When in the community of Bostonia, one's options are somewhat limited. And after spending the night at the local Motel 6, The Pancake House kind of looks like a mirage. Because it was a Sunday morning we thought it might actually be crowded so my friend called ahead to see if our group of seven could get seated...to which the woman on the phone replied, "Sure hon, come on over and fill me up!" LOL!!! My friends ordered all kinds of typical American diner breakfast fare: biscuits and gravy, sausages, bacon, omelettes, hash browns and of course, pancakes. By the way, I was not impressed by the pancakes. Needs more buttermilk. Given the area, I thought that I would have better luck with a Mexican breakfast, so I had the HUEVOS RANCHEROS. An absolute cheese bomb came out! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iwGcpgvyxtRqbj8mMhIL2A?select=997p_p80-Bow52RtSAwXYg#WTE2MhZzFCLF211UQyL6_w Meh, especially the beans. So I stand corrected. Order the American breakfasts instead if you're here. 2 stars for the food, but 3.5 for the service which was diner-friendly and didn't rush us at all while we hung out. read more

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Walked over from the repair shop after dropping off my car. Pretty casual diner type of place. Honestly wasn't expecting much but to my surprise the food was really good and the service was exceptional. The servers are super friendly and attentive. Had the Turkey club sandwich and it was excellent. It's a bit out of the way from my regular day to day travels but I'd definitely come back when in the area. Renee was fantastic! Thanks. read more

Within a few blocks of this restaurant, there are a couple of other breakfast cafe's, some good, some really NOT good but this place ranks near the top. And the reason for that is as many reviewers said below, the service is good, fast and friendly. The servers are all older gals, real characters abound in this place but that's what give the Pancake house it's flair :oP. Although the decor is def stuck in the early 70's, it is not rundown. There is a dif between rundown and old school and this is truly old school, down to the wall paper on the walls. My husband had his usual ham and cheese omelet and he has become a real expert on this dish :o). His take? Big portions, tasty and best of all, a little cup of whipped butter on the side to cover his toast. The servers don't pre-butter so you can go crazy....or not. I had an order of the Swedish pancakes (3) which I could not finish and a side of two eggs, over easy. They were good, not great but good, a true Swedish pancake has a bit of a tang in the flavor of the batter but it was a big trio. The eggs were perfect and not salted...thank you. The funny thing was that the pancakes as big as they are, were smushed into a little salad sized plate...weird for sure. I would imagine that if you have three big pancakes you might want them to present as attractively as possible...you use the same amout of water to wash them anyway right? The place is always clean, lots of parking and yes, they take credit cards! There was only one neg thing and although I won't take a star off for it, it certainly needs to be addressed. There is only ONE stall in the restaurant for the women and it's stinky, really old and looks like something you would find in a Greyhound station. There's an old white bucket for the trash and the sink looks like sh$t!. It really would take only one gallon of pretty paint, a nice corner table and a new toilet paper holder that doesn't look like it's a leftover from my junior high school days. We'll be back, I would rather give our biz to a local place than a monster like Dennys. read more

The Pancake House - Ham and Cheese omelet with hashbrowns 9-4-10 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

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We stumbled upon this place as out of towners. Well everytime we come to San Diego area we make it a Point to stop and Eat. Gail in morning is absolutely the picture of a Server....she knows her regulars and welcomes newbies very well. It's an old diner atmosphere, and Food is Delicious! Try em. read more

Food is pretty good. The omelettes are huge. I highly recommend the cream cheese stuffed crepes or the chocolate pancakes and add sliced bananas. Best coffee too read more

have been going here for years and the waitresses know me. But today service was great like always, the food they need to fire the cook, food was cold eggs were fry, bacon and hash browns over done, sausage was cold, toast felt like it's been sitting there a while, was very very unhappy, didn't want to say anything cause didn't want any issues , hell I am half blind and I could cook better... beware when you go there, I won't be going back ever again... read more

Today I ordered the traditional breakfast. It was okay. Our server had her hands full when someone else took out her omelet orders. My boyfriend ordered the Mexicali and received a chili omelet instead. My iced tea was brought by someone else and it looked muddy with no ice, like it hadbeen poured hours before. Lori switched that out. Then someone walked out without paying, so their bill is on her. Poor woman kept a smile on her face the entire time. Service was questionable but our waitress was great. Food was only ok. read more

So this review is my first 5 star review! This place is definitely have to have to. Yes maybe the decor isn't very up to date but it makes you feel like you're at home. The food! Wow so delicious your taste buds vibrate in a tidal wave fashion! I ordered their fiesta omelette with their house potatoes and buttermilk pancakes, and I was amazed by their portion size and delivery time. Their plates can feed two people. And they were super speedy with our food even though their was a line of people outside and a full house inside. The pancakes have to be ordered they melt right on to your tongue. The service! Fast and attentive everything you need! GO! read more

The Pancake House - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

Just not good on any level. It's a pancake house that serves really mediocre pancakes. Nothing special at all! Service was terrible as well. Just calling it like I experienced it. I won't be going back. read more

a 3.5 to be exact, but 4 is too generous I feel.... LOOK/FEEL:I felt apprehensive driving toward this place, and even more apprehensive walking in....not the nicest area and to be honest i thought it had maybe been closed down by the looks of it. 50s paintjob outside , with matching trim inside, faded pink with Easter, puke green . When I walked in there were 5 people in restaurant with a pretty good amount of open seating, all of the patrons were over 60 yrs old.(which is a plus in my book).. MENU: Huge , extensive menu. Pretty much everything is the $7-$10 range. FOOD: I had the bacon and 3 egg platter breakfast which was huge. I had the country potatoes which were thinly sliced, but less cooked in the deeper layers, and seasoned w seasoning salt (which I like, but if you aren't a fan you won't like the taste) It came with lots of eggs, and thin, crisp Bacon if you're into that. 3 small pancakes came with it as well. The server offered a variety of syrups, and I went w/ maple. If your name is pancake house you better have good pancakes! Theirs had an interesting thickness to them, and you can tell they have their own recipe. They weren't totally amazing but pretty good. OVERALL: I was impressed how quickly the food came out and there was a ton of it for a reasonable price, and Ihad a good amount left over. Glad to have a place like this nearby! Dinner prices looked really reasonable as well and I'm sure would be legit home cooking(how do i know this? because on certain days of the week they have an all-you-can-eat fish fry...enough said!) . I'll be back i'm sure. Its not the nicest place on the block but the prices are good and food is too. read more

The Pancake House - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Ordered their lumber jack breakfast. Food took nearly an hour to make, and only half of it was edible. The gravy on the biscuits and gravy tasted rancid, and the hashbrowns were undercooked and still a bit raw. Eggs, bacon, and sausage I could at least Eat, but they tasted about as ordinary as it gets. Definitely not going back read more

This is more like a 3.5 Star. I would definitely say a whole in the wall.. I know this is cliche but the pancakes are actually good hence the reason why it's called Pancake House lol. But a little dirty and old on the inside, servers are very nice and friendly! The reason I don't give 4 stars and above is because there were some flies flying around the restaurant and it wasn't the cleanest but isn't that what all hole in the walls are like??? read more

I decided to check out this restaurant Saturday morning while waiting for my dog who was being groomed. It actually was not a choice because I did not know it was here. I went to IHOP but there was no parking and did not want to park down the street. So I found this restaurant on my Android and got directions. I walked in and would wait to be seated and waited and waited. The restaurant was not full but I could see that the staff was buzzing around busily. Not being the most patient person, sorry to say I almost walked out and that would have ended in a bad review for the PancakeHouse, But, KATIE my server saved the day. She was very nice and had a pleasant smile. She brought me a carafe of hot coffee and took my order. My order came faster than my wait ( may be a little stretch ). My breakfast was hot and delicious. The restaurant is clean and friendly hard working folks. Give them a try sometime! read more

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Went for an early Dinner with my husband on Sunday. The food was amazing. The service was exceptional. The atmosphere of the restraunt was excellent. My new favorite place for a sitdown with family. Loved the decorations/ photos of San Diego, the menu selections free wonderful and made it hard to choose. Portions were ample. Even got to take some home for later. Loved it and will be coming back. Sorry for the warning. Lol. Dee Farman read more

I eat here, A LOT! In a prior review, I indicated the food and atmosphere are not "gourmet". And their pricing reflects that. They serve good, basic, traditional coffee shop food. Think of a Dennys with WAY BETTER food, and a little of Mel's diner tossed in for atmosphere. The servers all work their butts off to provide good service and a good time. It's no wonder they have a solid following of regulars. If you want an over priced, underwhelming Ruth Christ meal, or a Giada Delaurentis pasta dish, this ain't the place. If you want something to fill you up, tastes like something your mom or grandmother might make (assuming they can cook), AND you don't want to refinance your home-The Pancake House fills all those check boxes. I'm a big breakfast lover and I prefer their food over some of the dedicated breakfast places in town. The waffles and pancakes are the best I've had, the egg dishes will FILL you. Don't miss the home style potatoes either-butvyou probably will end up taking food home with you. read more

This is the second time I have come here the food is good and reasonably good price but the service is awesome at first but when you get your food they don't come and ask if everything is okay I wish they would just come back and see if we needed anything else but other then that I would highly recommend you to try this spot read more

The Pancake House - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

We've been coming here for breakfast for many years, and have always liked it. We have been back twice since they re-opened after the pandemic. The first time was great, but the second time we were cursed with a waitress who had a really bad attitude. Complaining about everything, including another customer. After sitting there for about 20 minutes waiting for our order, I asked politely where our food was. She got a real snarky attitude, saying "I just work here." I saw our food sitting there and after waiting about 5 more minutes, I asked if she was going to get our food or if I should just go up and get it myself. She then went and got our now cold meal and just about threw it on our table. Needless to say she didn't get a tip. When we mentioned all of this to the cashier, she said that she had to put up with her every day. This waitress should be fired immediately. read more

The 1st time we came to this Restaurant everything was Great. The food and service was great. Ms.Debbie was our server and she was Awesome. We returned again Today...a few days later and The service was Horible. The 2 waitresses Gail and Renee were very UNPROFESSIONAL! They were loud and gossiping about all the customers.They ever Argued with Another Customer about politics.. They even started talking trash about us because we asked for a to go box because our food was undercooked. We told her we woupd just take it home and put it in the oven that it was fine. Terrible Service Today. Will NOT be returning to this Restaurant unless they get rid of the 2 gossip trolls. read more

To the nice couple who anonymously paid for my dinner yesterday at Pancake House, thank you! Your generosity has affected me in a way you cannot possibly know, but the continuing effect of your kind act, as the goodness of it spreads, is something I'm pretty sure you already know. Again, I give thanks. You are special. ( For Yelp readers who want to know, the seafood platter was excellent and the Pancake House is a great, old-timey place to go. Prices are decent, and the ambience reflects the way things used to be when El Cajon was a lot smaller. In the late 1940's, when I came here, there were only four thousand people living in the valley. Amazing, isn't it? ) read more

The servers here are so nice but the food was awful. I had the chicken fried steak. The gravy tastes like starch. The potatoes were undercooked, the eggs were inedible. The pancakes were good. read more

The place is old retro type in the inside. The food was good. I really didn't care for the sweet potato pancakes. They were too thick!!! The Mexicali omelette was really good. Customer service was good. read more

i'm not one to comment on things and normally if i feel uncomfortable i'd leave, but seeing as how i'm already here.... this restaurant's atmosphere feels tense... everyone in here is white. and i've been stared down by what feels like all the white men in the place. the waitresses barely acknowledges you and it's as if they didnt want too not to mention not one person gave us a menu to look at and 1 white male that walked in...walked right out when he seen me....i will never come back here again update: we went through 3 different servers and when going to pay she automatically thought my roommate whose white was paying then when she found out i was paying. she snatched the cash and dropped the coins and didnt want to give me a receipt....never once made eye contact none of the waitresses but one and she kept sighing after every customer. if youre a person of color....this is not the place for you, its a very very uncomfortable atmosphere.and you will be waiting for a while while evryone else is being catered to. read more

Amazing service by Renee I hope I spelled her name right . Great attitude and really cheerful she was a pleasure to my service today I will definitely return with more people. Thank you for being open! read more

Omg the food is SOO good! If you are in the mood for an old school cafe / diner type place- this is it! Greasy, yummy deliciousness! I got the Southwest melt w/ fries and my fiancé got the patty melt w/ applesauce. We shared crispy, perfect onion rings. Both sandwiches were very flavorful. Our server, Bri, was spot on. 5 stars all around. read more

The Pancake House - Southwest Melt w/ fries, onion rings, Patty Melt w/ applesauce. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

The Food was ok, not the best, not the worst. Service was prompt and our server was wonderful, I don't remember her name but she was a slim blonde if I'm not mistaken. I wouldn't mind coming here again for a quick breakfast. Definitely a laid back old fashion place for older folks. They also serve plenty of food. read more

The Pancake House - The pancake house - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

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This is one of the best restaurants in the San Diego El Cajon area. Breakfast is spectacular and Dinner is great. Ordered the Fish Dinner to go what a bunch of food enough for 4 people $12 Fantastic Customer Service Value. Try it you'll love it!!! read more

My husband and I chose this place while visiting family in the area, it had decent reviews so we decided to give it a try. I regret going, I was unable to enjoy anything on my plate. I ordered the chorizo con huevos with a side of buttermilk pancakes and refried beans. The beans clearly tasted canned with that strange overly salted aftertaste. The chorizo was undercooked in my scrambled eggs. I moved onto the pancakes thinking they would be my saving grace. They looked and smelled great but when I started eating them, they were bitter and salty, way too much buttermilk was added in the mix. I sat there defeated and didn't eat my meal. As I was watching my husband about to take a bite from his burger, I spot long blonde/grey hairs sitting on his patty and bun. I stopped him and pulled out the hairs. I was appalled. We were both greatly disappointed. The reviews did not match what was actually going on inside. I was surprised the place had a packed parking lot. I think all the great reviews are from people that have been going since the place opened. Anyone new can tell you it's not good. Maybe it was once... but that's long gone. read more

First time here. Waitresses were very friendly prices extremely reasonable. With saying that you get what you pay for just great homemade look and tasting food. Great neighborhood diner. I just wish I lived in the neighborhood so I could eat here more often. read more

Zero stars if possible. My husband and family wanted to try something new I'm over I hop and Dennys for breakfast. We both like to support small businesses and not large food chains. So we decided to check this place out. The first thing we notice when we were parking the car was a women smoking a cigarette on her brake. My husband made a comment I hope she's not our waitress . Sure enough she was . That was the first clue we should have left. Our hostess who showed us to the table was a rude Bic**. Who even rolled her eyes when I ask a question .she was not friendly to my two children. Our food was horrible my husband new York stake look like a sausage patty . My daughter French toast sticks crumble everything was just horrible. All the food was nasty. I think my seven year old could have cook better food.I was more hurt by the 48.00 bill they gave us. When paying the hostess underchange my card by six dollars . Then she was rude about it and acted like it was my fault. All four of us feel sick on the way home from this place. My seven year old had stomach problems when we got home. This place was not a enjoyable experience for our family. If the owner is reading this I would appreciate you reaching out to my family and offer a refund for our dinning experience at your location . I have never ask for a refund from a small business in my life however I feel like I should be intitle to our $48.00 back. My husband is a plumber and I'm a property manager we both work hard to pay our morage ,bills etc. It hurts to spend $50.00 on a meal with horrible service , nasty food and then to wacht my seven year old sick because we made a choice to eat at your 8 establishment thinking it would be a step up from Dennys or I hop. Im on my way to CVS now to buy her medienice . Thanks pancake house for the wonderful family experience. read more

The breakfast is tasty and you get plenty of it. The chocolate chip pancakes are decadent. Their pancakes truly reflect their name. I only eat fish and chips at this place. They are meaty and the batter is thin and crispy. The all you can eat is a deal. I gave it a 4 because the place needs an upgrade. Not the fanciest place to eat, but the food is good. read more

this was a great place to have breakfast , family friendly fast service , good places to come for breakfast

These pancakes are clouds from heaven! Oh God ...with head bowed... thank you for these gloriously scrumptious delights. Everything else was mighty good too!! The eggs were fluffy and perfectly delicious. The sausage was packed with flavor. In addition to the pancake sandwich, 3 pancakes with eggs and sausage, I had the machaca con huevo! One forkful and I was transported to Mexico City in an abuelita's house. Oh so, so, really good!! This place has seriously good home cooked food and the wait staff was wonderful. read more

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Best breakfast spot! If your looking for a classic diner, youve found it here.You will never leave hungry. The service is fast, the food is delicious and the pricing on point. You definitely get what you pay for. The waitresses are so nice and very attentive. Make this your new breakfast spot. read more

The Pancake House - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

I came here because it was on restaurants.com and it was a old diner type place. Many pictures of old san Diego across the walls. We only waited ten minutes exactly for our breakfast. They were busy it was 11am. The server was basic. And i was a little disappointed, the bacon tasted like their pans. The biscuts and gravy had no flavor. I was shocked it was like cream and no pepper. Hashbrowns were a bit burnt in areas. Ham tasted like oil. I dont know if i will return. read more

The Pancake House - Sampler platter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

No. Just no. Save your money. I'm sorry to write a review bc I know how hard business work, but we all work for our money. The food was horrible. I could cook something better and I am a terrible cook. The beans were can beans. The food was super dry and the after taste made me want to vomit. The service was great btw. read more

The service was very good the place very clean and very nice, the food needs more love though, no flavor at all . Hash browns no effort at all and the biscuits and gravy I couldn't take a second bite. But like I said the waitress was very nice . read more

Food and service was decent up until we wanted to use our restaurant.com coupon. They wouldn't allow us to split the bill nor were we allowed to use the coupon because we ordered off their "specials" which weren't indicated in the first place. Once that bill is printed there isn't a damn thing you can do about it and some of the gals get grumpy with you whenever you mention the words groupon or coupon, whatever. I'm just a college student trying to keep a budget and I just spent $20 on a meal and regretting it because with my coupon it would have been $8. And I got eyes of rage for it? So yes, I am irked and they need to either get off coupon websites or have some kind of notification. Never coming here again. Ever. read more

Well... at least I had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon, or I probably wouldn't have been very happy about the $20 check. We always buy the Entertainment book from my soccer playing cousins, and we usually try to use every coupon in there to get our money's worth and check out some new places. This place is around the bend from us so we figured it would be a decent spot for breakfast before the charger game yesterday, and we could use the BOGO coupon. I liked Linda, she was an excellent server who paid a good amount of attention to us during a busy after-church rush. Our order was placed in a timely fashion and coffee and water was promptly brought out. She also agreed with me that the bacon was nauseating, as well as the sausage, and even yelled to the cook in the back that this was the 4th time this morning she has had to send back the meat side items. Highlight of the morning, because then the cook got into it with her and said if people didn't like his food they could ... "eff"... themselves and eat somewhere else. Wow. For everyone to hear too... how embarrassing. Service = 1 excellent gold star. Sweet potato pancakes = 1 yummy gold star. Quesadilla Omelet = 1 very very tasty gold star. Minus 1 star for the fat mouth in the kitchen, what a way to drive people from your establishment! If I were him I would take the complaints as a wake up call to start paying attention to the quality of food he is putting out. Minus 1 star for the rest of the food we had. Eggs over medium weren't anything special, bacon and sausage tasted like grease and ONLY grease, no flavor at all. And the maple syrup was really sickly sweet and lacked MAPLE. We ended up sharing the massive quesadilla omelet and the 2 sweet potato pancakes and were fairly content. I think we might come back for that omelet if we get the craving. Otherwise we will most likely only come back when we have another BOGO coupon. read more

I got here for breakfast with my girlfriend regularly and they have a great breakfast menu and are very fast on serving.

This place is decent. It's very El Cajon. It's crowded on weekend mornings. The restaurant is big. The menu is big. Most of the customers are big, or old, or big and old. I like the crepes. Big Daddy likes the scrambles. The kids like the pancakes. Linda is the best waitress there. Super attentive, and friendly. I'd rather come here than Denny's (Ew), or Coco's (Double Ew). read more