Hotcakes

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  Avoid. Food sucks, service sucks. We were seated at the stools, then another family comes in 10 minutes later and they relocate my elderly mother and I closer to the door, where it was freezing. In between blasts of arctic cold every time someone came or left, my mom tried to pick a thick carpet of sugar off mediocre French toast, and I had the "tamale" pancakes, which were just undercooked cornmeal pancakes with corn in them, choked underneath gobs of cheddar. The bacon was right out of Oscar Meyer. I will never come here again.

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  Posted on 01.06.13 Neal P.

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  The charm of this place comes from its quaint ambiance. Small town, cash only, no-frills family atmosphere. They have great pancakes. The banana bread is a must -order item. Their menu is definitely not boring and shows some innovative cooking. Its a down-home cooking that holds its own. We love eating here!

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  Posted on 12.10.12 Jenny F.

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  Yep it's small, and sometimes the service is tested but the best Swedish Pancakes in the Chicago area.

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  Posted on 11.12.12 Paul U.

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  I think the same single dad that Tom K had to deal with, was also there when I ate this morning with my kid (his kids were doing all but cartwheels in the small isle and at one point tripped the waitress). Listen, if you take pumpkin bread, cut 3 pieces off and grill for a few minutes - that does not magically turn it into pumpkin french toast (gross). I had to remind our waitress to bring us the rest of our order, the place only takes cash - I could go on. $27 for me and my kid to eat - waaay overpriced, bad service, terrible food - we wouldn't eat there again for free.

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  Posted on 11.10.12 John R.

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  I've passed this place a few times and figured I'd try it one morning for breakfast and always return.  Its a super small but quaint little diner.  Has an "old time" feel. Awesome hotcakes and omelets. Great place for breakfast. Not good for large groups.

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  Posted on 09.21.12 L. F.

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  My friend and I have been coming here for years, I can't believe I never wrote a review until now.  The food is always freshly made, always good.  The Chutney Chicken Salad at lunch is one of my favorites, and their sandwiches are all good.  I've never had a bad breakfast , out of the probably 50+ I've eaten here over the years.  
  
  I've never had bad service here.  Ever.  I suspect previous reviewers who had bad service were probably bad customers.  
  
  As noted in previous reviews, they don't take plastic, only cash.  You know what that is, right?  People used to buy things with it, or stuff some under their mattress.  If you don't know what cash is, ask your Nana.  
  
  Now, the restaurant is tiny, and has a sort of New England diner atmosphere.  I realize that doesn't always sit well with some of the uppity nouveau riche from Wilmette.  So if you're one of them, then you might be better off finding somewhere more prestigious to dine.  But if you want a reliably good breakfast or lunch, don't mind sitting close to your neighbors, and can dig up some old-fashioned currency, then Hotcakes should suit you just fine.
  
  There's a reason this place has stayed in business all these years, and why it's always filled with customers: THE FOOD IS GOOD.  Pretty simple.

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  Posted on 05.21.12 John H.

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  My wife and I decided to give this place a go despite some pretty bad reviews.  We were pleasantly surprised considering what some others said they had experienced.  While we have certainly had more exciting menus at good Chicago restaurants, this is a great little place if you can accept what it is...a cozy diner with good diner food and tons of charm.
  
  Best thing about this place was the small town old school diner ambience.  It is a cross between a 70's diner and your grandma's kitchen.  Unlike most Chicago restaurants, it has tons of light, which is a lovely change.  The service was excellent.  We were well taken care of throughout the whole meal.  Prices were normal in my opinion...$7.00 for a huge stack of pancakes and the traditional over-the-top $3.50 for a glass of OJ.  Coffee was bottomless.  Menu was limited, but fine.  My whole wheat cakes and my wife's Swedish cakes were both delicious.  Coffee was good too (not lousy diner coffee).
  
  We will definitely go again :)

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  Posted on 03.31.12 Josh J.

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  Very mediocre. Cool "old timey" ambiance. We had the oddest experience, we were settled and trying to look at the menu - we'd been there under 4 minutes and they were pressuring us to order, when another group came in and the wait staff told us we had to move to a smaller table - they'd seated us to begin with! It's also ONLY cash, so don't go in with checks or debit cards. Odd place, even stranger people.

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  Posted on 02.28.12 Julie S.

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  We went here on a whim because the line at Walker Brothers, as usual, was atrocious.
  
  The reviews are right, it's small, a little cramped-- dinereqsue. But I like it that way! It's cozy. They gave my dad his coffee in a Santa mug! A SANTA MUG! I knew at that moment that this place deserved at least two stars.
  
  The reviews are right about service. The lady is ready to get your order-- fast. That's OK with me. She wasn't rude when we asked for more time, and quite frankly I'd prefer a waitress in checks in too often than visa versa. We left her a good tip.
  
  The food was great! You'll remember that we passed Walker Bros for this place and it was a good second option. The Eggs Benedict was actually BETTER than WBros. and the holiday pancakes were unique and tasty. Dad got some hash thing and he gobbled it up. All in all, success!
  
  So I don't know, I guess if you go in with a bad attitude it would be easy to write this place off. We liked to coziness and attentiveness. Hats off!

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  Posted on 11.29.11 Katrina R.

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  WOW... Is zero stars an option?  I just returned from the worst breakfast experience/meal in my life.  Our family of 5 decided to bypass our usual breakfast spot (The Original Pancake House - delicious) in search of something new.  Unfortunately we made a horrible choice in "HOTCAKES".  Really... the worst!  The restaurant was extremely tight, service was slow to non existent, the food was TERRIBLE and came out in waves, there were tons of hidden charges ($2.50 for 5 blueberries, $1.50 for a plate of stale chips ordered only to satisfy our 3 year old because service was so slow, $1.50 for whipped cream, $2.00 for jalapenos which were never added to our meal), they only accept cash and when our food finally arrived it was prepared incorrectly and tasted horrible.  Forget about coffee refills,  and after several requests for water our kids were given warm tap water!  They had a wait staff of two who were mean and unfriendly.  The food was sooooooo bad that I could only muster eating three bites of my "breakfast scramble", my husband ate about two bites of his "eggs benedict" our kids pushed their pancakes around their plates as they were dense and tasteless.  $60.00 later our entire family left frustrated and hungry.   NEVER AGAIN!  I can not believe this place stays in business!

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  Posted on 09.11.11 T V.

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  Came here on a Saturday morning with my friend - bad idea... The place is small inside; there's only a tiny counter with about 6 stools and a few booths and it's cramped. The booths were all taken by families with kids. Then a single father and his two kids came to sit at the counter and the kids were annoying.  I felt like I was staring at the waitress and hostess the whole time which wasn't a pleasant sight.
  
  As for the food, I paid about 10 dollars for two cornmeal pancakes. I could get more for less elsewhere.
  
  Not coming here again.

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  Posted on 07.10.11 Tom K.

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  OK.  This place has the cute little diner-esk feel to it.  However, we didn't get off to a great start.  I'm guilty, I like to study a menu.  I like to imagine what everything is going to taste like... in my mouth... before I actually choose something to order.  I was asked if I was "ready to order" three separate times by two different people, within four minutes of entering this restaurant.  Also, there isn't a children's menu.  The restaurant gets three stars for offering some interesting breakfast options beyond the average.  Example... items with goat cheese... homemade salsa... etc.  But, they lost stars again when the hotcakes were average.  They should knock my socks off when the restaurant is named Hotcakes.

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  Posted on 07.06.11 K J.

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  Great stop- cost more than our dinner....but yummy.  Coffee not great according to husband!

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  Posted on 06.25.11 Wendy E.

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  I went to Hotcakes for the first time this weekend.  I think that the important thing to know about hotcakes is that while it might present itself as sort of a trendy breakfast spot like you might find at Orange or something like that in Chicago, it really is more comparable to a diner or a greasy-spoon breakfast spot.  The menu is pretty narrowly focused on omelets and the house specialty pancakes.  Service is fine, but not super-attentive and the vibe is more "eat your food and leave" then "linger in our utopian-food-purveying establishment."  None of this is necessarily a bad thing, but I think if you go in expecting chi-chi, you will be disappointed.
  That said, I went in for the raved-about hotcakes and I just didn't think they were very good.  I had buttermilk hotcakes, identified on the menu as Tribune recommended and they really weren't good.  They tasted underdone, the texture was battery, and they needed some more sugar.  My dining companions liked them a little more, but no one was thrilled.  I think that having an establishment that does one thing well is great.  But you have to do that one thing well.

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  Posted on 01.25.11 Brian R.

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  New to the area, I have driven by and been meaning to try this place for several months now.  I was so excited to try what appeared to be a fantastic place....
  
  It was HORRIBLE.
  
  1. I walked in the door and was ignored for 10 minutes.  When I finally had to summon a waitress myself, she looked bothered and scoffed, "I thought you were with the other group."  
  
  2. They don't make malts/milkshakes.
  
  3. I ordered a coffee and water.  It took the busboy 10 minutes to notice my water was empty.  When I asked him for more cream for my coffee, he said sure...and never brought any.
  
  4. I ordered whole wheat pancakes.  And waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Three groups that came in after me were served.  I tried making eye contact with the waitresses or busboy; no one would even look at me.  I finally got one of them and asked about my pancakes.  I was told, "he had to make more batter."  It takes 20 extra minutes to make batter???
  
  5.  After waiting over a half hour for my much anticipated whole wheat pancakes, they arrived.  BURNT.  
  
  6.  I sat trying to enjoy my burnt pancakes, but could not because my table was so close to the other two next to me that I kept getting bumped from the busboy who so attentively kept refilling everyone else's water but mine.
  
  7.  I went to pay.  No credit cards accepted.  I stood at the counter for another five minutes, waiting for someone to notice me.
  
  I was SO excited to try this and SO disappointed.  I RARELY write yelp reviews, but this one I flew home to write IMMEDIATELY.  Hopefully someone at the establishment bothers to read this; it is a shame that such a lovely little place is such a MASSIVE disappointment.  I will not be back.

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  Posted on 07.18.10 TC S.

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  We recently moved to the neighborhood and came to Hotcakes with out of town guests (11 of us total).  Though we had a large group we didn't need to wait long.  Everyone was very happy with their food.  My kids especially loved the M&M pancakes.  This place is small, but the decor is perfect for kids and families.

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  Posted on 06.28.10 Liz O.

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  The space IS tight and it WOULD be nice if they took credit cards.
  
  So why do we keep going back?  The food is really good.  Always fresh (except the salsa; wish it was, too) and always delicious.  I love the soups, all of the egg dishes, and the spinach sandwich - a must try.  My kids love the pancakes and getting to draw pictures for the windows.
  
  Don't understand the comments about poor service.  You must have given major attitude.  The waitresses always bend over backwards for us.  On my son's last b-day, Gail sent him home with a great big slice of cake and warm wishes, and he was thrilled.
  
  PS:   Bonkzilla - you sound like a real pain in the butt.  You don't know the first thing about the people who live in Wilmette so shut your trap.  I'm glad you won't be returning b/c we don't want you here.

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  Posted on 04.04.10 J M.

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  Wow!  I'm actually surprised that Hotcakes had gotten a few good reviews, considering what a total dump it really is.  Well I guess I'll be the one to break it to you all who want to really know how horrible it is.  Let's start with the small, cramped seating area with it's WW2 post-war, 1940's tattered decor.  Some idiot or hobo may call it "cozy" or "it's great for kids".  Um, no it's not either of those things.  The place is a s**t hole plain and simple.  But I guess when the cougars who live in that area are blinded by their daily tanning, one can't make out chipped and pealing linoleum flooring from floors that are actually modern and clean.  This place seems packed all the time too, not because it's good but because there's just not enough places to sit.  Still though, looks can be deceiving so maybe an egg over medium, toast, breakfast potatoes, and bacon won't be as hard to make as some omelet that's premade.  Yes, premade.  So you can't say, "please no red onions."  Cus damn it! you'll get those in there!  As far as my breakfast...  Bacon?  super hard.  Egg?  runny.  Potatoes?  gross.  Toast?  mediocre.  I don't even know how these few items ended up costing more than $12.00 bucks either.  I'll have to mention too that my food was ready in seriously, like two minutes.  Which leaves me to believe that my bacon and potatoes were already done and drying out somewhere in the back.  Probably in their tiny bathroom that was 1/2 toilet and 1/2 mop and bucket set.  I was also sitting at a table by the thermostat.  The um...ahem...cook kept on coming over and adjusting it above my boyfriend's head.  WTF?  The worst part was that Hotcakes does not have signs or anything that says it ONLY accepts cash.  So when we got our $25.00 dollar breakfast bill.  Yep, for a couple of eggs and burnt bacon, the waitress/only person working there other than the cook, tells us, "sorry, dear I don't have a card machine." and just walks away when we wanted to use our debit card.  She didn't even direct us to an ATM or anything!  Did I ditch out on the tab?  Almost.  I really did.  I haven't done that since high school but this place was really asking for it.  Instead my manners got the best of me and we did go get cash and paid, but did not leave a tip.  The only one who did work at that place was my boyfriend for having to walk a block 1/2 until he found an ATM.  But no tip was left for anyone.  So now it comes down to all of the airheads who go there and think it's great.  If you're a tasteless rich bitch mommy, who loves hanging out with other tasteless rich bitch mommies and all of their little sailor monogram clothed squirts, than you'll LOVE this F- breakfast hole.  If you're like me, who likes a great breakfast, no matter what it costs, as long as you can pay with plastic (21st century cash) then go somewhere else.  Anywhere else!  Heck, even the Dunkin' Donuts breakfast will be better than these "New Deal WPA" rations.

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  Posted on 06.08.09 Bonkzilla Z.

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  MMMM. This is a Sunday morning treat with my in-laws on occasion, located in downtown Wilmette. Very cozy (read: small) diner with seating for maybe 40 people. Sometimes you can squeeze in at the counter. Great daily specials to spice up your breakfast.

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  Posted on 08.14.07 ade m.

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  Funny how the only two (til now) reviews are from people living in L.A.  
  
  This place is pretty good; unassuming, clean, decent and cheap. Just like I try to be...  Though I arrived toward the end of their day (earning a poorly hidden grimace from the counter lady when asked if they were still serving---minus a star), I got comfy and got down to bidness.
  
  Ordered the Wilmette Scramble.  Spinach, toms, basil, and cheddar. Pretty good though I'm getting spoiled with west coast produce.   The salsa was a help, if reminiscient of jar, football-party style salsa.   Rye toast, fine. And they regained the 4th star when the same counter lady overheard my request for orange marmalade that was otherwise denied by a busboy.  The marmalade tasted fresh; straight from the fridge.
  
  No sight of cupcakes, etc. Phew. At least one temptation averted.
  For quick and cheap and good, Hotcakes does just fine.

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  Posted on 08.12.07 James S.

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  This is probably my favorite place in the area for breakfast. It's your definitive neighborhood joint, from the small size to the mismatched coffee cups to the childrens' drawings on the walls. The food is delicious and cheap and always served with a smile. The only danger? They have AMAZING cupcakes and other baked goods, just sitting on the counter in a clear case, staring you down the entire meal. Good luck leaving without one! Definitely a must-visit if you're in the 'burbs.

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  Posted on 01.10.07 Jennifer H.

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