I've seen reviews and photos at various Original Pancake House locations on Yelp and finally had a chance to try it this afternoon. The menu is extensive so it took me a while to figure out what I wanted. I got the veggie skillet with 3 buttermilk pancakes. The syrup that came with the pancakes was good/not artificial tasting at all. Aunt and uncle got combos from the senior menu which they seemed to enjoy. We were seated right away. Waitress was friendly and we didn't wait long for our food to arrive. Easy to pay at the front counter. Can't wait to try more items, especially pancakes! read more

Original Pancake House - Vegetarian Skillet with Buttermilk Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Pretty solid. Friendly staff and big portions at a reasonable price. We tried: - Banana Pancakes - Southwestern Skillet - Western Omelette I'd probably order the skillet again but surprisingly the potatoes were the star of the show. A lot of flavor packed into them. The only odd thing is you pay at the front on the way out even though they take your order through a tablet at the table. read more

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After so many years, the portion is still HUGE! The place is relatively empty as it's a Friday lunch. We ordered a variety of things - dutch treat, strawberry pancake, biscuit and gravy, egg Benedict, and some meat sides. Food is average, but again portion is huge. The bottom layer in Dutch treat is surprisingly eggy. Not sure if I am going back any time soon though. read more

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This place is my go-to for breakfast in Chicago. The place is clean, service is fast, and who doesn't like pancakes and eggs? This last time I got the Swedish pancakes, amazing! I like that they are all pancake flavor without the heaviness of a stack, get them! When the pumpkin pancakes are in season, they are an absolute must! Decadent and filling. And don't forget the coffee, it's lovely . read more

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One of my favorite spots to grab a quick diner breakfast! The portions are HUGE and the pancakes are so good. I usually get pancakes or the scramble and I ALWAYS have leftovers. The ambiance is nice, typical diner with so many options to choose from. The service time is hit or miss because this place can get so busy. The servers are usually pretty quick to take your order though and quick to be sat depending on how many people are there. read more

We just finished having a fabulous, huge comfort breakfast! the food was delicious! The best part of our experience was Maria M, our warm, personable server. We will absolutely be back many more times! And we'll try to get Maria M's table! Warm regards from the Mom & Daughter combo at Table 37 read more

Had breakfast on a rainy Saturday morning. Food was Ok, service was fast & friendly during the breakfast rush. Restaurant is bright and clean. All-in-all Ok, this would be a good spot if you have your younger kids along. read more

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the prices were alright and the food came out quickly! it was a sunday late morning and it was pretty full which made sense. despite that, our server, joy,was very attentive and very friendly and joyous, to her name. the pancakes weren't the best i've ever had, but they were still pretty good. the homemade corned beef hash was delicious. this was a good casual spot for a sunday morning brunch after a late night. read more

Original Pancake House - Buttermilk Pancakes (after i ate some of it lol) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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A true classic. You want pancakes? They have the best. I ordered the chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon and both were absolutely delicious and the service was great. The ambience of this location is the bottom of my list however, it is a true staple to Lakeview read more

Original Pancake House - Chocolate Chip Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Diner food as always, you know what you're going to get & your not disappointed but you're also not blown away. Quick and easy breakfast spot, right in the neighborhood. This place is good, I wouldn't recommend to someone if they are looking for a new spot to try, but it's safe and gets the job done. Service was as you'd expect from a diner chain & same with the vibes of the restaurant. overall would rate this experience as average. read more

The first clue that we were in for a less than great experience, was that it was a Sunday morning and the restaurant was not crowded. We sat at a booth and immediately put in an order for their famous apple pancake. It came out mushy, not like the fluffy pancake I've had at other locations. Corned beef hash and eggs were so dry. Omelettes were ok. Service was mediocre. I had to wipe down table with hand wipes. Water glasses were never refilled even after we requested. (It was not at all busy). No coffee refills offered. read more

Original Pancake House - Corned beef hash and eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fun breakfast spot!! They have all the good classics as well as some really fun options you don't see very often like oven baked omelettes, Dutch pancakes, and Swedish pancakes. A lot of meals come with a side of pancakes and you can pay a little extra for chocolate chip pancakes (or other fun pancakes). Highly recommend. Good service and cute modern diner vibe with a nice outdoor seating area. They don't take reservations, we went on a Sunday at noon with three people and were able to be seated right away. read more

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They have everything you'd expect at a breakfast place, but the extra star is for the apple pancake it's great it's a dessert for breakfast. Just get it read more

I'm here just before thanksgiving, meaning indoors. I'm here for the food because the decor as I said before banal. Summer outdoor seating is much preferred. Food is excellent. See previous review. P.S the strawberry compote with the Dutch Baby was out of this world! read more

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Such a great treat after a not so nice start to my day! Excellent service and food. So many choices! Always number one in the Chicago area for a reason! read more

Great breakfast spot. All the servers are very good and extremely friendly. Try the flapjacks!

Lakeview location was clean and brightly lit. Service was quick but parking is brutal. Got the corned beef hash with over easy eggs and a side of pancakes. Could not finish in one sitting but everything was as expected and the coffee was solid. My wife really enjoyed her pigs in a blanket. Again huge portion. read more

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Definitely a must go to spot for brunch! Food is not too heavy for the stomach and oh my! The portions are huge!!!! Service is fast and they are really friendly! I love the Sante Fe oven baked Omlette! Highly recommend it!! Ambience is decent! Not too expensive as well. Will definitely return! read more

Original Pancake House - Santa Fe Omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Our waitress was so sweet. 11/10 potatoes. Would come back from the potatoes alone. Crepes were amazing (strawberry crepes with a side of Nutella) and eggs Benedict was great as always. Outside seating is nice. read more

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I think dollar for dollar in the city this is the best breakfast you can get. The quality is THRU THE ROOF for the price. The wait is usually minimal even at the busiest times and the food is excellent. The prices are also normal in this economy. Also shout out to my server Sophia D who gave me some of the best service I have had anywhere. Extremely attentive, nice, beyond on top of things, and just really excellent. read more

Great food and great service. Ambience is classics breakfast place. We love going there all the time as a family. read more

Wow--this was a complete disappointment. Breakfast is usually my favorite meal of the day, but after eating here, I'm not sure I'll ever look at it the same way again. The ingredients were low quality, the food itself was inedible (I've honestly had better eggs at Dunkin' Donuts), and the service matched the food--slow, careless, and unfriendly. I can't imagine how this place has more than two stars unless the staff is rating it themselves. You couldn't pay me to come back. Truly awful. read more

If I could give one star, I would. As someone who's worked in restaurants, I understand not being too thrilled when a crowd shows up close to closing. But I was just one person. After the hostess sat me, I was ready to order, I had already looked through the menu. No one greeted me or brought water. They just glanced at me and kept walking. Rude. I will not be coming back. And when I'm in the area again, I'll avoid this place and make sure others know about the rude service. Nope. read more

Overpriced garbage. Paying double for food that tastes worse then a Waffle House. Don't waste your time with the pancakes. Service is hit and miss. Once waited 45 minutes to get the bill. read more

I ordered eggs and hash brown with toasted bread very simple order instead I I got soaked oil, diced potatoes bread was old and eggs. Had a bad taste read more

Clean, well staffed, quick, great food and so many choices! Our go to every time when visiting from out of state.

Why this breakfast place has anything other than 5 stars is beyond me. The food is absolutely fresh and delicious, the coffee and coffee mugs are delightful, and the displayed art is quirky and lighthearted. While I haven't tried everything from the menu, the available options are plenty, the dutch baby being the most loved. This is truly a great spot for families and friends, as it feels a bit cleaner and tastier than your run of the mill diner ever could be. This has become my go to breakfast spot, sometimes even trumping a fancier breakfast place because I enjoy the breakfast classics. If you want a sunny side day, go to this Original Pancake House. Happy eating! read more

Original Pancake House - Mugs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered hot chocolate- the large one! It was a 10 out of 10. I also had the blueberry crepes. Not sure why, but I didn't think they had enough flavor. Plenty of blueberries though! read more

Original Pancake House - Loved the hot chocolate! So creamy! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Original pancake house is a decent breakfast spot compared to some others in the area! I usually will get a skillet and while all their ingredients in the skillet taste delicious, the eggs on top (scrambled) are never great. I cannot figure out why. It is always crowded but good service. Their French toast is amazing! read more

I ordered my favorite pancakes 49ers they were not delicious like they used to be. Last time the same thing. At this particular location. And 15.29 for the pancakes! I wouldn't mind the cost if the pancakes were delicious like they used to be. The texture has changed and can't believe they charge 4.59 for a cup of coffee! The location in Wilmette was good a few months back. I will never come back to this location again. It's congested and parking is awful. What a horrible waste of time and money read more

Had pretty bad service although the waitress at least tried to make up for it. Our pancakes weren't cooked and had to send them back. Completely raw inside. Your typical brunch place, if you crave breakfast food. Pretty expensive for breakfast, one scrambled egg is $4... insane. I can't imagine anybody going here and then planning to go back. Parking on diversy can be tough read more

Good sized portions, casual breakfast atmosphere and nice staff. Food quality is good and coffee is bottomless. A classic breakfast joint. read more

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This place was fast and efficient, the food was excellent and staff was also friendly. We were able to walk in for a table.

We ordered one Diet Coke, one coffee. One scrambled egg with sausage and white toast, one poached egg with chicken maple sausage and wheat toast. Our bill was $45 including tip. I don't want to hear about inflation either, it just straight up price gouging. The food was blah, someone should tell them to season their food. Literally not a grain of salt. My food was ice cold as I'm guessing mine was completed first and sat while the poached eggs were prepared. And the best part was we had to flag down our server to get our check because wait for it, they were on her phone messenging. 13 people were dining and this was the best they could do. Sorry, you lost our business. read more

The food was mediocre, and the service was below par. Even though the restaurant was essentially empty, staff still took way too long to seat the few people who did walk in. Also, it took too long for staff to do check-ins and bring our bill at the end of the meal. We sat for probably 20 minutes after we were done eating for staff to bring the check, even though they were less than 5 feet away from us at the host stand the entire time. Multiple servers walked past us, including our own, without addressing us. They were just talking or on their phones. Nothing was special about the ambiance; the interior was very generic. It wasn't horrible, but we won't be coming back. I would not suggest this spot to anyone when there are many other good places to eat near this location. There's a reason the restaurant was empty while we were there, to say the least. read more

We decided to go to the Original Pancake House for lunch before going to Trader Joe's down the street. My friend ordered the Quiche of the day (they had three choices) and I ordered the biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs. The quiche had a side order of hash brown potatoes and fresh fruit (strawberries & melon). My biscuits were different than the usual buttermilk or similar, they were kind of crunchy as if they were put on the grill but still were good and the eggs were cooked perfectly. The standouts were the coffee every cup was perfect and our server was very nice and attentive. The restaurant is very clean and airy, a perfect spot for a long lunch with a good friend that you haven't seen in a long time. read more

We stopped here for carryout on our way to a relative's place to watch the Pride parade. I called in a medium order and the guy sounded ok but when we arrived and paid, we waited 20+ minutes for our order, only to be told it was given away! They took our order again, very apologetically, and it was accurate but still. IT seemed as if no one else who arrived for pick up had to wait. The place was busy but not packed in pandemonium, and it's Sunday morning no less, the people there seemed flustered when 2 or more people came around. Our eggs, pancakes, bacon, and strawberry french toast were good. I saw Caramel french toast online but they said they do not make it there. Maddy has a point, Yolk is just down the street and I usually never have complaints about their food. I wonder if they received more customers than usual due to IHOP's on Grace being closed for a while. read more

Original Pancake House - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious and excellent service. In close proximity to where we were staying. This isn't just a pancake house.

Original Pancake House is another example of a place having a specific food they specialize in (aka Pancakes) and are terrible at making. I have never been to a Original Pancake House before but my fiance was raving about the apple pie thingy that they are well known for. Unfortunately I was not in the market for a dish that was at minimum 1500 cals by itself. Yikes! The photos of the dish looked to tasty enough. Original Pancake House could be because describe as a nicer IHOP without warm syrup! I ordered a basic dish, scramble eggs with turkey sausage and pancakes. It was reasonably priced for a place located on the border of Lakeview and Lincoln Park. The food came out quickly especially since the place was very busy. The wait staff makes sure the food is always moving and the tables turnover in a reasonable time. When the waitress came with our food I noticed that the syrup was dripping with water every time I picked it up. I thought it was based the plate the waitress brought the syrup on bad a pool of water on it but when I poured the syrup it came out like water. I have never seen syrup so watery and I eat a lot of pancakes. The syrup was absolutely disgusting and it ruined the pancakes. The syrup tasted so artificial... I don't know how expensive syrup is but it cannot be so much that you cheap out on the syrup for a place that wants to be known for their pancakes! read more

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This is my second time getting breakfast here and i like it a lot! The food is great and the workers are very nice as well. It also has that traditional dinner ambiance which you sometimes need as a midwest girl in the city! read more

Original Pancake House - Vegetarian Omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois