Original Pancake House

Restaurants serving pancakes, waffles, and omelets are a dime a dozen across Orange County, yet several chains stand out from IHOP thanks to more interesting menus and/or better execution. With a handful of OC locations (and others across the country), the Original Pancake House offers several compelling specials – notably a gigantic oven-baked Apple Pancake, gooey with glaze and fresh apple slices, and the Dutch Baby and German Pancake, each shaped like a moon crater and served with lemon, butter, and powdered sugar. Many of the chain’s recipes have remained consistent for decades, having been more or less perfected at the original Portland location in the 1950’s.

“Basic” options, such as blueberry or peanut butter chip waffles, commonly arrive properly covered in their signature ingredients; cherry kijafa crepes contain big chunks of cherry rather than just syrup. Potato pancakes can, depending on one’s recipes and culinary talent, taste better than homemade.

At one point, the Original Pancake House was also known for its aggressive pricing, but those days are in the past; expect to pay $15 per entree-sized plate, and leave feeling more than satisfied by the experience.