Original Pancake House

Totally not going to lie. I've been wanting to eat at the Original Pancake House ever since we drove by the Edina location and I burst out, "Where is pancakes house?" (which is one of my favorite lines from the movie "Fargo") and then collapsed in a fit of the giggles in the car. I knew a little bit about the chain but not much -- but I figured any place that puts a breakfast food in its name can't be that bad, right?

We went for brunch this morning and I would say it was OK. So a solid three stars. If I could, I'd do 3.5 stars. Here's why.

Positive:
-Totally super solid breakfast menu. Everything you can think of and then some. The house specialties looked intriguing, and I was tempted to order my old standby, eggs benedict. But when at a pancakes house, one must get pancakes! I actually ordered a bacon and cheese omelette, which conveniently came with a side of pancakes.
-Pacakes were super yummy -- crispy on the outside, fluffy and really delicious. Served with whipped butter and warm syrup.
-Omelette was, as described, a souffle type omelette that looked like a miniature football filled with cheese and bacon. It kind of made me laugh because when I dug into it, the cheese oozed out Juicy Lucy style. It was really good but way too big. I don't think anyone needs a FOUR egg omelette, especially when the side on the dish is three pancakes!
-Hubby ordered the corned beef hash, which looked really decent. His poached eggs were poached pretty close to perfectly, which I always find impressive at a restaurant.
-And the decision to add an order of cheesey hashbrowns for the table was decidedly a good one.
-Coffee was stronger than that at most restaurants and pretty tasty. Was surprised to see sugar and stevia in the raw on the table.
-Cool giant glass dome light fixture on the ceiling.

Negative:
-They were so crowded (granted, Sunday at 10:30 a.m. but still) that I almost decided to walk out. Their front desk seemed a bit disorganized, and the system for paging parties left something to be desired in the "not being obnoxious and making it clear that you hate your job" category.
-Our waitress was nice but too busy. We had to sit for a really long time to get a coffee refill and in the end only got one because my husband had to practically shout "Excuse me!" at her about four times while she buzzed by our table.
-We were never offered a refill on water or a second refill on coffee. Our waitress basically delivered our food, refilled our coffee (after we finally flagged her down to ask) and then didn't come back till we were done eating.
-While I realize they were busy, the staff was moving too quickly. I saw a busboy start clearing a table while the people who were leaving were still putting their coats on. it just seemed really rude. People were coming by and taking plates off our table without asking whether we were done with the food on them. (We were, but still...)
-We asked specifically for a booth and waited extra long to get one. But the booths are really tiny here. Like my husband and I were playing footsie under the table, but not because we were feeling flirty. If we had been a party of four, I'm not sure we would have been able to comfortably sit in a booth.
-The table and seats were clean but the wall of the booth was dirty -- it was very clear to me that it had not been cleaned or even wiped down with a good hot cloth for a really long time. There were streaks of food, finger prints from kids and a general layer of grease. Not impressive.
-It seems poorly designed for a restaurant that does this kind of volume. The aisles are super narrow and staff members are often blocking aisles.

In all, we had a good breakfast. The food here is solid. But the atmosphere and general design of the restaurant leave some things to be desired. Not sure we will venture back too often. But I'm glad I tried it.

Formerly a favorite, this Edina branch of the Original Pancake tree has become a disappointment to me, sadly.  Perhaps weekday service idles not rate the attendance of top level management  - but something was definitely off.

For me, it was when my order came too soon, looking deflated and burned. An apple pancake takes a while to cook. Since mine came so quickly, and looking as it did, I suspect re-heating a pre made cake was involved. Was someone hoping the customer wouldn't notice? Customers notice.

Our server made herself scarce after bringing our order and never asked how everything was, as is usual. H'mmm

Excellent choice for breakfast when you are in this area of the twin cities.....perhaps you are out taking in a lil bit o shoppin in this fabulous hub....you may wait a tad as they are very busy and very popular...the last time i was there some of the viking players had arrived with a party bus and some of their hoes.....they sat at a table right next to us apparently they dine there a lot....so if you are looking for an autograph---you may want to frequent here...

Food is excellent----and good old fashioned flavor and ingredients....ufffdaaah