The Original Pancake House

Mixed reviews here. We came on a Friday morning for breakfast and were a group of 10. We called first to make sure the wait wouldn’t be long, as we had places to be, and were told it was slow and they had room. When we got there 10 minutes later, it was packed and we ended up waiting at least 30 minutes if not closer to 45 minutes. It would be really helpful if they took reservations.
But once we were seated, we had a really good experience. Our waitress was stellar and understood our time crunch, so she was really quick with service. And our food was great too with huge portions. I had the apple pancakes and the Irish Omelet — both of which were excellent. Coffee was good. Prices were fair for what you get. I just wish they would join the 21^st century and take credit card.
We will be back!

If you have read any of the other reviews they are rather spot on. I’m giving them 2 stars because when I walk away from a meal I don’t like feeling I was taken advantage.
The food was good, not $ 15.00 worth for a pancake, without eggs or sausage/​bacon. You can order a side of egg for $ 5.00 for one egg (not organic) or bacon for $ 7.00 (again not organic)
The hash I have to say tasted like its out of a can, they say it’s not, but I don’t believe it. It looked like it was wet dog food mixed with potatoes. Again not worth it $ 14.00!
Now finally they do not take credit or debit cards. What clinched the two star rating is that they have and ATM in the waiting area and that atm charges a $ 1.95 fee and a portion of that goes back the company, and they overcharge for sides, come on $ 5.00 for one egg.
My recommendation is if you have to wait longer than 5 – 10 min I would go to Denny’s or Elmers the quality of the food is about the same but you actually get a better value. Elmers also has a Dutch pancake just like the original pancake house.
This place is just not worth it!

Yum, yum, yum! They are well worth the wait to get in and the cash/​checks only policy. The ingredients are fresh and even the butter is homemade. We have enjoyed the Dutch baby, Swedish pancakes, pumpkin pancakes and more! All delicious! We have always had great customer service and the food comes out pretty quickly. The sizes are pretty big too! We love it here and will be back!

Not going to lie, I was originally disappointed in the Irish omelet. It’s absolutely massive! Can easily feed 3 people, but the taste was not to my liking. HOWEVER… the pancakes (original buttermilk) were simply heaven. I’m dreaming about these pancakes now. A little whip cream and syrup… Not to mention, the gluten free variety are also very tasty as well! I’m already planning my return.

I still love this place for the quality and service, but today I was none too happy with what they’ve done with my favorite corned beef hash. It appears that they now put the corned beef through a food processor, and the resulting meat mixture produces a hash with very little texture. There was also a noticeable lack of onion, and therefore the result was a rather uninteresting base for my eggs. I imagine new people in the kitchen feel that they need new faster ways to produce my breakfast. I will not be recommending OPH as the ultimate breakfast quite so often now.

OMG OMG OMG yes yes yes!!! This is a chain restaurant in the BEST way. always clean and friendly people working here… I had the pumpkin pancakes again. LOL I alway get them. it tastes like a pumpkin pie and a pancake had a baby TIP. Ask for a side of whipped cream for your pancakes what ever kind you decide on. heck if you’re having a pancake you might as well have some whipped cream ! Enjoy

Ok, here’s where I incur the wrath of people defending the original pancake house :)
I give this place a 3 star for a few reasons.
1.) This is 2016 and they need to suck it up and start taking electronic payment. It’s bs to pull the «oh and by the way we take cash or check» card in today’s world.
2.) Dining experience; they are a victim of their own success. It was so jammed with people packed so closely together that it was impossible to have a descent time. The wait for a 2 party table at 10 am on a Saturday was about a half an hour. We sat at the communal table and literally had no room for our order and the people’s next to us to co-​exist.
3.) With tip we dropped $ 40 on brunch. This was two omelets and coffee. Though the food was excellent and portion size extrordinary I have to say the value wasn’t there due to the overall experience.
We won’t be coming back and if asked will recommend someplace like Maxwells in Multnomah Village as the food is on par and the dining experience far exceeds this establishments.

This is the «Original» The Original Pancake House. It is a true PDX landmark and one of the best breakfasts you will have. We have been coming here for over 20 years! They use all natural ingredients and cook from scratch. You can taste the difference from the butter to the pancakes. The staff is friendly and helpful, they always remember us when we drop in.
Their coffee is great (specially brewed for them) and comes with real cream if you want.
The must tries are the Dutch Baby and the Apple Pancake. They are delicious, don’t be fooled by imitations at other restaurants. They also offer fresh fruit and berries and it changes with the seasons.
Of course you have to try their other pancakes like their sourdough or pumpkin. You won’t be disappointed! Just remember to bring cash… no credit cards or checks accepted!

Wonderful breakfast. Great taste. Be ready to bring home leftovers. Plenty of delicious foods.
Happy to have come.

Food is good, however way overpriced and they still live in the 50’s good for the old time country atmosphere however paying for your meal is cash or check.

Coffee: Um, pass on that, water is better
Bacon: Excellent
Dutch Baby: Phenomenal
Pancakes: Superb
Ham and Cheese Omelette: Superdelicious
If you haven’t eaten here before, that may be your very first mistake ever! :-)

This is a Portland institution; i have been coming here since I was very young. I have always had a good meal here.
We gathered today for Rebecca’s birthday. There were 5 of us; we all knew what we wanted. All dishes came quickly; was were the right temperature; all were very good.
Rebecca and I always split the Apple Pancake. It is easily enough for two. It was warm and full of apples, cinnamon and sugar; in fact, it was perfect, diet be dammed. Elise had the chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup; when you mix the whip cream with the chocolate sauce, it was a wonder. Kira had the pigs in a blanket; they are cut in half, so can be eaten as finger food. Dipped in maple syrup, this is a joy. Phil had a more traditional country breakfast with eggs and sausage; he had a smile on his face at the end.
Since this was birthday, we were served an extra large bowl of strawberries smothered in whipped cream and chocolate chips. Yes it was tasty, but again, diet be dammed.
I love this room with its solid wood table and knotty pine walls. Although you feel you have gone back in time, this place is kept up. As you would expect, the server was quick and efficient, something we have come to expect.
Finally, we came on a weekday; the weekends can get busy and the wait can get a bit long. However, it is always worth it. You know what to expect; it is good.

Food was just ok. Nothing great except for the service. That’s why I gave this place two stars. Overpriced and not worth the wait. We spent about $ 35 for a plate of buttermilk pancakes, Dutch baby, scramble eggs, and two cups of coffee.
Other than that, first time here was a disappointment. I’m willing to wait in line if it was actually worth the wait.
Don’t waste your time and money, not worth it. There are so many other places in the Portland area that serves better breakfast for a much more reasonable price. Also, they accept cash and checks only. There is an ATM in the lobby.

The pancakes are great– obviously – everything else is incredibly disappointing. They can’t cook eggs! Our «over medium» eggs were practically liquid. The whites were not even thoroughly cooked. The sausage was good, as was the Canadian bacon. But the scrambled eggs were not cooked all the way! I’m all for eggs on the soft side, but these were gross. I could scrape away the raw egg goo off of the scramble.
Service was nice.
And it’s so crowded, that I couldn’t help but feel closterphobic the whole time!
But the kicker, is that for all their poorly cooked food, they charge ridiculously high prices.
The quality is worse than Denny’s.
The prices are higher than the all organic, local, ethically sourced diner 10 minutes away.

I emailed my review to their corp office the same day – below is their response. Note there was no mention about the pricing. Clearly, they don’t care because many others have also complained about their prices here on Unilocal.
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Hi Jill:
I’m mostly writing to mention that our corned beef hash is made fresh daily. We do nothing processed or canned like that. It doesn’t mean you are expected to enjoy it, only that it is not canned.
I am glad you enjoyed the server and the chocolate chip pancakes. As a third generation family business, and the founding location at which all franchises get their training, we yet accept that we do not please everyone.
I can only hope that you will still want to visit your preferred OPH locations.
Yours truly,
Jon (removed last name for privacy)
General Counsel and Corporate Chef
The Original Pancake House Franchising, Inc.
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Sorry, Original Pancake House, but I don’t think we got $ 30 worth of food for breakfast today.
Pros:
— Great server (can’t recall her name)
— Mostly tasty food
— Clean, quaint restaurant
Cons:
— Expensive – way overpriced! Paid $ 29.75 for 2 eggs and pancakes (2 by 4), and a combo of flavorless (probably canned and very mushy) corned beef hash, 2 eggs and 3 small choc chip pancakes. The choc chip pancakes were the best part. The only drink we got was one large OJ for ~$ 6. Boo.
— Cash only. WTH? Granted, there’s an ATM out front, but the prices they charge more than cover any card fees they would be charged by credit card companies. And it’s probably less than the $ 1.95 I paid to use their ATM!
— Small, cramped location. Already packed at 8:30am on a Sun morning.
You accept checks? Wow, you’re very trusting and way behind the times.
Sorry, but not coming back. I was expecting a better experience based on other OPH’s I’ve visited in the past, but this was a disappointment.

First let me say, The total for breakfast without tip was$ 35.00… You’d assume this place must be pretty good… WRONG.
The food here is ok at best. Undercooked eggs, burned sausage, and blueberry pancakes that are «meh» at best with a strange metallic aftertaste. The waitress was nice enough, she was also happy to have the eggs re-​cooked. The ambiance is cute, I see what they are going for. But the place is tiny.
Everything on the menu is horrifically overpriced. I seriously considered just paying for my drinks and leaving… Now I wish I would have. Save yourself a lot of money and get better food by going to Biscuits. Well, after this experience, I would have been happy with McDonalds.
Food D–
Service B+
Facility C
Parking C
Value F
Cash only D

Always a favorite of mine, and by the wait to get in, most of Portland. This can be avoided by sitting at the community table and talking to some fun and generally much older patrons.
I could list the not wonderful parts, the wait, it’s loud, they only take cash, and closed on Monday and Tuesday. None of those are deal breakers and the quality and hospitality more than make up for it.
Three words, chocolate chip pancakes. I once tried a different dish, and will never do that again. Why have something that just can’t possibly be better than chocolate chip pancakes?
Joking aside, everything here is great, their fresh fruit with whipped cream is wonderful and the bacon is thick cut and salty.
If you want a breakfast that will please anyone and everyone, this is the place to go. I do wish the location was larger so more people could enjoy it at once.

This place is valhallah and the cooks are gods! There is no place with a better breakfast that I have ever been.
Signature dish is the apple pancake, a wonderful filling (split one, they’re huge) cinnamon, sweet baked concoction that leaves you breathless.
Second thing is the Dutch baby, a huge German pancake that looks like the top of a volcano dusted in powdered sugar. It is less filling than the apple pancake and really good as well.
All of the omelettes are really good, the bacon is wonderful. Basically there is nothing on the menu short of excellent.
On weekends go very early (7am is good). Otherwise you’ll wait an hour for a table. They take cash or checks only. After 60 odd years in business, they recently they put in an ATM, so you’re covered if you forget now.

Previous reviews point out the obvious: this place is ridiculousy expensive, it is a tight fit with the seating, and they are unkind in their policy of cash only (personal checks are accepted btw, folks); however, this place is also about the food.
What I like about this OHP: the orange juice is really fresh squeezed – from real oranges, I can tell. And the coffee is good old fashioned American: no fancysmancy cappucinos here (gosh, they are my favorite). And the bacon is awesome; the sausages homemade and delicious; the omelettes fresh and flluffy and not overcooked; the pancakes perfect every time (try the blueberry); and the waffle is soooo huge it hardly fits on the plate.
All of these add up to making OHP one of our favorite places to eat breakfast!

I’m not cheap. I don’t mind spending money on dining out. However, I don’t like feeling like I’m being taken advantage of when doing so. There is no reason why a traditional breakfast joint (that is obviously a throwback to the 50s or at least hasn’t been updated since then) in Beaverton should cost more than $ 30 for 2 people. Especially when the place is cash only without the courtesy of an ATM onsite. This isn’t Tasty & Alder, folks.
We went in with $ 34 & figured we should be covered. We could only afford 2 orders of pancakes (2 x $ 10) & 1 side of bacon to split ($ 7.75). We couldn’t even afford a cup of coffee ($ 3.25) if we wanted to leave a decent tip. One egg is $ 5. A bowlful of sliced strawberries with whipped cream & powdered sugar is $ 9.50. They claim they are charging for their «quality ingredients» & I do admit that the food is good. However, I did not feel like I was getting my money’s worth. And that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.