We were looking for a breakfast diner near by. I heard it wasn't bad, so wanted to give it a try. The place is a little run down from the outside. Inside was decorated with crowns and the booths were a little outdated. The food was good, but nothing special that I can't eat anywhere else. We order chicken fried steak breakfast and it comes with hash browns, eggs and pancakes. The pancakes were huge and nice is fluffy. The hash browns were not crispy (a little disappointed). Also we order the breaded veal with mash potatoes. The mash potatoes were made from scratch because I can taste the potatoes chucks. And the house special omelet. Overall, since I'm not a huge fan of pancakes even though its delicious. The portion size was great for the price. For a diner, the coffee wasn't bad. It actually taste pretty good. read more

Really just come here for pancakes! If the food is in the name of the restaurant then you better bet that they will rock at making said food. Pancake circus does not let you down. The pancakes are fluffy and oh my god I just want more delicious. I got a waffle and my boyfriend got an omelette and both of those were totally meh. Not bad, but did not live up to the glory that is the pancakes. Also, the decor is here is so great. It is kitchesy and outdated and dusty...its amazing. Like walking into time machine to a simpler time. For a cheap, easy breakfast I will be coming here again. read more

OOOOOHHHHHHHHH.......why did I think I could polish off the 4 stack of buttermilk pancakes for lunch? I had one of those rare cravings for pancakes at 1 o'clock in the afternoon and this place certainly met the demand. Now I'm about 98.7% sure that I stuffed myself so full that there is now pancake batter lodged in my brain. Service was fast and friendly and the food was good. For some insane reason, I decided to get a side of hash browns with my massive stack of pancakes. Both were excellent, but I will definitely go with a shorter stack the next time around. I saw other people getting lunch items (sandwiches, burgers) here, but c'mon -- if you're going to a place called Pancake Circus you have got to get breakfast items. read more

We will not return we waited over 40 minutes to be served cold food it had to be waiting over 15 minutes to be brought to us it was that cold. Finally asked for the toast-brought 10 minutes apart instead of serving us both together. Hard to get the attention of the waitress for coffee refills but she sure brought the check with a quickness. The womens bathroom smells like s**t. read more

This place here is great to go with the family. Took our little ones and they liked all of it. The waitress are super nice and friendly

I like it here, but my boyfriend is just so-so, so I'll spit the difference and give it a 3.. It's cheesy as all heck with 70's looking (or older) color and decorations. Not as circusy as the name would have you believe, but cheesy enough for sure. It's only open until 3:00 on weekends, which is a bit early for me some weekends as I like to be able to have my breakfast for dinner. It's also really family-friendly. I usually get the same thing for breakfast and use the waffles as a barometer for any breakfast spot. Can't rate the syrup because I hate syrup, so I get strawberries and whipped cream. Not too shabby, but I like the Waffle Square's waffles MUCH better. He get steak and eggs and can't complain too much, though they have both under and over-cooked his steak twice now and he complains it lacks some flavor. Potatoes are good and coffee not too bad, but refill service is slow. The place gets busy on weekends but has a decent sized seating space and a counter you can sidle up to. They also sell lottery tickets, which is a great impulse buy while you pay the bill at the front counter. read more

Do not come to this place expecting brand new furniture or decor. It is OLD, it looks old , it smells old, and that is part of it's charm. Some people may mistake old for dirty but I did not see anything unclean. It is a relic of a restaurant, and the food is made for relics of people as identified by the many, many silver haired foxes that line the booths. The biscuits and gravy were good as were the pancakes, and the sausage was REAL with the casing and all, and it was great!! I will probably go back for those biscuits and gravy and sausage. read more

A total hole in the wall. A total time warp. But somehow it has character and I liked it. It was totally packed on a Sunday morning but we got a great table and it was comfortable enough with several babies. The pancakes were so darn good. The omelette was good as well. Nothing fancy about this place. Just good old brunch. read more

Use to love coming here for many years. Huge disappointment today. Food was cold. Got my cold toast nearly after I finished my meal. Had to ask several times for utensils. Never got offered refills. The cashier/waitress was handling money & food. Her hair was so unkempt and dangling. l was so sure there'd be hair on my food. They were so short staffed and the place was full. We sat at the counter. Took forever to get acknowledged. Just not a pleasant time and the meal was less than stellar. Greatly disappointed. read more

Came for a simple to go order.. Terry took my order and she was a delight! Giving 4 stars just for her service.

LOVE the Circus! Huge, cheap delicious breakfasts. The ultimate comfort food - if I'm feeling down (or hungover), you'll almost certainly find me here plowing down a stack of these giant, fluffy, golden pancakes you see in the photo and feeling a whole lot better! I've been eating at this place at least twice a month for about 15 years, and not once have I ever received poor service. And almost all of the efficient, friendly wait staff is the same as the first morning I ever walked into the joint. I've never seen that in any restaurant before and I have to believe it says something about the quality of both the employees and the ownership. Pancake Circus is like an old friend to me. Of course, it took me some time to get past the John Wayne Gacy decor to get to that point, but after a while even that grows on you and feels comfortable and welcoming! Go here. Eat a lot. You'll feel better. read more

Limp bacon. Disgusting cold beef patty. Lousy service. Undercooked hash browns. Really one star, but I've added one for the crazy awesome, creepy clown vibe. read more

I'm from Wisconsin--only visiting for a couple of days. Although this place hasn't yelped well, my family left satisfied & satiated for a fair price. I ordered the ultimate veggie omlet with buckwheat pancakes & a side of spicy sausage. The omelet was a little bland, but the sausage made up for that. The pancakes were pretty good & very filling. Btw: the coffee tastes pretty good for a restraunt like this. read more

Coulrophobes beware! The french fries and vegetable soup were good! Other than that, it was bland, white people food. read more

This place was so filthy we had to leave. There is a layer of grime on everything. The bathrooms were awful and I worried that if I could not properly wash my hands, how could the staff? We used to love the old nostalgia of this breakfast diner - but there's a big difference between "old school" and "gross." I am honestly surprised they pass any kind of cleanliness inspection; they didn't pass ours by any measure. read more

I dont know what you are talking about Brad. This place is awesome both in terms of its food and atmosphere. I dont know what you expect in terms of cleanliness and quality for this place as I definately dont look at the place in the same way as you!?!? Make sure to get the Buckwheat Pancakes! and my waitress today was named "Phyllis" who referred to me none other than "Hun"! read more

This place looks old and crappy to me at first.......but i LOVE THEIR PANCAKES, theyre as big as the plate XD and super duper filling, my friend says she loves their belgian waffles. The prices are okiie dokiie low. The waiter/waitesses are nicee :] They have pretty okayy sandwiches and fries :] read more

Old school charm. Delicious food. Highly recommend. Very nice servers and prompt service.

The staff was Uber nice and very attentive! Also delish build your own Omelette . It's so nostalgic to what things were and kept preserved today ! read more

This is the nastiest restaurant in Sacramento. I found a hair in my food. I asked for the manager but she told the waitress she was busy. Eventually she came to the table with her hands on her hips and wearing a skirt fit for the club. After I explained to her what happened she moved her neck from side to side and said" it happens ". No apology or nothing. She responded to me In a nasty tone so I told her to step away from my table while the going was good. My cup was dirty. They need chef Ramsey in their because am sure the back is dirtier than the front. I did not pay for the food and I refused another plate. Am not a picky person but the customers are eating at their own risk. I feel like calling the health department read more

I have a friend who is terrified of clowns. She would die here, no doubt. Fun little breakfast place that looks like it's been transplanted from the 60's or 70's. The food is okay, but nothing special. Very inexpensive stuff though, so that's a plus. All-around OK. But seriously, if you're scared of clowns, stay away. It would be a nightmare. read more

Anyone who thinks this place will be gourmet, the service will be good or the experience will be life-changing needs to take a better look before they head inside. it's called Pancake Circus people, what do you expect? That said, I love it. I've only really been here when I've been hungover, but that's when you need standard breakfast fare the most right? I always get some sort of pancake or waffle with random fruit compote, and am never disappointed. The day after St. Patrick's Day last year I had corned beef hash, and it was salty and delicious. I've never ordered from the lunch menu, seems like a bad idea. It's cheap, it's good for nursing a hangover and rehashing the evening prior with good company. I can't complain. read more

Simple food, great tasting. We always come back for the spectacular coffee. Have been coming here for 19 years now and have no plans to stop anytime soon! read more

Old school coffee shop. Eggs, bacon sausage and pancakes means no lunch that day. They also make buckwheat pancakes (just ask!). Service is really nice and endless coffee. If you wanted some sort of high end breakfast, go somewhere else. Great spot for groups - we saw a massive group of around 15 leave. read more

The first time I ate chicken-fried steak and country gravy was at this place. It was delicious and I'm sure, loaded with cholesterol. Everyone should have it at least once. My friend and I came in here for nomnoms after spending the morning/early afternoon at the antique fair. The wait wasn't too bad but it was definitely a full house. This is your typical diner-type restaurant with a hearty menu. I wish it was closer, all I got is a Denny's. I bet it's also great after a night of drinking. Grease always is. read more

What will a trip to Pancake Circus bring? Pancakes to be sure, but I envisioned magic under the bigtop. The facade from an era gone by evoked in me images of whistling trains humming around the perimeter of the ceiling, balloon shaped napkin dispensers, and clowns. Oh, how I imagined the clowns! Clowns as waitstaff, clowns in the kitchen. I thought, I hoped there might even be clown themed pancakes. Alas, the Circus Pancake version of Narnia was not to me. The theme is retro, like the leftovers from a circus that moved on long ago. This, I can respect. It will be some time before I can forgive the pancake selection. While well priced and well made, doesn't inspire the whimsical syrup patterns and generous use of sprinkles and whipped cream I had so imagined. read more

Another place we drove by multiple times saying "We will go in there one day." Well that day has arrived. It looks like an old fashioned pancake house on both the inside and the outside. You walk in and you get this warm feeling like you're young again and going out for breakfast on Sunday morning with your parents. There are clowns and circus animal paintings everywhere. I ordered the eggs Benedict (of course). I had a side of breakfast potatoes and an order of two circus pancakes. The eggs Benedict were good, but the eggs weren't poached, so unfortunately no gooey happiness. The hollandaise however was great. The potatoes were good, but good of used just a little more seasoning. The pancakes were just what I needed. Two fluffy pancakes that brought back memories of how my grandma used to make them. While the food was good, this isn't a repeater for me. The food was good, but I've had better. I've seen better service. It wasn't exactly bad, but you can get friendlier service at a Denny's. read more

This place as a very old school diner feel to it. It was pretty packed when we come by for brunch on a Sunday. At first, I thought the food was kinda expensive seeing that I would have to pay something like $4 for a waffle. I got combo #2 which is 4 pancakes plus eggs and ham (or a choice of bacon). I ended up not able to finish my pancakes. The food is pretty good, but nothing spectacular. However, the waitress was very attentive (keep filling up coffee cups like they were bottomless) and she was happy to bill all of us (about 6) separately which is a plus! read more

Suggested this place to eat at before our road trip to L.A.. After hearing the waffles were huge, I figured it would fill me up for the 6+hr drive. The restaurant itself was run down and I didn't care for all the clown pictures, but the looks of the restaurant should never deter people from trying out the food. Ok, the waitress was very friendly and helpful. Because my toddler eats like a bird, we didn't want to buy him a whole meal, so instead of getting my 9 inch waffle, I opted for the belgian waffles with sausage and bacon (so the kid can have the meat). CAUTION: I had thought the belgian would be huge, but it was the size of every other waffle I've ever had. However, it was tasty...not wow...but good. And it did the job. I didn't eat again until we got into L.A. read more

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I've lived in Sacramento all my life and I finally took the courage to check out pancake circus. The outside looks like a old school diner from the 60's or something you'd catch in a LA movie scene. As soon as me and my girl walked, we felt like we were sucked into a time warp. The ambiance, the people and waitresses seemed like they were back from the 60's but SO nice service. The food was not to bad, you can actually cook this type of food at home, very inexpensive and the pancakes were not to bad. Watch out for the country fired steak, very tasty but I caught a small piece of bone. Over all, great place to check out and dine in for breakfast. there only open 6am - 3pm. read more

My friend and I came to this spot because he brought the groupon. ($7 for $20value). I drove pass this place many times but never step foot inside this restaurant. But since we got the groupon, why not. The decoration is pretty out dated as stated by many other reviews. Service was not the best. We literally sat down for not even 5 mins but our server already asked us 2 times if we are ready to order or not. She seems like she's in a rush but there was barely any customers there. When she came and asked the 3rd time, we fell bad for sending her away again. So we just ordered even tho we wasn't fully prepare. We got 2 orders of steak and eggs. Food was decent. Their regular pancake is good and pack with butter. Everything about the food is good and only negative I can think of is their package frozen hash Browns. When our food came out less than 2 mins. Our check arrived. Again, I felt like she was rushing and want to kick us out ASAP. After our server placed the check on our table, she has never came and check up on us. Overall, food is good. Service bad. read more

On a busy Sunday morning, this was the only place that didn't have a line out the door, so I decided to try it. First impression: creepy clowns everywhere. The waitress we had when we were seated was the oldest waitress I'd ever seen. She made me nervous. Also, the booths and tables were very outdated. The seat sunk in from so many people sitting there before. Now, the food. It was the typical greasy breakfast food anyone would expect from this genre of diner. Good pancakes, eggs, sausage. The coffee mugs were so small that two sips in and a refill was necessary. The water glasses were just as small. Overall, I would come here again. Maybe not go out of my way, but if I happen to be in the neighborhood. read more

Wow. What a horrible place. Not only is it dirty I saw cockroaches running around in the restaurant. I think they should shut down for a few days and clean up this mess. I was told that the restaurant was shutdown by the health department a while back and kind of cleaned then, but it looked like the owner doesn't care about the condition. read more

I was in the area early in the morning and even wondered if the place was still in business. So, on an early Saturday morning, I was hungry and needed coffee. To my pleasure, I saw the lot was full so I knew it was still in business. It had been many years but nothing has changed. Still lots of people waiting in the lobby to be seated so I sat at the counter since I was alone. I noticed the nice young man next to me ordered buckwheat pancakes and we struck up a conversation whereas he thought they made great bwp. My breakfast was not bad and the company was great. And the waitress was attentive. I used to take my kids there when we lived downtown. read more

I do feel there is a lack of good ole coffee shops in Downtown Sacramento. I want to like this place more than I do. But it just isn't kept up to a standard I feel good about recommending. The food is of very cheap quality and the restaurant just seems dingy and worn. The servers are nice enough, but its not enough to make up for the rest of the lackluster experience. This place could be so cool, but it just isn't. read more

Banana waffles were good, but nothing special.... Ordered a side of country potatoes, which are usually my favorite, but unfortunately not good at all here. The potatoes were over cooked (boiled), barely grilled, and no flavor to them. Service was OK. I was going to give them a 3-star because my husband loves their pancakes, but considering I don't usually eat pancakes, and this is my review...I will give them a 2. read more

Bland ass food, service was meh.... server seemed to hate life so bad it showed on her face. So she got a $2.00 tip. I am seriously irritated that I spent money on this shitty ass food. My 9 year old could have cooked better food. read more

Thought I would bring the parentals for a nearby breakfast and they wanted pancakes. Pancake Circus has disappointed me for (a) serving limp bacon and (b) serving undercooked pork sausage. But the pancakes were good, the french toast was decent, and the waitress promptly replaced the bad items. read more

There's the basics. The pancakes, french toasts, eggs, sausage and bacon. It's cheap diner quality. You can sit here all day drinking coffee and make it a simple routine, but there's nothing to rave about. read more

Pancake Circus - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

My first time there. Pancakes are fluffy, but sooo bland! I think they have their syrup is home-made since it was warm when I poured it on, but even then, the syrup was so watery and light that it just drenched my pancakes with little to none of sweetness... Otherwise, the service was great... food was eh. read more