The Original Pancake House - breakfast. Huge Huge breakfast.

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog where Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy write about food they ate.  Today it is Cathy writing.

Hi.  I've been under the weather for a while now, as Kirk has, and just didn't post.  This morning The Mister and I were awake early and decided to have breakfast at the Original Pancake House.  It is a National chain, but no matter which location we have gone to, the food is always excellent. Fresh and of high quality.    
The restaurant opens at 7 a.m., and by 8:15, there is a waiting list to be seated. All of the locations are decorated in this traditional decor.

 

Right down to real, heavy, quality, matched silverware on the tables.

  The tables all have appropriate condiments. 

The coffee (Boyd's brand) is served with *real* cream.  Of course.

 However,  additional condiments, appropriate to your order, are also brought out.

 

Yes.  The Mister ordered the German Pancake ($9.90), A larger version of the Dutch Baby, an oven baked delight that can be accompanied with fresh lemon juice, powdered sugar and, of course, real butter.

The pancake is eggy (it is baked, rises and falls; that's why it looks that way-a collapsed souffle) and thin, crepe-like and the plate it is served on (the one you can't see) is 12 inches in diameter. Huge. 

I love the bacon, link sausage and patty sausage are wonderful here-the bacon is thick and smoky and cooked to just the right amount of crispiness, while remaining chewy, sausages are lightly but properly seasoned...but today I wanted an omelet.  Not a too traditional omelet.  The omelets here are prepared properly- hugely (as in about 2 inches thick) fluffy and soft on the interior but the crust is a touch crispy...like French Toast...  

 

The corned beef omelet ($10.56) - house made corned beef...finely diced, flavorful corned beef, mixed with finely diced potatoes and finely diced onion. Mixed with both Swiss and Cheddar cheeses. All inside this fluffy omelet. Served on that 12 inch plate also.  A the 12 o'clock position of the plate is a slice of The Mister's German pancake.  We share.

Then again, this is the Original Pancake House. The omelets come with 3 buttermilk pancakes. Which are really good and filling, all by themselves. The syrup is *real* maple syrup, and is served warm (on that condiment plate with the lemons/butter/powdered sugar).

Sometimes, I am so disappointed in myself.  Like when I can't finish all the food on my plate...

Original Pancake House 3906 Convoy San Diego 92111 858-565-1740

Website

Comments

[vwc]

Wow! Memories from the past! When I was pregnant with my son(Now 14)
I had to eat OPH blueberry pancakes at least 3 times a week! And their omelettes are excellent too! Glad they are still around and doing well.

[Dennis]

I never were that much into pancakes but this is making me crave them bad! Explains why I always see people waiting outside.

[Carol]

We love OPH! I love the waffles with fresh strawberries, when in season.

[liver]

How does this compare to Richard Walker's in Gaslamp? Back in Evanston IL, their family runs the Walker Brothers Original Pancake House...

[Cathy]

OPH now has locations in Encinitas, Poway and Vista, but the one on Conovy is still closest to home for me. I do love the blueberry pancakes here also, vwc. (I like blueberry everything). Welcome to the commenting side of our blog.

Hi Dennis, I don't crave pancakes often either (and Ikea can satisfy that for me) but OPH is a very nice, more "fancy" place with consistently high quality offerings. But, you know, I really park in that parking lot far more often for the same reason you do...

Hey, Carol! The Mister was actually craving waffles that morning. Then he read the menu... Fresh fruit in season is the way to order.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Ah, a fluffy omelette. So many today are slabby, thick, & heavy. I'm hungry.

[Janfrederick]

How'd you finish that!? I'm 250 lbs and I couldn't finish my last omlette there. Then again, I went for my pancakes first. ;)

Get there early or be prepared for a wait before and after being seated!

[Cathy]

Hi liver- Richard Walker seems to imitate most of the best of OPH, including the long lines (into a smaller space). The cooking techniques are amazingly similar.
Yes, ed - a proper omelette. It really should be like French Toast, not just leftovers tossed into some cooking eggs; that's a fritata.
Hi again, JF. Well...dinner the night before was small and we did not have much of a lunch that day...but I have been known to pack it way and am *always* disappointed in myself when I can't...Oh. The Mister is more your size...we share...which helps. :)

[foodhoe]

me too, but I decided it's all right to not finish everything... then I don't pop the buttons on my pants. we have the chain up here too, but I've never been. That German pancake sounds interesting, lemon juice and powdered sugar? That's gotta wake up the taste buds!

[Cathy]

The sad, sad disappointment factor.. I refuse to wear elastic waist pants also, FH...It's such a thin pancake/flat souffle (you can see a piece at the top of my 'unfinished' photo) and the fresh lemon and butter and powdered sugar do work with it, quite well.

[Amy]

Last time I went, Cathy, real maple syrup cost an extra $1.75. It came in a little bottle you could take home if you had any leftover. Are they putting the real stuff in the dispensers now? Wow, if so!

[yummieyummy]

My sister loves this place. I've never been there before...Not a morning person, but I guess I'll have to make a trip there soon.

[cathy]

Hi, Amy! Yes, the real stuff is in the dispensers brought to the table-at this location anyhow. No more takeaways (you can't buy it to go, as I used to do to use in gift packs). It is a very "fancy" touch.

Oh, YY, yes. I am a morning person and The Mister is not. I love breakfasts. But, really, you have to get here early if you don't want to wait.

[Hungry Huy]

The one in Anaheim was shockingly good on my first visit and continues to be so.
The location in Orange is strange.. it has a more modern, awkward feel to the layout.

Some foods were prepared differently and were no where near the same quality! Potatoes in Orange are done differently and the bacon is reminiscent of IHOP.

How many locations have you visited? It's good to hear they are consistent somewhere.

[Cathy]

Hello, HH. I have been to two locations in Michigan and one in Indiana and only this one in San Diego (there are 4 locations here)over many years and have met the same consistent food at each. Especially the thick bacon. I'm glad you found the good one near you first.

[Enrique Pineda]

pure decadence. esp. drooling over the corned beef omelets.

[Cathy]

Kind of is decadent, but we don't eat here regularly, Enrique. Welcome to our blog.

[Donna D]

Reading about the pancake breakfast brought back good memories of being PG back in 1960 & I craved Stawberry pancakes at the House of Pancakes & finally they started selling the box mix in the groserys stores & of course I could make them at home & I used the frozen strawberrys as did the IHOP did. Actually I switched to Strawberry Waffels & I have to share I actually was eating them for breakfast lunch & dinner thru my pregency & only gained 40 lbs which I lost back down to 120 within the yr. Good ol Memories. Tks. every one for sharing.

[Donna D]

Does any one remember Aunt Emmas house of Pancakes one one El Cajon Blvd. & one on Main St. in El Cajon. They had the very best REAL German pancakes with the powered sugar & lemon wedges & of course whipped butter. That was a other thing I got hooked on & spoiled. They were made as large as the plate but folded up into quarter size & put 4 on a plate. I have eaten the big puffed/flat one's like Kathy was writting about & I really do like the more thinner & delicate ones. Now days I get them at IHOP & their pretty close there. Howver I think I wiil try the Origanal House of Pancakes again it's been many yrs. And YES I can eat pancakes for dinner any time. I never was an egg's for breakfast person. I will even fix myself French Toast rather than eat an egg (gag)