The Original Pancake House — Restaurant in Indianapolis

I've been visiting the Original Pancake House since I was a child with my grandparents. It has been a place of fond memories, offering some of the best breakfast in Indianapolis. Their Dutch baby pancake, with its powdered sugar, bananas, and lemon, is an unmatched favorite. However, my recent visit left me frustrated and disappointed.

Arriving at 2:05 PM on a Sunday, with closing time at 3 PM, we assumed it would be fine to have a quick meal. We were seated and handed menus, and chose a spot outside. It took over 10 minutes to get our drinks, after the server initially promised to return promptly. Another staff member eventually brought us waters while our server managed other tables' bills. When she finally took our order, we knew the Dutch baby pancake required extra time to prepare, but we were okay with that. Our bill reached over $80 as my sister and I ordered a variety of dishes.

However, our meal took over 30 minutes to arrive, coming just before 3 PM. With only a few minutes left before closing, we ate as quickly as possible. The server then notified us that they were closing in three minutes, handing us to-go boxes when our plates were still hot. This felt unnecessary, especially given the delay in service. We had been prepared to order as soon as we arrived, but the server delayed, resulting in our rushed meal. If the restaurant was serious about closing promptly at 3 PM, it would have been far better to remind us of the closing time upon arrival or at the table, instead of waiting until we had just been handed our hot food after the server wasted time attending to other tables.

As local restaurant owners ourselves, we believe the situation could have been handled better. Had we arrived at 2:45 PM, a rush would have been understandable. However, we had plenty of time to order and eat had the service been more prompt. The experience left a sour taste, which was disappointing given my history with this place. Improved communication or common sense about closing times would have gone a long way in ensuring a better...

We went around 10:30 am on a Saturday. We didn't wait longer than probably 10 minutes, with 4 or 5 parties ahead of us. It was just myself and my husband. The waitress came by and looked at us out of the corner of her eye after we had been sitting for 3 or 4 minutes, as though she wasn't our server but wanted to get us started with a beverage. Turns out she was our server and just very slow paced. Another party of 6 was seated and almost done with their meal before ours arrived. Before our meals arrived, she randomly brought us two glasses of water. We had already had our beverages plus refilled them with a pitcher she had placed on our table so that she wouldn't have to come back. We sat after our meal for about ten minutes for her to ask us if we wanted the check. I say it that way, but her sentences were short, between 1 and 4 words. No smiles. She must be overworked or having a bad day or something. Our food was quite good. My husband had a baked omelette. He's a big guy but could only eat half. I had a chocolate chip waffle. There are barely any chocolate chips on the waffle, but it melts and becomes almost too much chocolate. My blood sugar crashed a few hours later. The volume in this place is relatively quiet somehow. It feels as though you can have a conversation in their booths without anyone eavesdropping. I wasn't listening to others around me in that way where you listen because they are so loud, you have no choice. The prices are the same as many other breakfast only places. We haven't been back here in a few years. It doesn't feel quite as personal as some other hole in the...

Maybe it was the time of day. 13:23 on a Wednesday. Staff did not make eye contact and seemed very unmotivated. They were on their phones, and the table we got was dirty. There was still a tip on it. So far really wishing I went to lincoln square pancake house but hey maybe the food is so awesome it makes up for the mcdonalds level of service I got. The menu looked normal for a breakfast place. Wish they had better combo options. Like better side options. Half order of biscuits and gravy with my two eggs and bacon is my go to when I judge a breakfast place. No such combo was there. I also like to see healthy options which this place had a variety of which is rare and why I gave the extra star. They had gluten free pancakes and eggwhite menu options. Really cool. Getting our order taken was nothing short of below average. A machine would do a better job. I went ahead and got an eggwhite menu option. Basicly eggwhites with green peppers and onions in it with some salsa and gluten free pancakes. Wife got the french toast. Food was wafflehouse quality. It came pretty fast and eggwhites came out of a carton no big deal but for what I paid it kinda is. I could have got the same quality of food and service for half the price at waffle house. So if u want to go to waffle house with a different face on it I guess this place is it. No hole in the wall vibe at all. More like someone set this up and deligated its running to others who have no emotional investment in it what so ever. I will allways give something 3 tries. This was attempt number...