The Pancake Manor — Restaurant in Brisbane City

My breakfast escapade at the Pancake Manor was nothing short of extraordinary. Upon first glance, I was immediately intrigued by the establishment's unique location within an old church. As I surveyed my surroundings, I couldn't help but appreciate the attention to detail in the decor, which resembled that of a mediaeval castle complete with suits of armour and other charming trinkets. Alas, the glimmers of hope fade into the abyss.

First off, we found ourselves languishing for an interminable stretch before finally being granted a seat. As we settled into our seats, it became apparent that the only means of perusing the menu was through our trusty smartphones. As I perused the menu at this establishment, I couldn't help but notice the unique use of a QR code system. While some restaurants may utilise this technology for convenience, it appears that here it serves a dual purpose of both cost-saving and enhancing the mediaeval ambience, complete with a torture chamber-esque experience of squinting at a tiny phone screen to place one's order. Take a moment to savour this exquisite agony. It's imperative to take a moment to ponder over your meal selection, as flagging down a server can prove to be a Herculean task.

The interminable wait for our orders was an exercise in patience and fortitude. We were afforded plentiful chances to witness the lack of hygiene in this establishment. The detritus of previous diners was all too apparent - gum clinging stubbornly to furniture, abandoned straws languishing from past patrons. A disappointing lack of attention to detail in the realm of cleanliness. The dusty layers and scurrying cockroaches only added to the gritty, unpolished atmosphere.

As we eagerly awaited our sustenance, it became apparent that our dishes had been left to languish under the unforgiving glare of the heat lamps for an inordinate amount of time. The dish lacked any moisture, flavour, or allure, leaving me with a less than satisfactory culinary experience. The bacon was disappointingly reminiscent of cardboard, while the eggs were regrettably rubbery. The delay had taken its toll on the quality, as was painfully obvious.

The coffee, if you can even call it that, was tepid and lacked any discernible coffee notes. It was more akin to a milky concoction with a mere whisper of coffee essence. A true disappointment. It was, regrettably, a far cry from being truly gratifying. The breakfast, alas, was a woeful disappointment. Served frigid, desiccated, and bereft of any discernible taste.

The lack of hygiene and hospitality during our journey was simply unacceptable. The Pancake Manor failed to impress me, and I cannot in good conscience suggest it as a destination worth visiting. The breakfast experience was a letdown and left a bitter taste...

Hadn't been here for a few years and I don't know if I'll come back for a while after.

100% this spot is an icon for anyone visiting Brisbane and when I was introduced, 10 years ago, I was told that it was a great spot for uni students studying late or club goers not ready to go home yet. The 24 hour open service provides late night goers an option for warm comfort food to keep you fuelled. You will leave this place with a full stomach.

Built in an old church the aesthetic has trouble finding what it wants to be. At the entrance there are medieval knights posed with posters of random shows and acts coming to Brisbane area. In the center is the license fully open bar, which honestly makes for a good central hub area. You want a drink? Head right in. The walls are covered in just randomness. Really no tying theme.

The menu since last I visited was very basic with set breakfast options that could honesty do better with the ability to customise. Being The Pancake Manor I'm coming for breakfast food. I should be able to order 2 eggs with bacon and toast if I want. Want hash browns? No problem! The menu just hurts itself only being set with specific items and no room to have breakky your way.

I ended up with the Aussie Sunrise platter which had 2 delicious moderate sized, but fluffy pancakes with a giant golf ball sized butter ball on top. I recommend getting this on the side. A strip of crispy bacon, an egg I ordered sunny side up, but lacked yolk ooz, and an odd side of grilled pineapple and banana that feels lost on my plate. Seriously confused at this addition.

For my egg I asked for some toast and was told I could only get a bread roll or garlic bread. Really? You serve breakfast food, but lack toast? Such an odd thing to be upset about, but this is a staple I just can't let go. Times are tough, but you are serving breakfast. It's in your name that you are committed to breakfast options.

I waited a good 30 minutes because of how busy it was, but once food was served I was content for a while.

Bill came out to be $40 for just myself. $11 alone was from the 2 iced teas alone. Ridiculously priced for just a solo meal.

Overall I think owners need to make a decision on what they want this iconic restaurant to be. I think they need to look at the menu and ask the customers what they'd actually like to come in and order. But not only that, to order and not go broke. My meal itself should have been $10 and the teas should have been $2 each or at least refillable at no charge.

Overall experience I walked out wondering why I walked in. COVID was tough and inflation is going mental, but need to...

Horrible food; horrendous service. Came in at 11pm or so on the 11th of October. Ordered 2 different pancake options. A vegan one and a regular one.

The regular one was bad tasting apparently, and my vegan one was awful. You can make better vegan pancakes at home with just flour and water, not even if you get a good egg substitute. Apparently the regular pancake was bad too. I understand and am usually quite forgiving to vegan options, but this is an exception. I think this is the only vegan option I've tried in all my years of being a vegan where I had to leave a bad review.

Anyway, what's worse is the service. The staff seemed all nice and normal when entering and initially serving the food, but after that, nothing. When we had given up trying to finish the food, but wanted to at least take the fruit home (the only good thing from them was not even made by them), I had raised my hand for minutes at a time, wanting to ask to get a takeaway box. The staff were all huddled together at one point for minutes doing I don't even know what, then serving drinks for each other, completely ignoring the customers or at least us. Every time I saw a waiter/waitress move in a position where it should be obvious to look at the customers or notice a hand up, I was just ignored. The staff were all too busy doing their thing together as though they were all there getting paid $5 an hour or something. And there were about 10 service staff, so it's not like they all needed a break in one go.

Finally get up to go leave and pay, and of course the card machine says 2.5% surcharge on all cards, which is quite excessive compared to what I normally remember for surcharges.

I had seen some bad reviews for the vegan options, but I didn't think it could be this bad. I could forgive it if the food was a little bad, but not this awful customer service. Also, what's up with the menu saying to ask the staff about vegan options; why can't they just use that space to just write what the vegan option is??? The waiter just tells you that they can make all the buttermilk pancakes vegan except for 2 of the options; so there's choices, just none of them good. Super dry and bland and the chocolate sauce didn't even have flavour, and I don't think the non-vegan one would even use a different sauce. You also get some crappy coconut milk vanilla icecream instead of chocolate, and there's so much better vegan ice cream out there.

I hope the restaurant gets a full overhall or the building gets repurposed for something else. Pancake Parlour in other states is far superior, or even a standard restaurant...