Stacks is a busy place. I felt fortunate to have found a table right as we arrived, because 20 minutes later, it was SRO!
My wife and daughter like pancakes. They both had short stacks of buttermilk pancakes and a side of two egg whites. I ordered scrambled eggs, sausage and home fries.
All that, a large OJ and a cup of coffee, $25 and change.
Girls both enjoyed their pancakes, neither could finish the short stack.
My entree was fine, there was a disturbing crunch of what may have been bone in one of the sausages, they appeared to be Farmer John's brand, can't blame the restaurant for that.
Bottom line, this was just an OK experience, don't really know why they are so busy, I would have rather gone to Proud Mary's in the harbor, but we have been seeing the crowded patio at Stacks for a few years and wanted to give it a shot.
I guess you have to be a big pancake or French Toast person, just not my cup of tea.
Pancakes!! These were some of the best flapjacks I have ever tasted. Â I am not sure if the syrup that came with it was butter pecan or not, but it was amazing. Â I ordered the corned beef hash, which was just ok. Â Its always hard to order from a place you have never been to before, especially when everything looks so good. Â Next time I will go for the french toast. Â Outdoor seating is nice because the inside of the place is tiny and the line was out the door. You place your order at the counter then grab a seat. Â Looking forward to returning!
Review Source:Ate here on the way down from San Jose and this was a great meal to end the road trip. The 5 stars is for the kastu waffle I had. Perfection on a plate. Crunchy waffle, crunchy juicy chicken, and syrup all over. I think it had bacon on it too which makes it even better. No way I could eat this every morning though, but I wouldn't mind trying.
Review Source:This place was ok. A lot of great reviews. I just didn't see it. The food was ok, the service was outstanding and the cost was very reasonable. I had the bannana/macadamia nut pancakes, they were good, but missing something. The portion was huge. I am just used to something extra for a great breakfast and this place just missed a little. I would give them another try if I was in the area.
Review Source:I wish I knew how small and cramped it was inside, which is your only option in the rain. Food was okay...I ordered the wrong thing which was a hamburger patty and scrambled eggs. Eggs and potatoes were quite good but the meat was seriously over seasoned (seasoned salt? Garlic and onion??). My son pushed his to the side and never touched it again. Coffee was hot and delicious. I will go back. But I will smartly order pancakes or their over-the-top looking French toast! Â I was extremely jealous of the short stack parked right next to me!!! This is not a good inside eatery for the disabled or heavy-set customers so I encourage you not to venture in when the weather is too cold or wet for outside seating, which is plentiful. Easy parking on the roof and extremely friendly staff. Would have happily given them the whole 5 had it not been so cramped and the hamburger unseasoned!
Review Source:YUMMY!!!! Â We were in Dana Point for Whale Watching and came by for brunch before we headed out to sea.
This place is so cute and close to the water. Â We parked above the strip and walked down the stairs to a cute patio. Â Inside was cute and cozy and the line wasn't too long.
We ordered Coconut Pineapple Pancakes, Captain Crunch Peanut Butter French Toast, Eggs Benedict and California Benedict to share. Â The food was excellent. Â My fave was the California Benedict with Tomato and Avocado.
The service and food were excellent. Â This is an order at the counter and seat yourself place, and pretty casual.
Next time, I getting the Captain Mac Nut!! Â Captain Crunch Macadamia Nut French Toast!!
The prices are very reasonable and everything is very appealing. Â Can't wait to come back!!
Oh this place is hot. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, super casual but a bit loud because of the PCH off the patio. The coffee is good, food served hot and waiters/waitresses very attentive. My favorite item is the captain crunch macadamia nut french toast, with coconut syrup! Yum! A few Hawaiian items on the menu too (spam and eggs, etc)
Review Source:Love the coconut syrup, that stuff is like crack for pancakes. I love that they have portuguese sausage because anyone that has been to Hawaii knows that like a staple along with spam. I had the Kalua pig omelette which I thought was amazing. It had a chipotle ranchero sauce which tasted amazing. The lines are long but it is worth it. You get what you pay for and you pay for portion size and quality. Will have to try the loco moco next as that too is a staple in Hawaii. Can't wait for them to open up another location. Great atmosphere as they are right off of PCH. WIll be coming back to this place and want to try lunch next.
Review Source:Want to experience the best French Toast you'll ever have in your entire life? Order the Captain Crunch Peanut Butter!
We had breakfast here on a beautiful and sunny winter morning. This breakfast spot is located right by the water on PCH in Dana Point. This was actually my first time in Dana Point as well. What a beautiful city!
Indoor seating is quite limited in my opinion. But there's plenty of outside patio seating as well. This spot is very casual in the fact that you order your food up front, they give you a number and they bring you your food once it's ready.
The bf Brad C. ordered Captain Crunch Peanut Butter French Toast as well but he added bananas AND Nutella to his order. Talk about a foodgasm! Mine was just perfect stuffed with only PB. There's something about the flavor of Cap N' Crunch and thick slices of French Toast that just makes my panties wet. :P
Our friends ordered the Egg Florentine and Huevos Rancheros and they both loved their plates. In fact, all of us licked our plates clean by the end of the meal.
Service here is extremely friendly and accommodating. Prices are very reasonable. And there's parking on the street as well as plenty of parking in their own lot right above the restaurant.
Definitely a breakfast fave in Dana Point!
I don't know what to say. Â The food was good enough but the whole setup is just wrong. The line to order was out the door. Everyone in line is in the way of the servers trying to run food and people trying to get to the drinks. With the popularity of the place and the small size of it they need to fix the ordering/table situation. A party of 2 had pulled together tables and said they were waiting for more people. Those people never arrived the whole time we were there. That should be being monitored by the staff since there are clearly not enough tables. I think it would be better off as a sit down place and with more seating and heaters outside.
Review Source:This place, overall, was serviceable as opposed to outstanding. I would go here again if there was nothing else around, but I would say as opposed to being an outright bad restaurant, that Stacks is simply held back by a series of minor flaws that alone would have been a modest blemish on an otherwise good experience but combined make for a rather irksome situation.
Stacks is a small restaurant, really small, and really cramped when it has a crowd. I can deal with a packed restaurant, I can deal with a crowded restaurant. The problem with Stacks is is that it seems to have a few too many tables, someone wants to squeeze every last penny out of the small space available, and it shows in the restaurant layout.
I got the banana pancakes and while they weren't terrible, I wasn't greatly inspired by them, and I certainly didn't get as good of a meal, or as large of one (for the price I paid at Stacks, no less), as I would have gotten had I gone to the Original House of Pancakes instead. I do not mind variety of prices, I understand that somewhere like Stacks is probably in an area with relatively high property values and taxation rates, but the problem was I just felt like I didn't get much bang for my buck. I got a hefty portion of food, but for a hefty portion of price, when there are plenty of pancake places that seem to offer enormous amounts of food, yet without being too hard on one's coinpurse, perhaps I don't taste the sawdust in the food, but that's just me.
The waitstaff was friendly even if the service from the kitchen was inefficient, only a fool faults the waiter for problems originating more from the kitchen than from anywhere else, the servers and employees at Stacks are generally rather young, but they work efficiently and get their stuff done in an expedient manner.
Overall, Stacks didn't inspire me, has a great location, and it could easily be a big draw for local crowds, but it just isn't that awesome.
My second review for Stacks. One MAJOR criticism of Stacks: With all the mediocre and lousy breakfast places around, Stacks should be much bigger and better located. Its a crime that more people can't eat there. New and interesting specials every week. Real breakfast choices. Nowhere better. Too bad if you missed it!
Review Source:This is one of the best breakfast places that you'll find in Dana Point. Â Their Mac 'n Crunch french toast is absolutely amazing. Â Add boysenberry syrup and you're in for a real treat. Â If you're with that special someone and looking to share, order the french toast and the California omelete or the Garden Stuffed Crepes. You can't go wrong. Â Excellent service and excellent breakfast!!!
Review Source:I'm giving this place 3 stars on the breakfasts alone, as I haven't tried any of their lunch items.
We usually come here once a month. Â The 3 breakfasts I typically get are the portuguese sausage/eggs/fried rice, loco moco and the Captain Crunch french toast (made with Hawaiian bread).
The portuguese sausage is tasty and the cuts are thick and long. Â The fried rice is just average - I think it needs more shoyu.
The loco moco is also average but the gravy is good. Â For some reason, the meat never tastes cooked all the way, like it's still pink in the middle.
The Captain Crunch french toast is probably the most delicious, with the most calories! Â It's made with Hawaiian sweet bread and it almost tastes like dessert. Â I've posted photos of all 3 breakfasts on Yelp. Â
The wait staff here all young and there have been a couple of times when they got my order wrong. Â This restaurant has limited seating inside, but you can eat outside in their front patio too. Â There is plenty of parking in the back of their restaurant (2nd level) or on the street.
It's close enough to our house to get our Hawaiian breakfast fix once a month, but nothing out of this world.
<a href="/redir?url=https%3A%2F%2FFacebook.com%2FGoodEatsStacy&s=3bc138749a830fdea3683146e1e3053713717232abceaf5760fe226d912cbb3f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://Facebook.com/Goo…</a>
Great little find of a restaurant.
Experience is like Carl's Jr in the ordering process, walk to the counter and order, get a number and your drink and find a table. Al fresco or one of the tables inside.
Menu is diverse and the specials change daily, lots of employees take great care of you and the food is amazing. Â
Being wheat free I was pleased to find options that meet my needs. The Ranchero omelet is amazing, the Ranchero sauce was better than what I have had at dedicated Mexican restaurants.
The owner personally served us and was amazingly personable.
Highly recommended when you have that breakfast craving.
Very friendly and young staff. I did think it would be a lot better from the great reviews but not so. The panckaes smelled heavenly and looked really fluffy but it was almost sticky and gummy in texture. Kids don't know any  better but they did not finish so it told me that these chocolate pancakes weren't as tasty as other places. I had a spicy chorizo scramble( cuz I loooove chorizo) but it was salty and the scramble was messy ( if that makes any sense). Also hubby ordered some healthy altenative scramble and he wasn't impressed either. Breakfast potatoes were good and so was the coffee :) Â
there isn't so many options out in the area so its good if you can't find anything better. nice patio to sit out and have breakfast but if I'm ever out this way I would try another place.
I discovered Stacks after trying to find a place to meet my BFF in the middle since I live in San Diego and she in Cypress. Â Thanks to Yelp (yet again!) for directing me to this awesome eatery!
I have now been twice and will be coming back again! Â I love rating things (5 stars being the best) so I shall list the items I ordered in the last two visits. Â
$9.00 Spam Loco Moco with fried rice **** (Gravy a tad on the salty side.. I will ask for it on the side next time.)
$6.95 Cap'n Crunch French Toast ****
$6.95 Short stack Oreo pancakes *** (On the dry side)
$1.95 Iced coffee ***** (It didn't need to be Starbucks to be awesome!)
Only reason why it got four stars would be the tight seating inside and the Oreo pancakes.. yikes. Â But other than that, it's great! Â Like I said, I've got a visit already planned!
Stacks is a casual breakfast eatery where you will probably find something on the menu for the whole family (pancakes, waffles, omelets, french toast, crepes, ect) .
I ordered the Eggs Florentine Benedict (with spinach and tomato) and a house brewed coffee. Â It was a Friday morning, but this place was packed. Regardless, service was very fast! I ran my knife through the egg and a creamy yolk mixed with the hollandaise sauce...mmm. What a steal for ~$8.
The house brewed coffee was also delicious (I'm really curious to find the brand) and the staff was kind enough to give me some soy milk and offer refills. Â
The only complaint I have is that the potatoes were on the salty side, but I don't think that would bother the average customer. Oh, and maybe you could toast the english muffin to give it more texture.
FYI: I stress that this is a nice family friendly CASUAL spot. Some of the other reviewers are being way to harsh about the seating arrangement. Be patient and a table will open up/get cleaned. Also, bring a hat just in case you have to sit outside.
I would be happy if they open another location that is more of a sit-down/waiter service and served mimosas!
A total gem in Dana Point!
We were on our way down to San Diego over weekend and stopped by Stacks Pancake House due to the raving yelp reviews! Â I'm so glad we stopped here and had breakfast! Â First of all, great service!! Secondly, people are SUPER friendly and always have a smile on their face. Â Lastly, you can choose where you want to eat - inside or outside!
This is how it works... You walk in, order, pay, and get seated. Â Since this place got so packed, I had my family pick a place to sit while I got our order. Â Other than that, here's what we ordered:
blueberry pancakes - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/YnX4Enq9UINQw2mxQCNlHg?select=wjvVKFLU3yPUi1QwGBmF0g#wjvVKFLU3yPUi1QwGBmF0g">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>. Â
french toast - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/YnX4Enq9UINQw2mxQCNlHg?select=kN-yRT_abNf34WYFGF_6HQ#kN-yRT_abNf34WYFGF_6HQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>.
florentine scramble - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/YnX4Enq9UINQw2mxQCNlHg?select=2Chy6Rws7VHReCW7uA8wGA#2Chy6Rws7VHReCW7uA8wGA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
california omelette - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/YnX4Enq9UINQw2mxQCNlHg?select=QKfK-QnkCMT104XGzNZL4A#QKfK-QnkCMT104XGzNZL4A">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
We all tried a little bit of everything and agreed their food was delicious, fresh, and spot on. Â Just a little advice for you newbies who don't know how to order food (*ahem* Bruce J.) - Make sure you tell the cashier how you want your pancakes (fluffy or crisp). Â Also, I prefer getting my syrups on the side, too!
The service was excellent! The servers frequently came outside to check on us and other tables and gave us our refills of coffee and water when we needed it. Â I would totally come back here if I were in the area!
I wish there were more breakfast places like this in Orange County. Maybe there are, but we haven't found them yet? We were in the area, and thanks to you fellow Yelpers, we decided to try it. Service was excellent and the food was great! We would definitely recommend this place!!
Loco Moco: DELICIOUS! Got the gravy on the side, I really prefer it without the gravy. Patty was flavorful, and of course the rice and fried eggs really made the dish!
Florentine scramble with buttermilk pancakes: Boyfriend got this and loved it. They have coconut syrup here. It is a MUST!!! SO GOOD!!
Love love love Stacks... found a place that has some pretty yummy fried rice, portuguese sausages and macadamia nut pancakes. my hubby loves the loco moco, and my son loves the spam & fried rice and nutella crepes. did I mention that this place is kid friendly?!?
if you want to get some good grub, come to Stacks. You wont be disappointed!!
Just left Stacks and will never ever return. Stacks literally stole $13 from me. My wife and I were there Father's Day morning at 7:35 am and ordered a short and regular stack of buttermilk pancakes, what we got was a plate of the toughest pancakes I ever had put in front of me.
They do not know how  to cook there. The pancakes also had a tough ring around the outside that I couldn't cut with a knife.
Not to worry I've already started spreading the word about this fraud in Dana Point, starting at the Ralph's down the street. As long as I can draw a breath I will beat this place down to anyone that will listen.
Happy customer tells 3 people, unhappy customer tells 20 people
If you're looking for a place to get a standard breakfast you can come to Stacks.
But if you're looking forward to a place where you can get something a little wild and crazy for breakfast... TOTALLY GO TO STACKS.
This little nugget is located right off of PCH in Dana Point. Â You park up on top of it and walk down some steps... and you enter a tiny cafe (don't worry--in addition to the eight or nine tables you will find patio seating). Â Get something kind of silly... like the Cap'n Crunch and Peanut Butter French Toast. Â Or the S'mores pancakes... try them. Â They are excellent. Â They are something you'll want to write a review about.
This place gets pretty crowded on the weekends, so beware. Â Like I said--they're sort of tiny. Â But oh-so-delicious.
STACKS! Â Get your mornin' grub on!
Stacks has great food-loco moco is our favorite, followed closely behind by nutella crepes and Teri steak. The food is fresh, portions are good, prices are fair, staff are very friendly, and their weekend specials are amazing. Yum spicy chicken waffle and red velvet pancakes!
BUT if you are a local with any kind of dislike for annoying rude tourists and clueless entitled people that stare you down as you try to finish your food (with loud crazy kids in tow), take my advice and GET YOUR FOOD TO GO (especially during the summer months). Â They had a list one time and took names for inside tables, but that must not happen anymore. Bummer about that.
We will be back, but only when it isnt tourist season, or to pick up our to-go orders. They need a better system for seating (first in line, first served, not first to go get your kid to snag a table ahead of everyone else in line).
Big bonus about the place-it is DOG FRIENDLY!
Wow, came here after reading the reviews. Â Got here on a sunday at 1pm and the line was still out the door. Â The 1 bad thing is if you want to sit outside, you'll need to bring at least another person with you who can grab a table for you. Â It's first come, first serve. Â Â
We wanted something salty & sweet so we split the spinach florentine egg benedict which was great!  The sauce was very tastey.  The potatoes were seasoned which was nice.  We also tried the french toast w/Captain Crunch  & Mac. nuts was just right.  With the boysenberry syrup, it was very good!!  Coffee was good as well!
Staff was very efficient & fast & friendly!
What a yummy little find. Celebrating my boyfriend's birthday we headed north to Dana Point from San Diego. Not knowing the area or where to eat, we spotted Stacks driving by and decided to check it out. It was great! I had steak & eggs, he had bone-in ham steak and eggs. We both had the pancakes as our side. The food was great, the pancakes fluffy and the employees friendly. And both our meals and one drink was only $20!
I looked online hoping to find one closer to home, but seems its the only one. After our visit, we may find ourselves taking the hour-long drive to Stacks again to try more of the delicious-sounding menu!
This is a cozy, casual service, breakfast spot near the beach. They've got a decent sized patio, which is perfect to bring your dog and enjoy the sun. I like the wide range of breakfast and brunch items, from the usual like pancakes, waffles, and eggs to even loco moco.
I'm always on the lookout for specials, so my eyes quickly turned to "Spicy chicken and bacon waffles." Hmmm. My eyebrows immediately raised a few notches. So I ordered that. Overall, I thought that the prices were reasonable.
Usually people expect to separate items when it comes to chicken and waffles. This dish is more integrated. Essentially, it's a waffle layer on the bottom, then a few thick slices of bacon, then fried chicken cutlet, topped with some melted cheese. The whole thing may have looked a bit greasy initially, but surprisingly it wasn't. There was a little bit of a kick, and the saltiness from the bacon complimented everything pretty cool.
Service was nice and friendly, and they were nice enough to offer a water dish for our canine guest outside on the patio. I would definitely eat here again if in the area, and craving some home-style breakfast/brunch items.
Went here for breakfast with my family of four before hitting the road back to AZ. It was great food all around! I had the California Benedict which was delicious, fresh tomatoes and avocado, with home fries and when I say home fries, I mean home fries, which were excellent. Kids both had pancakes with sausage ~ devoured quickly by both, and hubby had the 5 stack of pancakes with OJ. He could barely finish it which is not usual. Good sized portions. Â They have boysenberry syrup along with maple and coconut syrup too. Somehow we also got an order of 4 bacon which we all enjoyed and an extra stack of pancakes which will make for a good breakfast tomorrow AM. The coffee was good, which I also iced the second cup to take on the road. Perfect!
The service was quick, efficient and friendly. They offer indoor seating (a little small, but good enough) and patio seating. Definitely recommend Stacks if you're in Dana Point. I would go back here again.
My boyfriend grew up living in Hawaii part time and misses the great local 'joints'. Â I mean, who doesn't love Loco Moco? Â We visited for the first time today and we will be back. Â He really enjoyed the Cap'n crunch french toast with coconut syrup (which was better than I expected) and I had the fitness scramble, which they made to order. Â It was really good! Â We ordered a Local Moco (Hamburger Patty, egg, rice, and gravy) to have a few bites between us and take home; well, we ate it all and had to order another to bring to my son. Â THE BEST NEWS was for 3 breakfasts and tea/coffee, it was under $30.00! Â The portions were perfect and it was delicious. Â They have very many other items (we didn't even see the specials until we were leaving!) but it all seems really good. Â We noted Fried Chicken and Waffle and others. Â
You order at the counter and then they bring you the food. Â Service was pretty quick and friendly and it was light and airy in there, and not too crowded for a Saturday at 9am on a rainy day, but I am sure it gets packed!
I think ratings are relative to their locale... nothing special here but a decent breakfast in Dana Point is not a trivial search. Â Finding anything with flavors or spices in Dana Point is work. Â Apparently this is the land of white food eaters and flavorphobes. Â
Stacks' menu has something for everyone. Â I had the kalua pork omelet. Â It was good, the pork was tender and moist, but overall the omelet was mostly just big and warm. Homefries were hot and crispy and bland. Â I brought my own Peet's. Â I don't trust breakfast spots for coffee very often.
Obviously the locals love it. Â We got there before 8am and if we hadn't, we probably would have had a good wait for some of the limited indoor seating.
I think if I lived in Dana Point, I'd cook my own breakfast 90+% of the time. Â But to each their own. Â Stacks is a good choice in a tough market that seems to dumb down all its offerings for over-delicate tastebuds.
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