Jelly Pancake House

Awesome fresh squeezed OJ!  Delish.  Fiancé and I had the western omelette.  Ingredients were very fresh and portion size was great.  The red potatoes are very tasty!  Service was wonderful.  Our waitress was always around to top off our coffee.  Will definitely be back if in the area!

p.s. Don't forget to check in for your free OJ or coffee :)

So, it's 8:50 PM and I'm eating gluten free pancakes...let's chat about this.

I'm a faithful Jelly patron. Period. So, I feel like I can speak to the things that they do really well, and things that could definitely be improved.

Let's start with the bad (I love to end on a good note): The past five visits to Jelly, I've ordered their gluten free pancakes. Once a secret menu item, they are now publicized  on a table top plugger. I've been G-free for four years, and have been waiting for a local pancake house to provide me with an option. I'm so thankful that Jelly has opted to do so.

While Jelly is offering g-free pancakes...the execution is poor. Of the five times I've ordered the pancakes, they've been enjoyable twice (the very first time I had them, and once when they were remade). I ordered them today, because I REALLY wanted pancakes and didn't feel like making them. They were this weird gritty, salty, sour combination. And I've tasted this with Jelly's gfree pancakes before. I sent them back, but this time they came out worse. Pretty disappointing. So, I went to Ultra and tried the Kinnickinnick Pancake Mix (my fave so far). And I've got my fix :)

There are some things we don't know about Jelly's gluten-free pancakes, that I think other pancake houses do a great job of informing patrons with allergies. Most people with severe allergies would want to know if their pancakes are made on a dedicated section of the grill to prevent cross contamination. While we know that the pancakes are offered, we don't know how much they are. The price is not listed on the menu; so, it's a bit of a guessing game at the register. Before they were publicized, I'd pay anywhere from $1-$3 extra. Pretty sure they've settled on an additional dollar.

Along those same lines, I ordered a pineapple-orange juice this morning. It was spectacular; but it was also $5. Who knew it would be that much more expensive. I certainly would've gotten my standard glass of OJ. Less ambiguity about costs would be appreciated.  

Lastly, I ordered a cheese omelet; however, there was a chunk of sausage and other assorted foods in my omelet. I think about my niece who has a meat allergy. If she ordered a plain omelet, it would need to be just that, plain. This is not the first time I've ordered a non-meat egg specialty, only to have to ingest meat. And while my potatoes were undercooked, my mom's potatoes were burnt to a crisp.

OK, onto the good...the reasons I KEEP coming back: Sarah is my favorite server! She's always upbeat and accommodating. I can't believe she actually remembers my food allergies, and makes suggestions accordingly.

Also, Jelly's owners are pretty forward thinking. I appreciate that Jelly is philanthropic. I don't mind going out to breakfast, knowing that a family is benefiting from my luxury. The owner has also be receptive to some of my suggestions about gluten free items. Hopefully he actually implements them, or gets input from customers who are intolerant or celiac.

Even though I'm feeling scammed about that pineapple-orange juice, I love their fresh squeezed OJ. No other breakfast spot in the area is offering it.

The good definitely out weighs the bad; I just need jelly to tighten up. The meal needs to be consistently good, and that hasn't been the case. If I'm paying for a breakfast item, it needs to be better than something I can make at home. Nonetheless, I appreciate Jelly's innovation and philanthropy.

We went to Jelly Pancake house for brunch on Valentine's day.
We went based on an overall positive customer response on Yelp!
We were not disappointed.

They had some special plates for the holiday and everything sounded amazing, but we went with regular menu items- eggs benedict and country fried steak and eggs.
Let me just say: wow!
The food was amazing and the gravy, in particular, blew our minds (it was white pepper gravy with chipped beef).
I was pleasantly surprised with the price point here. I would have expected to pay double the price per plate, easily, based on the ambiance of the restaurant and quality of food.

The only thing that could have added to the experience would have been alcohol. Mimosa. You know what I'm talkin' about.

Bottom line: go, you'll be fat and happy when you leave.