The Original Pancake House
14905 Pomerado Rd., Poway 92064
www.originalpancakehouse.com
858-679-0186
At our house, weekend mornings are made for pancakes hot off the griddle and smothered with maple syrup. My hubby Steve prides himself on making moist pancakes properly browned to perfection, but on a recent Sunday morning we took our appetites to the Original Pancake House in Poway to see how the professionals do it.
Despite seeing a long line of hungry diners before us, our wait to chow down was relatively short and well worth it. Ample indoor seating, complemented by a heated outdoor area, allows for hungry patrons to come and go rather quickly. On this particular Sunday, the restaurant was filled with people of all ages, families with children and older couples. We gladly took a table outside after requesting the first-available seating.
Since my three boys have outgrown the kids’ menu, my family of five ordered from the too-many-tempting dishes on the “big” menu. It should be noted that there is an extensive kids’ menu that is customized monthly and includes plates of buttermilk, chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes, as well as pigs in a blanket and French toast. Each cost $5.25.
Andrew, my 10-year-old son, had his eye on a bacon-and-cheese omelette with three buttermilk pancakes ($9.95). I tried to dissuade him from such a large selection but it didn’t work. The omelette was chock-full of crispy bacon and cheese, and the pancakes were the size of a luncheon plate. Andrew downed the entire pancake plate and half of the omelette with a large glass of chocolate milk. The leftover egg dish was perfect for his Monday-morning, before-school breakfast.
My oldest Ben, 16, couldn’t resist ordering the bacon pancakes ($7.85) from the 16 different types of pancakes offered. The variety of pancakes includes 10 silver dollar pancakes ($6.55), coconut pancakes ($7.50), buckwheat pancakes ($7.15), pumpkin pancakes ($7.50) and banana nut pancakes ($8.95). Ben has an appetite that is hard to satisfy and even he couldn’t finish the massive plate of pancakes.
My husband and our son Brad, nearly 15, decided on the pigs in a blanket ($7.75). The plate included three spicy sausages wrapped in light buttermilk pancakes topped with powdered sugar. The “pigs” come with tropical syrup but maple is offered as well. It was no surprise to me that both of my men opted for maple.
I had my heart set on the apple pancake, the house specialty at $10.25. Yes, it is just one pancake (the size of a dinner plate) with Granny Smith apples and cinnamon baked on top. No need for syrup with this delicious pancake. This was more than a meal and deserving of its “house specialty” title.
With milk and juice to complement our meals, we were filled to the brim because of the generous serving sizes. Our take-home box provided breakfast for three of us on Monday. The service was prompt and friendly, making us feel as if we were at home. If your family enjoys breakfast, stop by one of the five Original Pancake House locations in Encinitas, Poway, San Diego, Temecula and Vista
Freelance writer Eileen Cornish lives with her family in Santee.