Hotcakes Emporium Pancake House & Restaurant — Restaurant in Indianapolis

Stopped in here today to get lunch for a few coworkers and this is what I received. The hostess/waitress was extremely rude and disrespectful, and her name is Leslie. She sat us at a booth and we mentioned we wanted to place an to go order and then ignored us. A few minutes later, a customer came in and she went to go help that customer and got his coffee and started taking his order and continue to ignore us after we told her we were ready to place our order before she even gave him his coffee. We walked up to the counter and ask, could we place our order there and the manager was sitting there eating in her the entire conversation and ignored us as well. The manager stated maybe she didn’t hear us and we mentioned to her. Yes, she did hear us. We told her personally we were ready to place our order and she walked past us and still took the other customers order who came in after us. And we mentioned when placing our order for the euro the meat to be well done no onions, which there was onions on there, which I have an allergy too, and they were made aware of this we asked for the gravy for the turkey Manhattan to be on the side and as you can see in the photos, it’s all over The BLT had no bacon besides one piece the rest for just crumbs crinkled all over it. This is what they call their salad no salad dressing wasn’t offered any just a piece of leaf lettuce, olives, and peppers and two cube piece of feta cheese. I was highly recommended to stop here because other coworkers said the food was amazing and they had a great experience and excellent waitresses and that everyone was kind and friendly, which was the complete opposite of what my experience was today. And the waitress today I missed out on a Christmas tip of $100 so I hope that it was worth it for the entire staff to be rude and disrespectful to their customers you would think the manager would’ve apologized instead of The manager giving us dirty, looks, but was extremely nice to two other customers who paid and left. So if I could give this place a zero stars I would and I do not recommend this restaurant at all to anyone and I will tell my coworkers and fellow healthcare members not to eat at this...

Food was great, service was great. But don't support their lousy management.

We were sat underneath a dripping air conditioner, which I shrugged off. It happens, the place was slammed and it just started as we were sat, so I took the seat it was dripping on. But it gradually got worse and worse to where it was dripping in the food on the table and not just on me. When I say dripping, I mean dripping quickly, there was a small pool of water behind me too. Manager was right in front of us at the cash register, and never came over to say anything at all..slightly vexing, but not wanting to raise a fuss. It didn't hot the food until we were more or less finished anyway we agreed.

Then someone on crutches slipped on the pool and fell onto my grandmother. Keep in mind server knew about the water, and told the manager who is again, RIGHT in front of us. I thought for sure now he has to come by right? Wrong, now he just actively avoids eye contact, and you can tell. He just doesn't feel like dealing with this today. At this point I'm dumbfounded, he doesn't even help the guy who fell or say anything to him, or to my grandmother who had someone just short of tackle her. At this point I get up to leave before I cause a scene and embarrass my table, I'm furious.

But don't worry, I did his job for him. On the way out I stopped by the kitchen and asked for a wet floor sign and put it down over the pool of water...that someone just slipped and fell on...with crutches....into my grandmother....right in front of the manager.

Don't support...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hot Cakes Emporium on Southport and Bluff is hands-down one of my favorite spots in Indy. The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming, and the staff is incredible — friendly, attentive, and always happy to help. You truly feel taken care of every time you go.

My wife had the Greek omelet with a side of fruit and absolutely loved it. I had the gyro sandwich with fries, and let me just say — on point! The gyro is easily my favorite in Indianapolis, and the tzatziki sauce is just perfect.

This time, we also tried the French toast — and wow. If there’s a gold standard for French toast, this is it. Perfectly golden on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, with just the right touch of cinnamon. The syrup ties it all together — smooth, sweet, and buttery without being too heavy. It’s the kind of breakfast you don’t forget. And the fries… I can't say enough about the fries. Hot, crispy, golden perfection every single time. I seriously LOVE them.

We’ve had their pancakes on other visits too, and they’re always top-notch. If you haven’t been yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s one of the best breakfast and brunch...