Everything is so perfect! Walked in and it was no wait. We got sitted right away and got waters. There is a sign the hostess gives you that you can show "no ready to order" and you flip it to "ready to order" when you are ready. Really hot coffee with a cup of creamer on the side and hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate chips on top. The food was increible! A lot of sauces for the food and butter for the pancakes. Excelente service! I will be coming back! read more

See all

My dauggters go to spot for Belgium waffles . She usually comes with her mom because I like a hash brown type they don't have. Today I had the grilled cheese and fries and the fries were excellent brown and crispy - my daughter had her usual. Belgium waffle strawberry's read more

See all

Nice breakfast place. Good service. Good food. Nothing amazing, but solid food. Big portions.

Amazing food. Great gluten free options. Buckwheat pancakes. The get busy so get there early or sent someone to wait. Totally worth it. The ambiance is fun too, always have something seasonal and fun to look at, lego trains around a Christmas tree, sort of thing. read more

This place is a joke, being served by 15-year-olds that have no clue, terrible customer service, their portions of breakfast are ridiculously small with a price of a car loan and their food is really not that special. I would advise you and yes go to Denny's. At least you would have better Customer Service and you would get a breakfast. My advice don't go here bacon and egg sandwich they give you one piece of bread cut it in half and put the sandwich in there, crêpes they give you fruit with no filling with old strawberries no cheese filling no cream you order two eggs and it looks like literally one, their hashbrowns look like they literally boiled them in oil and they slop them all a cappuccino cup plate no MANAGEMENT and they still have a Christmas tree that's up how ridiculous their bathrooms are dirty, which tells me their kitchens are dirty run for your life ‍ read more

Nice menu with unique choices, good food, great management and service! Servers are friendly and demonstrate good customer service.

My son and I were in Chicago for a college visit and needed breakfast. I wanted him to experience The Original and I think I created a fan. We had no wait on a rainy Saturday morning in August... but a rush followed us in. I was a little confused by the service. It seemed like there were 5 different people helping us. We had coffee and juice. My son ordered the apple pancake, and I had the German pancake with strawberries. We knew these choices would take a little longer to prepare. The portions are ENORMOUS. The prices are maybe a little high, but the food was worth it. read more

See all

I think this is owned by different people than the other Chicagoland locations. The food is just ok and the parking lot is a nightmare. Gluten free "French toast" was basically a waffle cooked with eggs? Very weird. read more

The Original Pancake House - Gluten free "French toast" - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

Ordered the Bacon Pancakes with a Diet Coke. The Pancakes were just beyond amazing. Ordered carry out and didn't take too long even when it seemed busy! read more

I will admit,,the food is good. Good pancakes,,very good coffee, good apple pancakes, eggs..All good..But Everytime I go..The service gets worse..So today was my last time... I waited 15 minutes for a server to come to our table..Two tables seated after us. Had coffee before we did..What astonished me was our waiter turned out to be the same guy that seated us..So how could he not know, that he had a table??? We asked for a large apple juice..Got a small...I asked if I could have my potatoes with the onions and peppers without the pimento that came on it. The server did not know what I was talking about..So I asked if I could put spinach or broccoli on the potatoes..He said only if I could show it to him on the menu..he had no idea what I was asking him????. So I skipped the potatoes...The place was not too busy..Half empty actually..So the very slow lackadaisical service is not due to being busy .Which you can accept under those conditions . The owners must not pay well ..Everyone working here either speaks no English,,and most look like they are barely out of high school..No professional staff here.. It's just too hard to deal with the screw ups here..It took 10 minutes to them to figure out how to work the cash register for the people in front of me.They could not figure out to let them pay their bill..it took 3 people..It's just not worth it..But if you check it out. Let me know if the staff is up to your satisfaction. I have 5 bad incidents out of 7 here...All staff screw ups ..Park ridge deserves better sorry... read more

Friendly staff; basic breakfast food. Very crowded on the weekends so plan ahead if you are going on a Saturday or Sunday.

Wow! First time ever a menu that provides real whole, homemade food. From the beginning to the end, every employee is attentive and polite. They've done a great job, training employees on their mission, service and good food. I didn't go home bloated or sluggish. Thank you again, we will be back and spread the word! I enjoyed this so much, I forgot to take pictures of the plates. read more

If you're in the mood for breakfast/brunch then this is the place you want to be. Everything I ordered was a 10/10. There was a wait period to be seated but it's definitely worth the wait! The design of the restaurant is simple but let's be honest you're not there for the views. The food here is what's most important. read more

The Original Pancake House - Western Omelette & Strawberry Pancakes (Bottom plate) Three Little Pigs In Blankets & Eggs (Top plate) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

This pancake house is so very yummy! They make their own whipped cream that tastes so good! The strawberry waffle comes with strawberry syrup and fresh whipped cream. I always order an additional side of their whopped cream since it is spectacular. Their pancakes are also very good. read more

The Original Pancake House - Strawberry waffle - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

The coffee is the best I've ever had, served with real cream. Portion sizes are huge

My wife and I have come here a couple of times, due to its location. We love coming to this area for lunch or dinner, but every once and a while we come here for breakfast. This location gets pretty busy during weekends and holidays. This morning, there were quite busy. We waited approx 10 mins for a table, not too bad. Their food was good, but the service was great. The young lady waiting on us was very attentive. The only thing I wish they would do, was add a combo meal with eggs, bacon, pancakes and hash browns. Other than that, We will be back. read more

The Original Pancake House - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

The Original Pancake House is conveniently located near the Pickwick and does have its own parking. However, the inside is in big need of renovation. The other weird thing is that they had all of their Christmas decorations up...on Feb. 21st. Not sure if that's just laziness or a usual thing for them. Otherwise, the little train going around the tree was a god source of amusement for kids. Maybe they should at least still keep the train up and theme it to the next holiday or something year-round and then switch it back to Christmas when it makes sense to do so. Staff are too busy chatting and service is pretty slow. In terms of food, I was a little surprised to see that they didn't offer banana crepes. However, the banana pancakes were really good, as was the tropical sauce. Coffee took forever to come out. This was pretty lackluster. I won't be in a hurry to go back--lots of better options out there and nearby. read more

The Original Pancake House - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

Every time I go I always have a good experience, the place makes you feel like going back in time the staff is friendly, making you feel right at home as soon as you walk in. The food is of excellent quality--fluffy pancakes, delicious maple syrup and the coffee is very good. Service was quick, and I was able to enjoy my meal without waiting long at all. The location in Park Ridge is great, with a nice, peaceful area to enjoy your meal. The prices are very reasonable, especially for the quality of food and service you get. Highly recommend!" read more

Loved the feel of walking into this "House" of pancake. Service seemed to be coordinated and mindful at all times, perhaps not so much attention paid to the ladies room, my girlfriend said it was disgusting. We ordered blueberry pancakes and the teddy o'Brian which is an open face burger topped with green peppers, onion, pimentos and an egg. read more

The Original Pancake House - Teddy O'Brian - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

Wow. I think this place is a chain, but legit tastes like homemade. I had the apple pancake which came pretty fast considering it is oven baked. My friend had a vegetarian skillet but added sausage...which is what I will order next time for sure! The apple pancake was HUGE and delightful and is seriously more like a dessert than breakfast. Love the crunchy exterior and the soft, gooey apple insides. The skillet was soooo deliciously seasoned it didn't even need hot sauce. Not many skillets can boast that! The service was fast, friendly and very organized. There was a wait, but you can tell this place runs like a well oiled machine so it's not too crazy a wait. I'll definitely be back! read more

Absolutely phenomenal experience! I ordered the Eggs Benedict Michael with sausage, topped with a rich sherry mushroom sauce, and it was beyond delicious--every bite was packed with flavor. The sausage was perfectly cooked, the eggs were poached to perfection, and that sauce brought it all together beautifully. The potato pancakes on the side were crisp, golden, and the perfect complement to the meal. Truly one of the best brunches I've ever had. I'll definitely be coming back--highly recommend! read more

Been going to the Park Ridge Original Pancake House off and on for about 20 years. NEVER AGAIN! The owner is rude to his staff and the staff are not trained properly. Waited 15 minutes, was called that our table was ready - got up the counter only to find out they gave our table to someone else. Was told it'd be another 5 minutes...they then called a party who came in after us! The food isn't that great --- ended up going to Mrs. V's in Des Plaines. Prices, food and service were MUCH better. Our new go to place! read more

A nice area for this local chain. The ordering is strange. You turn up a card when you're ready. Basil got the huge gooey apple thing. It was hot to the last bite. I got silver dollars that I had to scarf down because they were lukewarm. FYI when ordering these have them bring them out immediately. It should actually be a rule. Orange juice was not in season so it will be better in a month or two. Good service. read more

I liked the corn beef hash and loved the grits. The pancakes were just ok. My husband had the ham and eggs and it looked and tasted bland. He had to add the homemade hot sauce to get some flavor on it. Service was great and the atmosphere was comfy. read more

The Original Pancake House - Coffee Mug - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

I grew up eating Apple Pancakes at Walkers Brothers Original Pancake House in the North Chicago suburbs; this is definitely NOT a Walker Brothers franchise. I was in Park Ridge so I picked up 2 Apple Pancakes to take home. They were inedible and were tossed out; a horrible waste. They were undercooked and the apples were on top only, none in the pancake itself. It's pretty hard to ruin an OPH Apple Pancake but this place did. SAD. read more

Their Mexican Fritatta is definitely a must try. The flour tortillas were so good, I asked our waiter where they get them from. Honestly, they didn't want to tell me but they said they didn't know. They're well known for the german pancakes, they are pretty good. Not a huge fan of sweets for breakfast, but girlfriend loves it. Servers are consisted mostly high school kids, so sometimes their attitude is unprofessional. But it's okay and forgiving. It's kinda weird when they ask you to move tables after sitting us down for 5 minutes already, while the person who told our waiter tone us are side eyeing us seeing our reaction. I didn't want to react and agreed to move, but we could've easily said no by the way they asked us if we could move. Again, it's forgiving since they are just little kids. read more

While it was a Sunday Morning brekky crowd, the place was off its game. Very slow initial greeting and service. One entree was delivered, followed by the other delivered a few minutes later and it wasn't hot. One of the entrees wasn't prepared as ordered. We had to scrounge salt and pepper from another table. We saw another table grabbing utensils and napkins from the one next to it. One final comment--a place that specializes in breakfast should be able to cook up an order of basted eggs. Two separate servers said they had no idea what they were and said they couldn't be done. read more

I don't know what the negative reviewers are talking about. It seems like an injustice, which is what brings me to write. Both the food and service were top notch. I had the house specialty, the apple pancake. It was as good as advertised, and so big I had to take half of it home. My wife had the spinach omelette, which was also very good. The waitstaff was unusually attentive and friendly. Have they improved or something since the negative reviews? read more

I've driven by this place for awhile now. I ended up finally coming here, as this was one of the very few brunch places in Park Ridge open on 4th of July. This place is located right next to the Starbucks, or across the street from Jersey Mike's. The place has it's own private parking lot, but on this particular day, there was no spaces available, so I ended up parking in the adjacent lot (where the Starbucks was). As the parking lot indicated, this place was freaking packed. Luckily I only had to wait no more than 20-minutes, which wasn't too bad. The place itself has old decór, but what do you expect for a place touting to be the "The Original Pancake House"? There was a decent amount of seating in the front for those who waited to be seated, and there are plenty of gumball machines to make any parent with kids go crazy. In the middle of the dining area was a tree, which I would assume during the winter time, was a Christmas tree. This time around, it was just decorated with 4th of July stuff. There are plenty of seats and booths, I was unlucky enough to be seated in a booth that was barely one person wide. My skinny ass didn't have much room to wiggle around, but I guess I got the job done. Our waiter greeted us with a carafe of water and accidentally dropped my glass in my lap. No biggie. Dude smelled like wet laundry, which wasn't great. Later on, when cleaning our table, he dropped a dirty knife in my lap. Score. Apparently, the party of 4 seated next to us waited for, anecdotally, an hour, as I overheard them asking for a manager, and complaining about how it took an hour of waiting before they got their food. The manager did apologize, but then threw his cooks under the bus, as he explained that he was sorry and "don't know where the cooks' heads are at". We waited only about 15-minutes, which wasn't too bad. During that time, I observed the food servers (different from the wait staff) walk by to several tables with food, only to be turned-away as the food wasn't the tables. It was interesting to see this happen 2 other times. Kudos to the food server for being able to balance three dishes on one arm. I always wished I had the skills to do that. I worked at my Dad's restaurant when I was a kid (no child laws in my family), and was the one who inched my way to a table, holding a bowl of soup, hoping to not spill it. Ah, memories. I ended up ordering the corn beef hash and had a tasting of the western skillet. I wish the corn beef hash was crispier. It had some flavor, but meh, I've experienced better. It came with two eggs and some pancakes. The pancakes were pretty good. Overall, decent value for around $13. Afterwards, after food was all done, I waited at the front to pay at their single register. Apparently I didn't stand in the "right spot" as another set of people walked up (after I was waiting for a little bit) and paid in front of me. Manager-of-the-year passive-aggressively told me I had to wait in the right spot and that I should just "get up there" and pay. When I finally got to pay, apparently the person in front, forgot and left their Chase debit card on the counter. Thankfully the staff was able to chase them down. After that ordeal, Mr Manager condescendingly told the cashier "See, this is why we give the card back to the customer right away". I'd hate working for that guy. BATHROOM REVIEW: Located near the front, the bathrooms are single-person bathrooms. Inside, it smelled, as I suppose the old man before me had to let one loose. Sit or squat? Squat. read more

See all

This restaurant owner, staff, and chefs deserve a 5 STAR RATING. I was greeted with many smiles from Dylan and another great young man when I arrived for the first time going there. First of all, I loved that they decorate a tree in the middle of the restaurant for every holiday, and that is really a pleasure and lifted my spirits. The owner has the staff warm up your coffee cup so that your coffee stays nice and warm! WHO DOES THAT!!!! The food was good too! The place is spotless and lots of room so you don't feel crowded in. I think this is going to be a regular breakfast place for us from now on and we live in Skokie, so it's not too far to go. Thank you owner and operator MATT, as you are a great person to know what people love and we wish you much more success. We will see you again soon. Thanks for the Apple Pancake too. Wow what a surprise. Kathy and Chris from Skokie, IL read more

The major thing that lets this restaurant down is the manager who runs the host stand on weekends. He berates staff in front of customers and is down right rude if you make any special request for seating. I have been a customer here for so long but refuse to support a business that treats people poorly. There is ample parking, the location is great. The food is good here but more expensive than other local restaurants. read more

Well, food was good. No complaints there. Understanding help is hard to find... let alone good help. Maybe TRY to bring the table's food out all at once rather than strung out over a 15min period? I must say... staff (men and women) cutting in line to use the mens bathroom is where I draw the line and post a negative review. Have some g_d damn courtesy to ask before you just pop out the little door next to the mens room while there is a line in the lobby (there is no room to wait at the bathroom door itself). Glad I didn't crap myself while waiting extra time. I did address with manager... not sure it registered. Maybe change both bathrooms to unisex??? Anyway, it's a hike to get to this location and we met friends there. Prob will just choose somewhere else next time. read more

Really decent food. I had the cheesy grits and my wife had strawberry crepes. Great service and price. Please be nice to recently hired staff. It's rough when people are new and learning the ropes. Be patient. read more

I really enjoy this place. The food is delicious and the staff is very friendly. The Santa Fe omelette and the apple pancake is my go to. The kids really enjoy the green eggs and ham. Even on the weekends it is relatively easy to get a table. read more

Eh, this place was ok. Nothing special, I've gone out to better places for brunch. When I got inside I was pointed to where I would be seated. I didn't get a menu until after 5 minutes of being seated. The service was not at its best. I was hardly checked up on to see if I needed anything or how the meal was. I had some pancakes with hash and eggs. The pancakes were the best part along with the orange juice. The eggs and hash were just bland. I needed ketchup to add some flavor but sadly no one checked if I needed anything. Oh well, looks like I won't be coming back here anytime soon. read more

The Original Pancake House - Just bland and not very well cooked or seasoned. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

AVERAGE FOOD, PRICEY, FREE PARKING The food is average, pricey but there is a positive -- a free parking lot! I met a friend here for breakfast Tuesday, July 16th. She was running 30 minutes late. I had to be somewhere by 11:30 a.m. I made an executive decision. I decided to go ahead and order my breakfast well ahead of her arrival. I ordered sourdough French toast. A huge disappointment to say the least. Six small slices of French toast for $9.95 -- it did not even taste like sourdough bread. What is very odd is that the French toast was fluffy and light but it was very dry. Every time I took a bite I had to drink water to make sure I wasn't going to require the Heimlich maneuver. LOL! I left the restaurant feeling hungry. I went across the street and purchased half a sandwich at Panera Bread. Nothing else was served with the sourdough French toast. Below are posted pictures (including the sourdough French toast). I rate the sourdough French toast with 3 stars. Service, 4 stars. I am not a big eater to begin with and usually take leftover food home with me. I devoured my sourdough French toast. My friend finally arrived and ordered Swedish pancakes. These pancakes were huge -- larger than a dinner plate! My friend enjoyed her breakfast. She also had coffee which she said was "very good." I asked her how she liked her Swedish pancakes, and she said "they are ok......nothing spectacular." In other words, not very memorable. My husband and I ate here over 12 years ago. We never returned. They have excellent options if you are vegan, vegetarian or require a gluten-free diet. They also have a children's menu. When I ordered my breakfast I specifically requested separate checks. The young server gave us one check at the end. I smiled at her and said "I was specific with you when I ordered my French toast and requested separate checks." I then asked, "Why are you giving us 1 check for the 2 of us? Of course, my friend said "we will split this 50/50." I knew her meal and coffee were quite a bit more than what I ordered. This is the reason why I always request separate checks. I don't want to pay for someone else's meal, juice, coffee or liquor for that matter. When we got to the front register I told the cashier I had the sourdough French toast and explained to her that we would be paying separately. The cashier rolled her eyes as if though we were inconveniencing her. GMAFB! I explained to her that I requested "separate checks" but we were NOT given separate checks. She didn't even say a word, crack a smile or even say thank you to us. If anyone should have been rolling her eyes it should have been me. However, I did not. Now I know why I haven't returned to this restaurant in over 12 years -- it may be another 12 years before I return again. read more

See all

I ordered the eggs and sausage links and both were undercooked. The only thing I liked were the hash browns. I also had a small orange juice and it was small lol. Maybe ask for a large one. My daughter got the chorizo and eggs and the chorizo was also undercooked like they were rushing and didn't cook the food thoroughly. I got an upset stomach afterwards. The wait wasn't too bad maybe 10-15 minutes. Won't be coming back. Sorry. read more

Love this place!!!! Great family place! The potatoes O'Brien are delicious! The service is the best especially the neighborhood kids that work together so brilliantly to make it an absolutely wonderful experience! Shout out to their BEST servers, Riley, Molly, Annie, James, Casey, Kaitlyn and Lucy!!! read more

I love this little place. The server was amazing and super helpful. We were seated extremely fast and our food came even quicker. There are great portion sizes and yummy food! Very clean and tidy as well. read more

Great for families, kids and grand kids. And the reason I say this is because we've seen plenty of families and little kids coming here and enjoying the decorations - whether it be Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. The main focal point is the train that goes round and round underneath the tree, if you can get a table near the tree, gosh, your toddlers may not finish their meals. The food is decent and in comparison to other breakfast spots, I'd have to give a solid 3.57 stars. I'll round up (to the chagrin of accounting and HR people who penny pinch) and give them the benefit of the doubt. I don't know if they have a particular meal or breakfast item that everyone comes running for. The parking is convenient but the location is a bit busy at lunch time. All in all, a solid place for breakfast and creating memories with little loved ones. read more

See all