Pancake Circus

Either I have changed or PC has changed. «Back in the day,» it used to be the quintessential greasy spoon for breakfast in Sacramento. And the food was at least edible. Now, the pancakes are rubbery, the eggs are dry, the coffee is weak, and there was an upcharge on everything. The restaurant itself was far dirtier than I remember. Some «grease» is to be expected — it can be part of the charm. But no longer– it’s dirty and totally run down. Perhaps my tastes have changed with age, but wow, this place majorly disappointed.

Nothing seems to have changed. Tasteless pork chop with eggs and hash browns. Ketchup and Tabasco made them tolerable. Staff still making excuses. First visit in over a year. Last visit for sometime to come.

Canned vegetables, powdered mashed potatoes, and a defrosted chicken patty with gravy poured on top. Seriously? Not even worth the money I saved with groupon.

EVENT: Breakfast with the extended family
SERVICE: super fast service! I loved my server — she’s so sweet! And always ladies first ;)
WHAT WE GOT:
(1) Pancakes: two pancakes… they are super MASSIVE!!! Top with butter… and my favorite jam!
(2) Belgian waffles: 4 stars! Fluffy and massive!
(3) Steak and eggs: this came in a massive plate! Steak was well-​prepares, medium-​rare (perfect!!!) My eggs, sunny side up! Tons of wheat toast and country style hash browns. mmmm!!! 5 stars!!!
**OVERALL: cheap and delish! They made my steak and eggs perfect!

I used to go here with my grandma back in the day. She loved this place. Went here on new year’s day. It was pretty full. We had about a five minute wait. The lady greeter was upbeat and funny. We ordered our food and received it pretty quickly. Everything was tasty. I feel like the portions of home fries could have been a bigger. But overall I had a good experience. Our waitress kept checking on us and refilling our coffee. Nice place.

My nostalgia is unceasing. Still $ 6.5 for 4 huuuuuuge buttermilk frisbees. Together with a timely Groupon, this place gave us a feast for a dime! And my nephew, like Taz, plowed thru everything,& loved the experience. He spotted all the clowns and remembered Pooh and Tigger’s names.
Awesome down-​home diner days from a throwback of 50 years!

On 12/​11/​2015, my father and I were heading to this longevity local restaurant called, «Pancake Circus» after I bought a Groupon offer two months ago. For the past +5 decades, Pancake Circus delivers the diner quality food from breakfast to lunch. As we entered their doors, the atmosphere is quite relaxing in a vintage way. The concept is very 1950s to 1960s feel filled with classic cardboard cartoon animals, various of clowns that surrounds the whole room, and pancakes’ scent fills up in the air.
The employees are doing a fine job for making the customers very happy and supportive. No cons at all.
For my entrée order, I ordered a «create your own» omelette with my choice of 5 favorite ingredients. I chose the bell peppers, onions, ham, bacon, and shredded cheese along with a side choice from pancakes or potatoes. I chose the potatoes as a side, so I’ll might try it next time in the future. So far, this entrée is very average to me. The ingredients for this CYO omelette is fundamentally good which I can feel the bacon and the onions right through my mouth. The potatoes on the other hand, is kinda bland to me because they didn’t add salt after the finishing product. I’m sure they need to add a small amount of salt of the potatoes next time. Otherwise, not a bad meal at all.
There’s plenty of parking spaces available on their lot nor the surface street parking too.
All in all, Pancake Circus is the finest, locally vintage American diner restaurant, so you can munch your favorite meals in no time at all. Perfect for breakfast and brunch too! My rating: 3 solid stars.

Second time coming here since the early 90’s. The décor is old but cool. The place is clean and the service was good. Food was good and super fast, like I hardly had time to check in on Unilocal.Super fast! Will be back when I’m downtown.

Pancake Circus is my favorite Sacramento breakfast spot. (Suck it Tower café!)
I always end up ordering the French toast. It’s always perfectly toasted with the egg batter around the edges. It pairs nicely with the clown art décor and hot coffee.
Service has always been excellent. :)

Honestly, not my first choice for weekend brunch, HOWEVER, this was post-​WIPEOUT run hunger we’re talking about, AND Bacon and Butter’s line was forever, as was Tower Café’s…figures…so we ended up at Pancake Circus, which didn’t disappoint!
First-​timers, prepare for a very vintage, dated diner scene (it’s been around since the ‘70s, and the interior decorating still reflects that feel). Clowns everywhere, paintings on the walls, figures on display, even a Circus-​themed gumball machine and wooden cutouts of circus animals. Good food, good price, great service, employees have been there a long time. They even have Lotto/​Keno you can play from your table/​seat for people who are into that!
Ordered the No. 2, with bacon (or diced ham) scrambled into 2 eggs, and 3 Circus pancakes ($ 9) and orange juice. They have breakfast combos, omelettes, French Toast, crepes, eggs Benedict, waffles, special pancakes (fruit toppings), etc. I like big buttermilk pancakes any day! They also have senior and kids menus. I don’t typically come here for lunch/​dinner options but they do also have sandwiches, burgers, salads, and vegetarian choices too.
Parking can be challenging during peak hours, although some spaces toward the bank are still valid for Pancake Circus customers.

I’ve been here several times in the past 10 years, and always the food was good for the price. Good not great. Service was marginal.
This time everything was bad.
Service: Waitress was asked several times for several different things and all were either, overlooked forgotten or ignored.
Food, mainly a steak was horrible and not cooked correctly.
The replacement took longer to get than he first one.
There were no apologies or explanations.
Last time we ever go there.
Best thing was the cashier, she listened when we responded to her, «How was everything?»
Then replied, as she rung up our bill, «you won’t be leaving a tip,» as if she empathized with us.

Very old diner with a trigger warning for those suffering from coulrophobia.
For those that can handle life without curling into the fetal position mumbling «can’t sleep… clowns will eat me» check this place out. Affordable breakfast and hearty lunch options, this little gem. Typical diner offerings; pancakes, biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak, etc. Most menu items are full of wonderful delicious fat and will clog your precious arteries. I say «bring it!».
Lunch/​early dinner options include pot roast, the standard turkey dinner, and meatloaf. Everything that your momma makes on a Sunday. The veggie side is lacking, but yummy mashed potatoes and dinner roll. I’m a carb girl, what can I say?
Service is good, ladies who’ve probably been there place opened, career waitresses who have honed their craft for decades and won’t take shit from no one. These are seriously some of the best, they’re fast and really, they take no shit unlike chain restaurant goons.
It’s kinda dingy, but still feels clean enough to eat there. It closes at 3, which is perfect for its blue haired crowd.

Review #300… drum roll please… Yes, this even surprised my internal panel of judges, but what the heck… Pancake Circus is it! I’m another one that has past by this place for years and years, always a bit skeptical when passing by the run down 1960’s look of the place in a dicey part of Broadway. But my pancake craving took the best of me on this Saturday morning, with the logic… if its been here year after year, how bad can it be?
So, first thing… why 5 stars?
– Food: Welp, its not nearly the best breakfast I’ve ever had, but the pancakes were just what I was craving this morning, and the bacon was some of the best I’ve ever had anywhere.

– Décor: was funky, cool and exciting. If this were 1965, it would be the classic everywhere theme. If it were 1995, it would be creepy. But today, its got that retro-​hipster cool, but there’s not a hipster around for miles.
– Ambiance: The place was crowded, and you can tell that its completely a locals joint. Families, neighbors talking loudly about current events, people looking for that bland-​but-​solid-​Americana weekend breakfast fix.
–Price & Value: Typical for what we got. No complaints, and no one leaves hungry.
–Wait Staff & Owner: Perfect, classic and real deal. They hustle, they have diner character, they are fast & efficient, they know customer service but deliver it as real hard working people. Met the owner at the register… and the conversation was the perfect ending to this experience.
So, if I add everything up, I’d give it a solid 4 star, but there’s something I liked about this place that awards a bonus star… 5 stars! We’ll be back…

My food was ok but the place needs a little TLC! And by ok I mean I didn’t get sick and I could eat it. It wasn’t the best wasn’t the worst I have ever had. The waitress was really good very attentive, we had a group of about 13 so she did well. The scary part was the bathroom picture… horrifying!

My friend Carrie C. said that I must order the #6 for my first Pancake Circus experience, which comes with Chicken Fried Steak doused in gravy, 2 eggs, and 3 pancakes.
The best food item by a long shot in this huge order was the Chicken Fried Steak and gravy. Yum! The eggs weren’t anything special. Carrie C. is not a pancake person (like me), but I was told that these pancakes were far better than most. They tasted decent going down, but sat in my stomach for a long time thereafter. So, not a fan of their pancakes.
For a circus theme (complete with clowns and balloons), you’d think they would have «nicened» the restaurant up a bit over the last 30 years. The tables weren’t organized well and it was pretty drab inside. Pancake Circus is the equivalent to a dive bar… only a person that has been going here since childhood would LOVE it. That being said, I’d give the food another go next time I’m in town, but substitute waffles instead for pancakes.
Oh, and the Hot Chocolate wasn’t hot, it was lukewarm.

Breakfast has come a long way since I reviewed last… I’m sorry CC… some other spots in sacramento have given you a run for your money. ;(
All in all… the pancakes are still decent… but I’ve had quite a few better ones in sacramento.

I’ve been wanting to eat at the pancake Circus for a long time but was never able to get in before they close. Today I finally got to eat here with my dear friend van. I ordered the Santa Fe scramble. It was a little bland for me as I prefer a Santa Fe scramble with plenty of diced chiles. Additionally, the salsa that was on top of the scramble was a bit on the mild side. Thus I would rate the Santa Fe scramble with three stars. On the other hand, the pancakes that came along with the Santa Fe scramble were delicious. These big fluffy buttermilk pancakes were served up with a huge dollop of whole butter. And the butter was all melty on top. After drowning the pancakes in maple syrup I dove in. For someone like me who doesn’t eat pancakes that often this was quite a treat! Five stars for the pancakes.
The service at the pancake Circus is excellent. We were immediately seated as soon as we came to the door and our coffee cups never became empty.
Additional note:
The Decour inside the pancake Circus is reminiscent of… You got it… a circus! I personally enjoyed the kitschy 1975 ambience is it reminded me a Circus. However, if you happen to be afraid of clowns, and I know some of you are, then you may want to rethink coming here. But if you can overcome your clown phobia I think you should come and order a big plate of pancakes and syrup at this restaurant. Enjoy ;)
BTW The pancake Circus closes at 3 PM every day.

Pancakes rock but the rest is bland, greasy and flavorless.
Had such high hopes because I had been here before and really loved the food. Jeremy did not want to go because of the reviews. But he agreed since it was my request to go out for breakfast. I told him we are even now because he wanted Jimboy Tacos and I didn’t want to go there and the food was awful.
Pancake Circus is old in every way possible. The place is old, even the waitresses are old. Upon entry into the establishment, we were greeted politely and immediately sat down. I got my coffee right away and the waitress quickly came by several times checking on my coffee and asking if we were ready to order. After we ordered, I said «see, this place is nicer than the reviews» to Jeremy, he said he would wait to make any comments.
I was embarrassed when 20 minutes later, the food came out and it was as bad as the reviews said. He was so disappointed in the vegetarian omelet, it was greasy and flavorless, as were the hash browns he got. I was in love with my banana pancakes but the country potatoes with green peppers and onions looked great but seriously they had zero flavor and were greasy.
And the price was high, almost $ 30 for the food we got and not worth $ 5. I’ve apologized to Jeremy several times, I just feel bad that he had to eat and waste money on food that wasn’t enjoyable.

Ok, this place is a little weird. The clown pictures scare me and the place is definitely over due for an update. However, I think that is what gives this place character.
When the SO and I walked up, and I saw an ad for Lotto and Keno, I knew that I was in a legitimate diner.
In case you didn’t get the message, the entire place is circus theme so if you have clown phobia turn away now.
I ordered a cup of Joe and I got that «kinda-​too-​strong-​been-​burned-​at-​the-​bottom» flavor of coffee. I love it and kind of expect it at a diner. I ordered the #1; 2 eggs any style and 3 pancakes. It was super cheap ($ 6.00) and way more then I could handle. The pancakes were fluffy and perfect accompanied by great tasting scrambled eggs. The SO got a spanish omelette which was super tasty as well.
I can’t give 5 stars because the service left a lot to be desired. And, I had to ask 3 times for water. However, this is definitely a solid spot for diner food and is a must try if you are in Sacramento for a couple days.

If you’re looking for a once-​in-​a-​lifetime, weird, clown-​themed diner experience… this is the place to go.
Don’t get me wrong, I dislike clowns just as much as the next person, but my friends encouraged me to try this place, explaining that it would bring back feelings of college nostalgia, and all of the strange diner experiences that we had.
THEY WERE RIGHT.
This place is amazing! Packed, too, which is a good indication of not just the décor but also the service and food. When you enter, you are immediately lambasted with multiple clown photographs and décor pieces around the restaurant. Booths usually have some circus animal adorned on the bench well (I had a gorilla). The waitresses wear the most amazing restaurant-​themed shirts (you can buy these in white or black for $ 15). And the meal options are endless!
I went with the Circus Big Top: 2 Circus pancakes, choice of meat (bacon, sausage, or ham), two eggs (which I substituted for toast), and hashbrowns. All for $ 9. And this is a healthy serving. I didn’t even come close to finishing. Coffee is standard issue diner coffee, but it gets the job done, and refills are endless.
Service is prompt and friendly. Overall, I really enjoyed my dining experience here.
On the way out, be sure to get a gumball at the «Greatest Gumball Machine on Earth.» It’s quite a spectacular show for just 25 cents!