This was a great find when we were down at our lake house. My daughter has dietary allergies and…read morethey accommodated her needs. The gals serving were awesome too!

Cute "ma & pa" spot. If Cracker Barrel & Waffle House had a little baby, this cute hole in the wall…read morewould be it. Worth a visit. Limited seating.

Good spot at SML for better food than some other spots. Service was good, friendly and quick to…read morehelp.

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and friendly restaurant guests. Recommend ordering the steak fritesread more

Pancakes are considered "As American as Apple Pie." Particularly the fluffy buttermilk variety, are…read moredeeply embedded in the American breakfast tradition. And diners have become synonymous with "a place for everyone," connected to the nostalgic idea of America. Put the two together and you have The Pancake House in Salem, Virginia. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And "The Pancake House" in Salem, Virginia, is a perfect example. This restaurant that opened its doors in the mid 1950's, not only has survived through the years, but has kept the ionic American breakfast tradition alive and well, as I discovered today when after having driven by it many times in my pearl white Lexus, I decided to stop by for an early breakfast, and give it a try. Located on Apperson Drive next to the Lee-Hi Lanes Bowling Center, in Salem, Virginia, The Pancake House is a long-standing diner, known for its, friendly, old-fashioned atmosphere, and classic American comfort food, serving breakfast and lunch daily. What impressed me the most when I entered the restaurant was its cleanliness and old charm yet with comfortable new furniture and decor in the traditional diner style. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. As I entered and sat at one of the booths, I was greeted by one of their friendly servers, given a menu, and asked what I wanted to drink. I ordered a cup of coffee, which tasted very good. And for food I ordered the Pork Loin breakfast with two fried eggs over-medium, and buttered white toast. As well as two pancakes. My server did an excellent job explaining the terminology of how eggs were cooked there. The ambiance was so relaxed and friendly that I felt welcomed and totally at home. I sat in the main dining room just in front of where the kitchen was located behind a large window where the food was delivered to the servers to take to the customers. The quality of the food was superb, cooked just right. The eggs were fresh and tasty, the pork loins were generous size and cooked to perfection. And even the toast were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. The pancakes were huge size and nice and fluffy. My server made the appropriate rounds to check on me and provide coffee refills. She also provided me with a glass of iced water without me having to ask for it. Their clientele were people of all ages and all walks of life. Since they open at six in the early morning on weekdays, the time is very convenient for customers to have breakfast early and go on their day. I highly recommend this place for an extraordinary breakfast dining experience and plan to return real soon to try out some other items on their menu.

Aesthetic: Traditional, relaxed diner with an array of breakfast items and combos…read more My Favorites: The corned beef hash, well done! Experience: This spot was poppin. I could tell it's a local favorite when we walked in on a Thursday morning, and it was packed. We ordered eggs, corned beef hash, and a side of pancakes. I was surprised the corned beef hash outshined the pancakes, it was so delicious. Order it extra crispy!

I have eaten here many times, but never ordered dessert…read more Yesterday, March 7th, I ordered the coconut pie. My meal was delicious as always, but the coconut pie was out of this world the very best I have eaten. I will be going back next week for another piece of pie and try to get a picture before I devour it! GREAT JOB RUTH'S PLACE!

Good Food, quick service, and a very friendly atmosphere. I would definitely recommend itread more

Tucked away on a side street not far from the Roanoke Public Library, in Downtown Roanoke, this…read morelong-standing, family-owned dinner is known for its Greek and American comfort food, and praised for its friendly, family-style service, reasonable prices, and "hidden gem" atmosphere, operating on a cash-only basis, with the convenience of an ATM machine inside. It has been in existence since 1948, owned and operated by a lovely Greek immigrant couple, who from the moment you walk in, make you feel at home. Open daily from Monday through Friday, it is one of the few restaurants around that opens the earliest for breakfast, at 6AM, and closes at 1:30PM. Today, I decided to re-visit the place for an early breakfast, since it has plenty of free offstreet parking up to 8AM. I arrived at around 6:45AM and parked next to the sidewalk in front of the restaurant on a street parking spot. There were already some steady customers dining inside. As soon as I arrived the wife and co-owner gave me a warm welcome and I reciprocated by wishing her a Good Morning in Greek. Somehow, I find that making an effort to speak to others in their native language, establishes an immediate, friendly connection with them. I sat at one of their booths, and she asked me if I wanted coffee to start off with. I answered in the affirmative and then gave her my order. I ordered Paul's Breakfast Special. 2 eggs, with choice of bacon, ham or sausage, home fries and toast. All this, including the drink of your choice, for $8.00. I ordered my eggs over easy, bacon for the meat, and white toast. If you look at my photographs accompanying this review you will notice the quality of each of the items in my breakfast and how they were cooked to perfection, just as I requested. The bacon strips were thick and meaty, and cooked to order. The eggs were perfectly over easy. And the home fries were slices of potatoes fried just right. After delivering my breakfast to my table, she came by to refill my coffee. While I was enjoying my breakfast, other groups of customers came in and also received a friendly, warm welcome. A father and daughter came in, and soon after, the lady co-owner brought a slice of freshly baked cake with a lit candle on top and sang to the girl the Happy Birthday song. Relaxed ambiance, quality food, and excellent service, make for an extraordinary dining experience. Sometimes one finds the most amazing restaurants, tucked away on a side street.

My family and I stopped in for a late breakfast today, and Paul's did NOT disappoint. The pancakes…read morewere fluffy and buttery, eggs cooked perfectly and the bacon and sausage were delicious. The staff was very friendly and even gave my two kids brownies, on the house! We will definitely be back our next time through town :)

The chicken salad sandwich was to die for!!! The iced tea was so good. The service was perfect…read more Clean bathrooms.

This family-owned restaurant is located off the Virgil H. Goode Hwy in Boones Mill, Virginia and…read morehas been in operation since 2014. To get there I had to drive on the highway and with the change in time, when I arrived, night had already fallen, and it was dark. With no traffic lights to turn to the small parking lot of the restaurant, I had to wait until cars stopped coming from the other side to be able to turn towards the restaurant. You could say it was an adventure just getting there on a Sunday evening. Once inside, the place was clean, cozy and had a comfortable ambiance, with eclectic dining furniture and decor. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review for a better sense of the place and the quality of the food. A young lady who would be my server, greeted me and took me to my table, leaving a copy of the menu with me and taking my drink order. I had a fountain drink. When she came back with my drink I ordered a House Salad with the House dressing to start with, and a Klukin Pig Sandwich with Homemade Chips. The sandwich had ham, chicken, bacon, provolone and Chef dressing on a Ciabatta bread. The salad was a nice size salad, served in a plastic bowl. I enjoyed eating it with the House dressing very much. The sandwich was not too big but good tasting. And the chips were pre-cooked, so they were somewhat dry. I had expected they would be fried at the moment, like in other restaurants I'd had homemade chips before. For dessert I had a Funnel Cake Sundae. It was huge and delicious. The other desserts they had were mostly slices of cakes and pies packed in plastic containers. I could see the locals or tourists of this small town dining here, but I wouldn't make it a trip just to dine there.

I absolutely love it, we stopped for a quick bite, the food was amazing and the service was…read morefantastic. The atmosphere as soon as we walked in was amazing can't recommend it enough 10/10!!

Good food and reasonable prices, not fancy just a good country place to eat a meal . Have eaten…read morebreakfast numerous times and never been disappointed. Good portions and tasty.Friendly staff, Food was served promptly considering it is fresh cooked.Will return.

Waited an hour for an omelette with fried potatoes and a scrambled egg and bacon plates. Others…read morearound us got their food very quickly. Waitress said she was sorry because the egg line was behind.. owner basically said look around we are busy waitress taking my payment called me out for being rude .... Food was decent but greasy. I used to be a big advocate of the cafe. No longer. Note to waitress that called me rude: If you see a customer with tears in her eyes don't be rude back to her. Will not return

This place is a joint through and through! Not a high class place but full of character in this…read moreplace! Food standard low class trailer park blue collar food! Prices are great ! My waitress had an attitude and I love it ! This place is certainly real! If your expectations are high it won't work out for you! But if you like good food and good people, I recommend!