My pancakes were doughy and not cooked all the way through. When I had the waitress take them back, she brought me another order, and they were made the same way! The scrambled eggs were over cooked and the toast was burnt. The coffee tasted old. read more

It is said that it's hard to ruin breakfast. Well, this morning I found this wasn't true. Being new to Madison we have wanted to try the Pancake Cafe for a long time. Can't say I'll try again. First, the order was simple...eggs and pancakes for my wife, ham steak, toast and eggs for me. We both ordered "crispy " hash browns, mine with onions. The orders arrived...Lukewarm underdone, "uncrispy" hash browns, no onions, unbuttered toast and pancakes with no butter on the table. We asked for butter and, by the time the "frozen" butter packets arrived, everything was cold. The waitress did come back with new warm pancakes. Hard to butter cold toast and/or pancakes with cold butter. After all, this is the Pancake Cafe. On a bright note....the ham and eggs were perfectly done and flavorful. Sorry, but can't see ourselves going through this again. read more

So my sister prefaced our visit with a, "so when we get inside, it's going to look really weird and dumpy, but the food is really good". I'd say it was a super accurate description. The interior tries to be nice and bright with some yellow paint on the walls. They got into the holiday spirit with a tree and pictures wrapped like presents on the wall but it still just didn't feel like it was tied together. Our server was super soft spoken to the point where we actually wondered if she said anything. We still received decent service it was just more the silent type. Food was great. Their pancakes are fantastic and accompany the omelettes if you choose to order that. I ordered a bacon cheese omelette and was pleased with it. The environment and lack of verbal communication causes this review to lose a couple stars, but the food is good. read more

THIS BACON WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! The hash browns and eggs were good and the pancakes were ok, but the bacon was legitimately the best I've ever had at a breakfast diner. There are literally not words to describe this bacon! I'm not a huge bacon fanatic but the waitress told me it was the most popular menu item and her recommendation did NOT disappoint. This will be my go-to breakfast venue solely because of the bacon. I know some think the menu is a bit expensive, but you actually get a shocking amount of food for the price--$10 purchases three large pancakes, hash browns, bacon and two over easy eggs. read more

Pancake Café Madison | Breakfast, Brunch, & Lunch - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I really wanted to give negative 5 star but, Unfortunately I can't, this place is racist, i am Asian American and went there with my wife and my Son to have breakfast, we got there way before one white couple but waitress greeted them first and and the nice couple told her that we got here before them and she seated us and left us there for a while with no water but then she still go to same white couple and gave them water, Coffee and took their order while we were still sitting there with nothing, then I saw the same waitress pouring coffee to the next table then I told her can I please have some water, but she gave the look which was not nice. My 4 years old was asking why we didn't get served and I didn't know how to explain about Racism so we ended up leaving the Cafe. I live minute away from the Cafe and I have spent lots of money there but from now on I will rather starve myself than going there. read more

Great place to meet with a larger group for breakfast or lunch. Food was good. Waiter was good with our child. read more

It's not even the way too long wait in an empty restaurant that makes it deserve the 1 star, it's the food. Cinnamon cream stuffed French toast? Really? There was NOTHING "stuffed" about it. I waited a super long wait for three slices of soggy bread and that's it. Terrible. read more

Pancake Café Madison | Breakfast, Brunch, & Lunch - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Foods not nearly good enough for the terrible service. Stood at the door waiting for a table for 10 minutes, didn't get helped. Literally placed my face in the kitchen window and still didn't get helped. Walked out unnoticed by staff completely. Will not recommend or return. read more

Just moving back to Madison and wanting to get out of our normal routine of food chains I noticed this place while driving to woodmans. They boast quite a few Madisons Best awards so we headed on over. Coffee is great! Pancakes were more on the dense side with a good flavor. Staff was sweet and got everything correct on the first go. I ordered the eggs beni. Im a eggs beni snob. This was damn good. The hollandaise can make or break it and this was perfect. Eggs were done well and the set up was well put together. Ive seen some sloppy eggs beni and this was not one of them. Husband snagged the corn beef and hash and I of course snuck a bite. Again.. Pretty tasty. The only down side was our hashbrowns were under done and not seasoned at all. Im guessing this is their pref to let guest season them on their own. All in all a solid breakfast spot tucked away at the end of the parking lot. Well be back. read more

This is a nope. No subbing the blessed pancakes, slooow service, meh hash browns. Then there's the blessed pancakes; chalky and delivered dry on a plate 5 minutes after breakfast is served. Second star is for the bacon. Eat somewhere else. read more

It may not look like much from the outside but it was quite the jem in the rough. We were seated quickly by very friendly staff. While they were busy the restaurant was open and the noise level was extremely low. We were quite pleasantly impressed with large portion and fast service. When we are on that side of town for breakfast we will certainly be back. read more

The food was fine and we got plenty of it, but I didn't really feel comfortable - We got a weird vibe from the staff. read more

Pancake Café Madison | Breakfast, Brunch, & Lunch - Generous serving! - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We got the chorizo skillet and the biscuits and gravy with the loaded hash browns! So delicious and we both finished our plates! We will definitely be going here for our breakfast again. read more

If one is lucky, the trajectory of a new restaurant goes from "has promise, but needs to work on several aspects" to "everything is running smoothly, I enjoy coming here." After having returned to Pancake Cafe, I have to say that the restaurant is going in reverse. On this occasion, I arrived with a companion on a Saturday at about 1 p.m., after the earlier brunch rush. There were maybe 15 customers inside, and I saw our first bad omen: a group of customers who disliked their food so much that a manager was attempting to calculate a refund for them. When we walked in, we weren't greeted at all, and there was no host(ess) present, so we took a seat and waited. After the manager put out a few (metaphorical) fires in the place, we were seated at a booth... after passing another booth that had clearly contained a family with young children. The floor of that booth was covered in partially-chewed food and utensils. Not the most appetizing thing to see when you're about to start eating. Our server brought out mugs of coffee for us - I guess that pot of coffee the server gave me on my first visit wasn't standard protocol. The half and half separated in the coffee, with some unappetizing oily beads floating on the surface. Getting our server to refill our mugs required herculean effort - we were completely unable to get her attention, and only got them refilled when she came with the check. Meanwhile, we were watching more problems play out at the register. Apparently all of their computers and credit card readers had ceased working. Customers who didn't have cash were just being comped their meals, whereas those of us who had brought cash were not. I'm not saying I just expected a free breakfast, but it's naturally bothersome when someone who ate the same breakfast as you did gets to skip out on the check due to having no cash, so to speak. I've seen this happen in other restaurants, and they always have a backup plan. There are even credit card reader programs for cell phones, and I was a bit surprised that they had NO back-up system. They could have even written down card numbers to run for the bill amounts later, but this did not occur to them. Just about the only thing that wasn't a problem was the food. I ordered the egg and spinach naan. While it was in a menu category stating that it came with hash browns and a biscuit, toast, or pancakes, the server informed me (after I'd ordered the side I preferred) that it didn't come with toast or pancakes because of the presence of naan. Okay, would have been nice to know before I ordered (seriously, a small note on the item description would suffice), but I shrugged and went ahead with it anyway. When the food came, I learned that hash browns were apparently not included either - something ELSE that should be noted on the menu. This place isn't exactly the best deal when not ordering off the early bird special menu, and I doubt I'd pay that much for this meal, given the number of things the menu promised that were not included. The naan wasn't really naan at all. True naan is an excellent mix of crispy and chewy, cooked in a tandoori oven with little air pockets throughout. This was just flatbread, and not so much chewy as tough. It was quite difficult to cut. The eggs, spinach, and bacon were prepared correctly, and either the bread or the spinach had a delicious garlic flavor that vastly improved the entire dish. My companion ordered the huevos rancheros, and found them to be surprisingly tasty, though he was unable to taste any refried beans on the plate (though they were in the item description). It was a generous portion, enough for him to take home for another full breakfast. I really hope that this location gets its act together; it's in such a convenient location, and its parent restaurant is so good! read more

Pancake Café Madison | Breakfast, Brunch, & Lunch - Egg & Spinach Naan - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Good service on a busy Sunday. Came during covid times and sat outside. Enough seating for about 7-8 parties. Clean and friendly. Very generous servings of food. I would return. read more

Ugh. Just, ugh. Avoid eating here. We stood for 4 minutes in an empty restaurant waiting to be sat. Ok, fine, whatever. Got sat, ordered food. I got eggs Benedict he got a teriyaki chicken sandwich. Let's start with him. His sandwich was butchered grilled chicken. Like, the most mangled piece of chicken I've ever seen. I can only assume the "chef" kept cutting into it to make sure it was cooked. Teriyaki was bland and the sandwich itself came with basically nothing on it. Best part, it was on a bun that McDonalds wouldn't even claim as their own. Mine. I could not eat this thing. It was an abortion of eggs and hollandaise. The eggs were sour, like rotten sour. I got all of one bite in before I couldn't even. I'm sure that one bite is going to make me suffer later too. Service was good all things considered, but dear god, why would you eat here? read more

I really enjoyed this place. The eggs were honestly the fluffiest egg whites I have ever had. I loved that they had such a large selection of breakfast items to choose from. For brunch eaters, this is a great place. I wasn't impressed the layout and they were a little pricey. The service was excellent though! read more

Is there a way to give them 0 stars? This restaurant is so unorganized. No one knows what they are doing. I placed a pick up order over the phone, was told it would only take 15 minutes. When I arrived 20 minutes later I was then told they would make it. Then I was told it was ready. 25 minutes later, still no order. They acted as if they weren't even willing to give me a refund. What a waste of time! read more

Great experience from the service to the food. Can't wait to come again! I ordered the crepes and they were UNBELIEVABLE. My partner ordered eggs and bacon. He gave me a sample of the bacon and OMG. Thick and juicy!! read more

This was my first time trying this place. I went on MLK day and it wasn't busy.i was seated quickly. I ordered the feta cheese omelette with pancake. The pancakes were on the dry side. I ordered latte which was mildly hot. Overall the service was good but wish the pancakes were mire moist and the latte a bit hot. Good place for quick breakfast for groups and individuals. read more

Had the Southwest Benedict and my partner has chorizo skillet. Both were really good as was the home made salsa.

A fine place for their ... well, everything ! I've had pancakes, waffles, & omelettes; all are delicious & satisfying. Their bacon is unusually appealing - thick and well-cured. Each tab or table has its own pot o'great coffee, too. The Gammon Road restaurant might be too bright for some folks, but there's no faulting their breakfast fare or space for diners. I've never felt as if other diners were too close, either. There's a WSJ on the counter (there's a breakfast counter w/moveable stools !), a happy manager who LIKES her job, and great servers to round out the appeal. A N D Off-street parking ! Mickey's is tasty, but parking there leaves me cold. I guess I just like-a me some Pancake Café bacon and waffle w/pecans ~ IJDGNB ! read more

I can't remember the food because I was so appalled by the sheer awfulness of the interior. If the proprietors were aiming to let you experience the look and feel of a contractor's office in a double-wide trailer, they've succeeded. It's an interior that says "I did it myself." I'd rather stay home and eat in the garage. That all said, the food is not bad. But we will not set foot in that horror show again. read more

Food took 45 mins to be placed at the table from the time of order. When the food was dropped off, three of four orders were wrong. There was hair in my orange juice. I could go on, but what's the point? We won't be back. read more

The food is always consistent. Quick service and polite staff. We usually go to this location because the Nesbitt Road is always too busy. My favorite is the huevos rancheros, but I love the waffles too! read more

We waited for 30 minutes for a table and while that's expected when a restaurant is busy, waiting an hour for subpar food to come out is absolutely absurd. The pancakes were dry, the eggs were flavorless, and the mimosas were flat. Will never return nor recommend to anyone. Waitress never checked in to tell us what was taking so long for the food and then waited until we were almost done to see how everything was. read more

Is the food the worst there is? No. Is the food worth nearly $10 a plate? NOOOOO. For the money I spent there I could have gotten so many better meals across the city that would have been much much more worth it. In the end it's not worth the price for the food you get, if they were $5 plates, it would be a different story. read more

Came in to get breakfast. I asked to exchange the three pancakes with my egg and bacon meal with toast. Had to pay extra .99. How strange. Also the restaurant has an artificial flower smell that was not very pleasant. read more

Slowest service in Madison. They don't even greet you at the door until you've waited 5 or 10 minutes. Then table service is just as slow. The food was not hot and took a long time to arrive. Skip it and go to McDonalds read more

This place deserves a five star review because the food was awesome and the waitress was very friendly. What more do you need really? In our table for two, we both ordered the Country Fried Steak, eggs, potatoes, and pancakes. A huge breakfast and all 4 parts of it were perfect. They offered this monstrous meal for only $9.99. Also, I love when diners do this, they left the big pot of coffee on the table for us to refill ourselves. Very convenient. If I find myself in this neighborhood around breakfast again, I will be sure to pop in. read more

This place was exactly what it was supposed to be. Basic breakfast food-omelettes, pancakes, eggs, and all of the usual. The corned beef was surprisingly awesome! Actually tasted like corned beef which is not always the case. Apparently they make it fresh in house every day. The rest... take it or leave it. The service was good and it's definitely a good place for families! read more

Pancake Café Madison | Breakfast, Brunch, & Lunch - Corned beef hash with eggs. - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I ordered the huevos rancheros. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the corn tortillas added nice flavor. However I asked for light amount of cheese and they were coated with cheese. Also the hashbrowns that came with it were not cooked all the way. Of all the places in Madison that I've been, our service here was the worst. She was not attentive, friendly, or efficient. We had to repeat our order to her because she didn't write it down. We asked for refills on drinks and she said she would be right back but bussed off all of her tables first even though we were the only ones in the place. We had to wait twenty minutes after we finished our meal just to be asked for the check. read more

So they just redid some renovations with their space and menu and I think it makes the place feel nicer. We have been customers for a few months now and really enjoy their brunch. Though the prices are slightly above average, the serving size is definitely 2 standard deviations above average. I got the steak and eggs, which also comes with 3 gigantic pancakes on the side for $14.99. The steak was beautifully grilled and cooked which was a slight surprise since I was expecting just a pan seared thin slice of steak. But it was a thick and flavorful cut of steak. The pancakes were fluffy and delicious. Come hungry bc the food here will definitely fill you up. read more

Was super excited for pancakes, but had a horrible experience. All the servers we interacted with seemed out of it or just like they didn't care much. Our order came quite late, but I'm going to assume that's because we ordered an oven baked pancake. I wish they would have told us it'd take an hour though. The bacon is good, I'll say that. Thick and juicy. But their pecan baked pancake had unmelted sugar, which made it grainy, and the pecans were raw, not baked or carmelized. For a 10 dollar pancake this was so dissappointing. Our server did not tell us refills on milk and orange juice charged another 3 something dollars, and offered us more like it was free. That was really frustrating. We could have gotten another dish with that money. We tried the place despite some other bad reviews. Super dissappointed. :/ read more

Visited this morning on a whim, after hearing mixed reviews. However, after eating here, i believe those reviews to be slightly in error. Granted, the decor is quite bland and could use a definitely remodel. The food however, was pretty good. Three out of the four of us got breakfast omelets, and everyone seemed to enjoy their food. Omelets were big and fluffy, with plenty of ingredients. Sides were good, and the bacon was super thick and tasty. Additionally, our waiter was quite friendly, attentive, and professional. I was pretty surprised to see a Chicago Style Italian Beef on the menu, and as a self declared italian beef connoisseur, had to give it a shot. Was actually pretty decent, albeit a little skimpy on the meat. I probably wouldn't go out of my way for this place, but would eat here again if in the area and looking for good food at a good price. read more

Didn't enjoy this place at all. It was during covid so they had just re-opened and things were slow. This is a HUGE restaurant, but it was dead. The "gravy" (if that is what you want to call it) that was on my biscuits more resembled mashed potatoes - cooked too long, too much flour, it was not gravy. it was nasty. The hash browns seemed to have their own seasoning that just did not go and I could not even eat. The pigs in a blanket were over cooked sausage in extremely thick pancakes. One of those meals where you tell yourself "I wish I hadn't come here". I knew there was a problem (after ordering pancakes) when our server asked if we wanted syrup and butter. :-( read more

The only reason this place got one stars because I can't give it zero stars... I have given this place a chance several times. Let's talk about today's visit... I walk in the place is in that busy I'm by myself I get put in a corner with a menu... 10 minutes goes by, I have not heard from or seen my waitress I haven't got a glass of water, I haven't been offered coffee... However there is a waitress that is tending to a guy kitty corner from me about 6 feet away that came and checked on him three times and never once said hi to me. This place sucks when you get your food it's not cooked right, they don't charge you correctly, and they don't care about your business. Don't waste your time go somewhere else. Also, the last three visits I made here we're all bad experiences with waitstaff and food. this is an ongoing problem with quality in Madison. read more

Talk about amazingly large portions. I probably could have used 3 hours to try and finished the food. And when we ordered coffee we got full mugs and the thermos. The table placement could be rearranged a little to be more cozy and less open space but overall it is a great place to eat a large breakfast with friends. read more

As a disclaimer, I've only ever had their omelets (low-carb eater here) and they just aren't amazing for the price. Friends who've come with me order a variety of things and while the consensus was that the food was good, it wasn't out of this world and not really any better than other breakfast joints around. Go to the Curve if you want a killer omelet. Go just about anywhere else for more bang for your buck. read more

I didn't like the first dish I tried, but the second time I ordered chocolate crepes. My order came with three big crepes, full of chocolate and garnished with strawberry slices. Two thumbs way up. read more

Pancake Café Madison | Breakfast, Brunch, & Lunch - Chocolate crepes - American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin