5 star old school diner! No frills with very nice service staff. They open early and get orders out pretty quick. I don't particularly like any of the flavored pancakes but the plain are standard and good. In my experience, the simple breakfast orders (fewest ingredients) stand out as the best things on the menu to me. The coffee is above average for a diner! read more

10 things I like about Pancake Circus Maximus: 1. The sign behind the counter that says "Parking for Portuguese Only". 2. The bingo/keno on the TV. 3. When the waitress calls me "Hon". 4. That I can buy a super lotto ticket after my meal. 5. The circular air vents that my kid calls "cookies". 6. The emergency exit with the mangled up miniblind. 7. The sheets of tinted plastic over the windows. 8. The 2 way mirror on the managers door that allows him to spy on me while eating. 9. The abnormal amount of eye candy on the walls: clowns, animals, etc. 10. The stack of 4 pancakes!!! read more

Face it! You already know what kind of diner this is. Locals, friends, local drunk friends, poopyshit coffee, & hit and miss meals...but hey, I like it, and feel at home. (Well, I cook much more flavorful food, but...whats a lazy girl to do?) No lie, I dig coming in hungover. Watered down maple extract, (syrup that the pancakes soak up like a sponge- youllneedahalfbottleof) fluffy rubbery eggs, machine mochas-topped with yummycheap whip and chocolate sauce..... ooooh yea....coat that stomach, woman!! This place is a nightmare out of the 70's, the service is rude, ( I loved our waitress honeypiesugarcakes) but hey...Like I said, I'm kinda into that kind of thing. I even like that they don't provide my kid with the usual crayons and activity page...its a take it or leave it joint....so, with the OK prices, short walk around the corner from home, and early hours, I take what I can get...and you KNOW I'll be back. read more

Pancake Circus - pancakes at dawn - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

The Pancake Circus on Broadway is known for their head-sized pancakes, cool neon sign, waitresses who call you "hon" and of course the kitschy clown theme. But the real gem of the breakfast joint is manager Terri Mead and her amazing array of homemade soups. Here is the rest of my article about the Seductress Of Soup in the Land Park News: http://www.valcomnews.com/?tag=pancake-circus read more

A Sacramento landmark... ...that I never go to. When people ask, I always say I had it when I was a kid. But I'm not even sure that's an accurate response. I feel like I've had to have eaten here at least once growing up, right?! Anywho, one Saturday a couple weeks ago, we decided to stop in. The parking lot was crowded, so we were a little hesitant. Only to find that seating was no problem. Walking into this building, it feels like you're either in a bad movie or you time warped back a couple decades. I'm pretty sure this place was 'the spot' in it's prime, but now it is a dilapidated clown infested restaurant. They had lots of servers on a Saturday morning and everyone was milling about. But the service was just 'OK'. Our server took our order, brought our food with minor errors to our orders, and left the check at some point. We had to flag her down to have her bring a kids milk we had been waiting on. She didn't add the chocolate chips to the pancakes as ordered. And a few other random things weren't executed. We survived. The coffee was sub par, coffee shop coffee. And I'm not talking about Sacramento coffee shop coffee, at all! I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and what came out left something to be desired. The fried patty looked like something that came out of a frozen dinner. It was rectangle shaped with the edges rounded off, resembling a larger Mc D's has brown. The saving grace was the gravy, it was good. The pancakes were good, they didn't mess those up. But I think as their namesake would suggest, they can't really mess those up. They do offer you two hearty, heart clogging scoops of butter for three pancakes. Overall, everyone felt the food was okay. I think I was enamored with the creepy clown paraphernalia. They have some of the ones that look like creepy sad clowns and ones hanging from the ceiling. They also sell lots of CA Lottery options, which seems to be something that would have been popular in the spots hay day! The server gives you the check and you walk up to the front to pay the bill. Again, old school style. They do accept credit cards, so that's a plus! Maybe I need to take my faux boughie hat off and stop judging and just enjoy the place for what it is. Hot Mess Circus might be a better name ;) read more

Clowns, pancakes, and eggs from a carton. It is what it is. This is a Sacramento institution and if you are in the mood for stained coffee cups and semi-decent pancakes then go for it! Otherwise...don't go...you will only leave feeling disappointed. Its like Denny's with creepier decor. read more

Pancakes rock but the rest is bland, greasy and flavorless. Had such high hopes because I had been here before and really loved the food. Jeremy did not want to go because of the reviews. But he agreed since it was my request to go out for breakfast. I told him we are even now because he wanted Jimboy Tacos and I didn't want to go there and the food was awful. Pancake Circus is old in every way possible. The place is old, even the waitresses are old. Upon entry into the establishment, we were greeted politely and immediately sat down. I got my coffee right away and the waitress quickly came by several times checking on my coffee and asking if we were ready to order. After we ordered, I said "see, this place is nicer than the reviews" to Jeremy, he said he would wait to make any comments. I was embarrassed when 20 minutes later, the food came out and it was as bad as the reviews said. He was so disappointed in the vegetarian omelet, it was greasy and flavorless, as were the hash browns he got. I was in love with my banana pancakes but the country potatoes with green peppers and onions looked great but seriously they had zero flavor and were greasy. And the price was high, almost $30 for the food we got and not worth $5. I've apologized to Jeremy several times, I just feel bad that he had to eat and waste money on food that wasn't enjoyable. read more

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Horrible service and the food was not good! I ordered scrambled eggs well done...they were not and the texture was rubber. Since I can't eat meat I asked the server if I could substitute anything else. She said yes we can add an egg. We discovered our food was COLD so we had to flag down our sever to request the plates be returned to the kitchen to get some hot food. Also, I was charged for the extra egg even though it was supposed to be a replacement for meat! I will never visit this restaurant again!!!! read more

Pancake Circus - The above photo is supposed to be Scrambled eggs "well done", I DON'T THINK SO - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

I came here on a Saturday or ...sunday morning, and ordered Steak and Eggs. The steak was good! which was surprising because other breakfast joints usually did this pretty poorly. The chicken fried steak was a little dry but okay. They usually have some sort of coupon in the Sac News & Review, so check there before coming! Service was okay. The "design" of the place is very very retro. Either the owner doesn't want to put money into revamping it up...or just...likes the...old worn down kinda look. =/ read more

This was the first time my husband and I dinned in a restaurant for awhile. The service was very attentive. My husband also is in a wheel chair and they made it comfortable for him. The pancakes and French toast were hot and fresh. I would definitely come back again and support this Landmark in Sacramento. read more

The food is awesome, the service and smiles were awesome, if your looking for atmosphere, it is very unique! Reasonably priced for every unique individual, and it had plenty of those. There is a little bit of everyone because everyone loves great food read more

Pancake Circus - The manager bringing me a gift cup! - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

Wasn't sure, but your best Sacramento pancake house is open for take-out (only), 8 am - 2 pm. read more

Pancake Circus - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

Good ole fashioned greasy spoon diner. There is a unique vintage circus decorations, if you have a clown phobia beware. There is never a real long wait, and other reason to go. The food and service makes it 3 stars. read more

This place is really run down and full of clowns. My first time here, and I was horrified. However food and service made up for it I had a regular breakfast with just sunny side up eggs and hash brown. I'm very simple when it comes to breakfast, but $4 for my meal was a steal. Our server came by to frequently check up on my table (party of 8), refilled our waters, gave us our check. Came up to the counter to pay because I think that's procedure. There's tempting lotto tickets at the front which is a plus for me. read more

(3.5 stars) The building doesn't look impressive from the outside, there's usually (at least) a short wait to be seated, the inside don't look sparkling and new, and the clown decor always gives me a mild feeling of unease and panic sweats... ... but beyond that, if you want simple, old school, cheap n' greasy diner breakfast, THIS is your spot. Pancake Circus is the place to go when you like your breakfast to be coffee, eggs, meat and side carbs. It's not a dive bar, it's a dive restaurant; it may not be the prettiest place but it serves up what you came for at a cheap price. I'm only sad that it's not open late or 24 hours anymore. J used to go there after clubs and said it was the best post-drinking food in Sacramento. read more

Pancake Circus - Yay, Pancake Circus breakfast! Boo, clowns. - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

So I went there today and decided to give Pancake Circus a whirl. I know for sure, I try to stay away from this place because some reason I might be dissapointed with what I get. I mean, nothing can compare to Original Perry's/Mr. Perrys....well mayyyybe.. but still..OK..sorry, off topic.. So I went there, and I wanted some Steak and Eggs. Um, for 12.50, I declined in a heart beat because that's a bit too much. So I skimmed down to the bolded favorite No6. Country Fried Steak and Eggs. The waitress seemed impatient. So I hastily gave my order. Kind of irratated me, but this world is at it's worse anyway, so I didn't really hold a grudge... ok off topic again.. LOL. This place also doesn't serve hot cocoa. Maan! Not only that, their coffee is not BOTTOMLESS!!?? What the eff? So I stuck with Water to wash down all the goodness. Becareful what you order for as the substitute. Those 4 PANCAKES are killer. I should have just got the hash brown with toast. Other than that, food was alright... the country fried steak was miniscule since this size would be served to Sr. Citizens than your normal college big boy like me. Well, the demographic in this place was like 80% Sr. Citizens.... so yeah. Check came out to 8.35, 7.75 was the actuall cost of the No.6. I recomend this place only if you are feening for ... 4 DAMN PANCAKES.. no really...not 2, not 3, but 4 huge pancakes..hence the title of the restaraunt, its a damn Pancacke Circus. haha jk... So yeah... cool place, food is ok, waitress sucked that day, and check out the images i just uploaded LOL...YUM?? You decide.. 3 stars BABY! read more

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We went here after the CIF Marathon with a party of 13. We were seated within a few minutes after everyone arrived. The waitress was very good and brought all of our orders out within two minutes of each other. As far as the food you can't go wrong with bacon and eggs and Country potatoes others in the party had hamburgers and various other breakfast entrees. My wife had the crepes with strawberries but she did not care for the Crepes as they were too thick to her liking. It's a Wonderful old school-type restaurant and the hostess as well as the entire staff is very friendly. I would go here again for breakfast or possibly lunch. read more

From the outside, this place looks kinda shady. Once you get inside, you find a somewhat dated but clean interior. The food was good; although not special -- exactly what you'd expect from a breakfast diner. My friend and I each had an omelette served with 3 fluffy and humongous buttermilk pancakes. This place is clean, has good food in huge portions, has good service, so it is everything one needs to satisfy their breakfast food cravings. read more

Pancake Circus - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

Really old place and decor, but they're pretty unapologetic about it, I'm guessing that's part of the allure of Pancake Circus. I usually get the buckwheat pancakes which is increasingly hard to find at pancake/breakfast places these days. Service is attentive and fairly friendly. This place is nothing special really, but just an OK breakfast joint. My daughter likes to come here, but since I took her to IHOP on N street, she prefers that over this place now. read more

Love it here. You gotta get here early, they're closed at 3pm. The customer culture here alone is worth eating here. It's like a little time capsule where everyone is kind, politics don't matter, and the food is incredible. I recommend the crab cakes eggs benedict. Again, love it here. read more

The last time I was here I had a good experience (well besides them saying they were going to call the cops due to me bringing my zombie reborn doll. They thought it might be a real baby). With that being said, I ordered crepes with strawberries. Does this look like crepes to you? Besides the fact that all they did was make thin pancakes NOT crepes look at how much filling was in it. I complained but was told this is how they make them. I explained it is not. The last time I was there they were good. She offered me something different but I hate that food is going to be thrown out so I ate it. She did bring me more filing which helped some but those were definitely not crepes. I don't think I'll be eating there again. read more

Pancake Circus - Crepes? - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Strike one -- Does not appear to have been thoroughly cleaned since it opened. Strike two -- Barely mediocre coffee. Strike three -- Bacon was wilty and paper thin. Hashbrowns resembled an omelette in shape and had no seasoning at all. I'm out, never to return. read more

only go here for the clowns the food taisted like ligma and the french toast had sedimentary layers of green and gold. dont get me started on the cigarette flavored strawberry suace mixed with sussy strawberry's. When I went home the toilet saw a new me. Only go here if your taste buds are burnt off.. read more

Old school pancakes and diner fare. Warm and friendly service, fair prices. I started coming here in college and now in my 50's still coming. Some of the same staff are still here. Don't let the older decor fool you into thinking it's not good, quite the opposite! read more

This place needs a serious visit from the health department. I ordered food from here and when I got home a bug crawled out of the hash browns as I opened the container read more

I will not be returning to this establishment. Our waitress was moody. She was not pleasant at all. I didn't catch her name, but she's an older brunette. Her energy was very low, you could just tell she didn't want to be there. She was unwilling to make any changes to my order, she said once she clicks on the tablet it's too late. So you're telling me if you made a mistake and clicked on the wrong item, I would be stuck with your mistake?! We asked for water, she gave us 2 cups, there was 3 of us. For our toast margarine was used, not butter. So yeah, never again! read more

Horrible. ... ate here while visiting a friend in Sacramento. We were seated within 10 minutes but waited 15 more minutes for menus and water. We were ready to order within 15 mins and had to wait for a waiter. One finally came took orders but gave us dirty silverware. Food came and was only subpar. Pancakes were dry and sausages were over cooked. We requested new silverware but recieved none. Our water that was refilled but the waiter was timely on bringing the bill as she passed. I recommend that you stay clear of this place I am always a fan of small diners and hole-in-the-walls but not this one! read more

I always enjoy breakfast here at Pancake circus. I got the chicken fried steak and always leave some on my plate because I get too full to take it all in. read more

Very disappointed!!! Not worth the $19 at all. The Belgian waffle was soggy & the food just wasn't very good. I didn't even finish it. I walked in at 7am & ordered to go, it didn't take long since there was only a table of 2 dining. The clowns everywhere just looked repulsive to me & not very clean. I had high hopes for this place. I live down the street & have been wanting to try it out & now that I have, I won't be coming back. read more

Pancake Circus - Circus Special. 2 eggs, country potatoes & 4 turkey sausage. - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I had no clue what Pancake Circus was until a few years when I went with my boyfriend (he is now my husband) and a bunch of his friends. I was thinking at first, is this an actual circus? No, but almost!! Pancake Circus is a family owned restaurant located on Broadway Street in Sacramento. When I walked in here for the first time back in the day, it was decorated with tons of clowns everywhere! All over the walls and countertops were paintings of clowns, clown faces and decorations that hang down from the ceiling. This restaurant also contains popular characters like Winnie the Pooh and other favorites from the Hundred Acre Woods. There are tons of things to look at that most of the time you are eating and socializing with friends, you are also looking at your surroundings. Pancake Circus serves breakfast and lunch items; their most popular item of course are their pancakes. Amazingly GOOD pancakes. My favorite are the strawberry pancakes with lots of whip cream and strawberries yum! They also have large service portions with every meal so chose wisely. My husband loves the circus big top that contains two eggs, two sausages, two pancakes and hash browns. They also have usual breakfast fare too like waffles, omelets and French toast. The servers are friendly and make you feel at home. I recommend this place because it is fun, lively and atmospheric. It's a nice place to relax and chill too! read more

Pancake Circus - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

It's a joke, management was rude, no cupholders for my to go order, very unprofessional. The atmosphere looks run down, needs to be remodeled, I will never go there again. read more

I'm really disappointed in this restaurant. Here we have a business whose waitresses were not following the signs on the door MASKS REQUIRED. I was greeted by my maskless waitress at the restaurant. I asked her nicely and rather apologetically to please put her mask on her face rather than just dangling it from her chin. She didn't say anything but I could tell she was irritated with me and she put it on her face but later just put it under her nose. At the counter when I was paying the bill, the other waitress who was not wearing a mask at all, when I mentioned the MASKS REQUIRED and my confusion. She pretty much blew me off saying that my waitress wears one. To this pointed out that she was wearing it under her nose and not wearing it at all when she greeted me. She then went on to say that she had tongue cancer and that's wearing a mask was not comfortable. No apologies just a snippy tone. So what we have here is a woman that is willing to risk other people's safety because she's uncomfortable wearing one. This is why Covid has prolonged--because of people like this. If people had complied with masks and vaccines we would have gotten rid of it a year ago. read more

This place is so old looking and when you walk in its full of creepy clowns from like the 70s haha Such an odd place. I went here for breakfast with my friend and it was pretty good. She had the strawberry pancakes which were COVERED in whip cream and then gave her a tummy ache haha but before the hurt she said they were delish! Check out the pictures, I uploaded the massive whip cream plate. I had an omelet, it was good but the veggies in it seemed like they were all canned.. so meh but we had tons of leftovers. OK if you want to experience an old diner with creepy clowns. read more

Pancake Circus - WHIP CREAM! - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

I came in the other day for lunch with a coworker. The waitress quickly seated us and handed us menus. There were lots of options that piqued my interest between the breakfast and lunch items. I settled on the three stack of pancakes with 2 eggs, which didn't sound like a lot of food, but it was, especially for $8. The pancakes were huge, maybe 8 inches in diameter, fluffy and filling. The eggs were cold when they arrived, but I was hungry, so I didn't complain. While the food did not blow me away, it definitely got the job done! Would I come back? Maybe if I was in the area, but I wouldn't make it a point to return. TL;DR: Solid food, decent service, great prices. read more

My expectations were non existent as I have driven by the establishment my entire Sacto life. Very glad I parked my bias in the lot. Also very glad I sat with my back to the gallery of clown portraits. The expression on my dining companions faces encapsulated night terrors from another decade. My pecan waffle was tasty, but I was surprised that the pecans were not baked into the waffle... instead a hefty amount towered on top and it it was up to me to distribute them equally amid the generous portion of whipped cream. I appreciated being responsible for my own choices. All in all, I would return again with a focus on breakfast and never a whisper of Winnie the Pooh. read more

My friend Carrie C. said that I must order the #6 for my first Pancake Circus experience, which comes with Chicken Fried Steak doused in gravy, 2 eggs, and 3 pancakes. The best food item by a long shot in this huge order was the Chicken Fried Steak and gravy. Yum! The eggs weren't anything special. Carrie C. is not a pancake person (like me), but I was told that these pancakes were far better than most. They tasted decent going down, but sat in my stomach for a long time thereafter. So, not a fan of their pancakes. For a circus theme (complete with clowns and balloons), you'd think they would have "nicened" the restaurant up a bit over the last 30 years. The tables weren't organized well and it was pretty drab inside. Pancake Circus is the equivalent to a dive bar... only a person that has been going here since childhood would LOVE it. That being said, I'd give the food another go next time I'm in town, but substitute waffles instead for pancakes. Oh, and the Hot Chocolate wasn't hot, it was lukewarm. read more

Now I know why this place is always packed on the weekends! I went here specifically for the liver and onions (cravings, what can I say?!) and ended up having the best cream of chicken soup ever! Full meal ended with the tastiest vanilla ice cream! Everything was delicious and I got more than my money's worth! Great place, friendly staff. I will be back again. And again! read more

GreT breakfast good prices front desk needs a deep cleaning and the cables HANGING DOWN not attractive. It just needS a deep clean you would of thought during the slow covid time that they would of taken care if it. read more

In my opinion the establishment should shutter its doors and put an end to its miserable food and service and give way to redevelopment ASAP! I stopped by today and was seated promptly and ordered a coffee while I looked over the menu. Ten minutes went by waiting for it. I had to wait another 5+ minutes to get splenda delivered to tge table. Service was awful. I finished my cup of coffee and was still waiting to order my meal. By then another customer walked in and was seated across from me. They took his order then took my order. Great now I can get my food! The reason for my visit. Another 5 minutes and still waiting for my coffee refill. By mow I look over and the guy at the other table has his food and then my order is delivered. Whoops they mixed my order with the other guy. He wondered why he got bacon. After this SNAFU and my food was delivered it was still screwed up. Again the location os great and should be better utilized. A good restaurant and retail with housing above would be ideal than this awful restaurant. The mayor should make this redevelopment high priority. I am one who looks forward to something better for this location. As Pancake Circus I swear never again. Its a joke! This is not my only experience like this here. If you think its harsh so be it this is my opinion! read more

Went here this morning with my family. I was hesitant to stay because the inside is filthy and the decor is hideous. The first woman who sat us insulted my dad because she couldn't hear him. Everyone said their coffee tasted like burnt sock water and when my uncle asked the waitress for a fresh cup, she argued with him! We waited about 20 minutes for the food to arrive cold. I got a plain Belgian waffle and they managed to mess up my order. The waffle and everyones pancakes were rubbery and covered in grease. Also, I now have a stomachache. Needless to say, we'll go anywhere else next time. It is very insulting that they think they can get away with food and service this bad. Hell, I could've had a better meal at McDonald's! read more