hurt her feelings. I guess the truth hurts. What I found quite shocking was when the waitress who wasn't even our waitress asked me what I said to this Karen cause I upset her. It's not the waitress's place to stick her nose in my business! Is she the feelings police? What is this nonsense? Who is she to admonish me? Needless to say we won't be back any time soon and we are in total shock and disbelief that a waitress would get involved in an argument that wasn't her business nor did it involve her. Had we gotten loud or caused a scene I could understand. With so many other breakfast options to choose from why would you settle for oily sloppy lazy intrusive waitresses? Why settle for mediocre food? Unfortunately I cannot in good conscience recommend that you eat at this restaurant. Here is my advice should you be considering dining with these rude people. Run like your the last two monkeys boarding Noah's Ark and it's starting to rain! No no and no!! That's a hard no from me folks!!! You've been warned! Enter at your own risk!!!!

Both food and service were outstanding, bar none. As breakfast goes in the city of Chicago, this one has few genuine competitors.

The food was solid and the portions were huge! It's good diner food and definitely enough to split. There was a decent line when I came in for Sunday brunch. Waited about 40 minutes.

This place is great for "eat in " OR "take out"-my parents and I ate in and were seated immediately on a Saturday morning in March. The food is solid and the portions are colossal!!!! It appears that they do a large carry out/delivery service as well. The place is well managed and organized for both eat in and take out/ delivery which is good. The food-just OK.

I heard the waffles here were amazing so had to check it out and it was spot on! The waffle is super crispy but still so fluffy on the inside. The chocolate chip pancakes were also amazing! I can also recommend the hashbrowns with cheese and add jalapeños!

With a name like Original Pancake House, I was psyched for the tastiest pancakes ever, but this ain't no IHOP. They may be the Original Pancake House for Chicago, but they are not International! It's super cramped, we sat at a table with people we did not know, next to a lady who kept blowing her nose! Nothing screams breakfast time like the sound of snot! We got our drinks after the meal, and I paid almost $5 for a regular cup of coffee that couldn't compare to the coffee in 7-11, that would be an insult to 7-11! The bacon was perfect, the eggs were fresh and tasty, and the waitress was trying to make it a good experience, and very nice. Once we deciphered the menu, the egg specialty was the only thing that made sense! Paying for their sides individually will have you taking a loan out geez! Where's Denny's when you need em?

Original German pancakes at the Original Pancake House! I visited this unassuming brunch spot in Gold Coast and the flavors are just on point! Dutch baby taste like a cross between crepes and pancakes! soft and cheesy center fillings and slightly crispy edge, they call it Dutch baby but it's actually German pancakes 10/10 Irish Omelette omelette with corned beef hash and Swiss cheese, and it's baked in oven and sooo big 11/10 steak skillet a hearty skillet with everything like beef tenderloin, potatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms 9/10

This place is cozy. The staff is very nice and welcoming. I ordered the Dutch treat and I'm so glad I did. I've been wanting to try this place for a while. I'll be back. I also thought the outside of the house was cute.

ate here 2 days in a row while on vacation .. probably the best pancakes i've ever had in my life .. fluffy, not overcooked, filling but not dense . The service was nice as well.

Service does not even look at or smile these days. Food (omelette southwestern) was like warm and bacon was soaked in grease. It'll be years or never before I return.

Great service and great food! Hadn't been to this location in years. I love their fluffy yummy pancakes. They are honestly the best in town!!

came on a weekday lunch time, got seated right away. I got the Dutch treat, and was told it would take 20 minutes. It is very good! A bit on the sweet side, but very fluffy pancake with loads of fruit

I have been a walker brothers lover my whole life & since this is the original one, I was excited to go. I don't like that they make the pancakes in peanut oil, but otherwise this place does what it's intended to. It's essentially a small diner type place & it works. The food comes out insanely quick, the waitstaff is lovely & kind & it's kind of the perfect hangover meal. I got the vegetarian skillet with sourdough & it was both incredibly greasy & also good. Eggs were good, but potatoes were pretty mushy - I like them crispy. However, the pancakes look insane & I'd return tbh

We came here around the time they opened and it was small yet so many people already there we were lucky to get a table. They have fresh squeezed orange juice and that was great. I decided to go with the southwestern skillet with a side of the seasonal pumpkin pancakes. This was a lot of food and I could not finish it. The skillet mix was good but the pancakes were fantastic. Also here you get the check and pay at the counter. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a big breakfast.

A fun city atmosphere breakfast stop with great food. The place was pretty busy when we went but the food still came quick, hot, & fresh. All pancakes were perfect as well as the potatoes. Definitely a great breakfast stop.

Luv this cozy breakfast place. -come everytime we're in town. Bacon and fresh squeezed oj are great, pancakes, eggs, and dutch baby are my choices. It has sidewalk seating in summer but is small so it gets very busy especially on weekends!

Quick breakfast before our afternoon activities. The bacon was perfect and eggs were great. The service was good and we'd revisit this location when in the area

My first time at the place. The food was delish. I ordered the buttermilk pancakes. I had so many pancakes it was unbelievable. The syrup and butter on the pancakes just melts in your mouth. The service was outstanding customer service...the waitress gave us great recommendations. This place is very popular..folks were staying in line to get in. There's no reservations so you are seated first come first serve. Great spot for breakfast. They also give you very generous portions.

This place has a great small town diner vibe and it's right in the middle of the city. The portions are pretty large and quick service. There is usually a line so plan on waiting if you go, but it is worth it!!

Doesn't get more classic than this. Fast service, great breakfast food. No complaints!!! I hope it goes without saying, but obviously get some pancakes if you end up here. Can't wait to go back!!!

We went here on a Saturday morning at 10am. They take no reservations and have no waitlist. We waited about 35 min (standing outside for the first 20) to get seated. Three of us got skillets and one got the egg white omelette. The skillet did not have much meat in it and was majority potatoes. Service was quick but not very personal or friendly. The only good part was the pancakes. They were fluffy and delish. I wouldn't come back here if I was looking for breakfast in the city - lots of other better places.

Incredible food! We got eggs, toast, hash browns with cheese. Coffee was great, nice service, good location, great breakfast vibes!

Omg you must try this pancake house! We left this for the last day of our trip and truly wish we had breakfast here everyday! The pancakes were absolutely amazing! The service was great and quick! Must try when you're in Chicago!

I'd be dying to try this spot because the line is always wrapped around the block. I went on a rainy Sunday and was surprised to see how busy it got. The move is to go super early before the rush. I'm talkin 8:30 early. As soon as it hit 9 it was nuts. The food was great but the portions are ginormous! You're better off splitting with a friend. The ambiance is very homey and diner like so its comforting

Best breakfast spot ever. We made this our breakfast spot to go to whilein chicago. I know there are many more places. But everything was amazing. Dutch baby pancakes - awesome! Waffles - amazing! Omelets - even more amazing Everything was fresh and cooked to perfection. I can't say enough about this place.

I rarely take out brunch unless I really like it. Dutch Baby is the one. The layer and texture with sugar powder, cream, and lemon make it perfect. The taste is simple, pure, and classic.

Good breakfast place in the middle of over rated restaurants. Large portions. I got the veggie omelette with egg white

loved this place sm! Pecan waffle was so good and blueberry pancakes were also great. You might have to wait a little to get a seat but staff is super nice

The food was absolutely amazing! I am a pretty picky person when it comes the quality of food and restaurant service. I ordered the junior plate with pancakes, bacon and added a side of American cheese scrambled eggs. The pancakes tasted so homemade and buttery. The eggs were fresh and fluffy along with the thick slices of bacon. My husband ordered the Sausage Skillet and he really enjoyed that as well. Service was fast and the ambiance was cozy and warm. 10/10 would recommend you visit this place. We went to the Bellevue Place location.

this is one of my favorite breakfast sours. overpriced, in my informed opinion, so we usually go elsewhere. but the apple pancakes cherry kijafa and dutch baby are excellent. freshly squeezed o.j. and thick crispy bacon. tony's on ogden is much cheaper. they lose star for exorbitant prices.

Super authentic breakfast house vibes! The service is whatever but the food was super good, got the pigs in a blanket, grits, and egg whites ! Pigs in a blanket were traditional and to die for - lot of options of the menu !!

The outside of this place is fun. The inside of this place was ... dismal but buzzing with people on a Friday morning. I did. appreciate that the man showing people to their tables stated that outside seating had a lot of bees as we were planning on sitting outside until he made that remark. The service was good and paying at the counter is efficient, no need to wait around for the server. The food also came out very quick. I liked that instead of putting your name in, you wait in line. I feel like a lot of people might not enjoy that, but I think it adds to the charm of the establishment. The original french toast was good. Nothing crazy, but I don't think it necessarily needed to be crazy.

I'm glad they warned us about the bees swarming the patio but we still chose to eat outside because of the dog. Bees aside, I enjoyed a fun time on Sunday morning with a group of friends. The service was quick and straightforward. I ordered a Farmer's scramble with a side of buttermilk pancakes. The pancakes were my favorite part--fluffy, hot, and filling. However, the eggs lacked flavor completely, and I had to douse my plate with black pepper and Cholula. There also weren't a lot of veggies which was a little disappointing. The bill came out to under $25 per person which isn't bad considering a few of us ordered extra sides!

Really, for $30. You have to be kidding me. I know it's the Gold Coast, but an extra $7 for hashbrowns?

I've been going to Original Pancake House for 20 years & the food is always amazing. The portions are filling, and it's always been at such a reasonable price. I always get the chocolate chip pancakes with their whipped cream, and it's still my favorite chocolate chip pancakes ever. I tried the Dutch treat, their speciality, for the first time and it was sooo good. The fruit was so fresh!! Knocked it down one star because at this location, the service was basically nonexistent. Our server took our order and then we never saw him again, and because we were seated outside it was hard to get his attention. I accidentally dropped my knife and wasn't able to get a new one. Overall though food is always 10/10

Food is amazing, if you like a good traditional American breakfast look no further. We ordered the strawberry waffles, Denver omelette, and pancakes and it was all really really good. Highly recommend, also it's only walk in which is great.

Our waiter Irwin was great. Smiling, efficient and friendly. Hard to beat that combination.

We requested steak knives for the eggs Benedict and were told they got thrown away and they no longer have them. When we were leaving, the cashier asked how everything was. We said we missed the steak knives. He looked completely clueless. Also, the potato pancakes were quite dense and the poached eggs themselves were undercooked and arrived lukewarm. We never have these problems at the Diversey location. They provide steak knives, potato pancakes are very good, and eggs Benedict arrive hot and perfectly cooked. I won't return to the Bellevue location. Very disappointing.

The Original Pancake House located at 22 East Bellevue is my kids favorite. I would like to give a wonderful thank you along with much appreciation to Armando for providing myself and my Forster Children (I have eight kids four are special needs children) with the exceptional care, support and services during our visits. It has not been a time that Armando has not shown and given excellent service to us. When we are entering the restaurant everyone is looking for Armando so that they can greet him first. He is always willing to give additional suggestions for our seating since my new power wheelchair is larger than the previous one. Since the dining area seating is so close, it is hard for wheelchair users to get seated and not block the walkway. There is not much room for me to move around but Armando doesn't hesitate to give suggestions and additional support. I did notice that dining in-between 1:45pm - 2:00pm gives me more space and options to accommodate my seating needs. The kids love eating at the Original Pancake House and it is always the first suggestion on everyone's list. I have two kids that are very picky eaters but are always willing to eat their food during every visit, especially at the downtown location. They are constantly speaking about how good the food is and how nice the staff really is. It makes me happy to know that there is a restaurant that I introduced the kids to that is highly favored by all eight of them. Four of the kids are out of state children and had never heard of the Original Pancake House which makes it even more special to them. The kids always try to get a weekly visit, but I have to remind them that the meal prices are expensive. Sometimes I have to double some of meals to make sure all of the kids have enough food since some meal portions are small But price. Otherwise, The Original Pancake House is a restaurant that I will visit monthly to keep my young ladies and gentlemen happy. I want to give a shout out to Latisha for assisting with the service and helping one of my girls understand the menu. It has been a while and it was nice to see you. She was in school talking about you and how much she learned by listening. The teacher and her classmates were all saying that they wanted to meet Latisha and Armando. The class was so excited and they continued to speak about you, Latisha for three days straight. Thank you so much for helping her understand the importance of reading and asking questions if necessary when ordering the meals. I hope to see you soon. I really do appreciate Latisha and Armando excellent customer service and support. Thank you both.

Came in Sunday afternoon to have a nice brunch, to my surprise my server was either in a bad mood or drunk (most likely) I've never had a bad experience in this location, until Sunday; to start off it took my server 20-25 min to greets us., we decided to seat outside because my husband is in a wheelchair (Isaac was so rude, never checked on us, never refilled our coffee and when he finally came to the table he was so aggressively talking to us, not to mention the alcohol smell he had on him.