Annie's Restaurant and Pancake House — Restaurant in Palatine Township

Briana's is one of the nearest breakfast places to my house and oh I've been here so many times since they've opened. However, there are few things that haven't changed up to this date, and I want to go over them, sharing my thoughts.

The restaurant is located in the very left corner of busy Eurofresh plaza, at the corner of US14 and Smith. Although it's not a separate building, the place is quite roomy. At the same time, weekend mornings I had to park by Eurofresh few times, as this place gets packed - no big deal, just a little hint.

Interior and crokery are first few things that dissapoint me a lot. Briana's is only 3-4 years old I think, but quite a few tables and seats are begging for some renewal (polishing/upholstery). Not sure if those were inherited from whatever was here before, but that won't be an excuse anyways. Next up, look at that coffee cup, it has so many cracks and dents on its top ring, and all of them are perfect hideaways for bacteria!! I wasn't here alone and all of my party members' cups were this much worn. How much would it cost to gradually replace those?

Moving on to the better part, which is the food; I'd say this is why I come here regardless. I've tried half of the menu here - crepes, pancakes, wraps, skillets and never been disappointed with its quality. They cook tasty and delicious food in Briana's. Last time I got very veggie skillet and yet, I haven't tried better.

Unfortunately, I'm not same excited about service. Especially, in their peak hours. My party size ranges from 2 to 4, and personnell gives all of their attention to much bigger ones (those Sunday family reuinions, if you know what I mean😂). That's understandable, but not acceptable. These people are the first who you meet on your weekend, and their happinness and friendliness set up your mood for the rest of the day. Instead, the hostess asks "Two?" and rushes into the dining area with 2 menus rightafter you nod. First of all, "Good morning dear, how are you?" is the way to do it. Next she throws those menus on the table and flees away. "Your server will be right with you" - Hostess saved 2 seconds of her precious time by not saying that. In their turn, the servers' weren't always like that, however, as I said above, smaller parties lacking their attention. And the last in service, those coffee guys. You've just discovered a perfect proportion of coffee and creamer in the cup, drank a half of it, they come and top it off with more coffee... Is it so hard to ask if I want a refill right now? (Yesterday was an exception from this, lady was super nice) As a conclusion here, looks like the staff is lacking training. Or management.

Finishing up with a big pro, which is pricing. Average check per person will be about $13. Most of the menu is in between $9 and $11 + coffee. I find this really cheap, especially considering the sizes of the dishes, so that's definitely an advantage.

Problems that I see here are an easy fix, moreover, throwing a buck on top of most menu items will help to cope with them encoutering zero losses overtime. I love this place and I will definitely uprgade my rating if positive...

I've dined here 8 times already! The last time I was here, was on Sunday, 6/1/2025! Can't get enough of their Filipino breakfasts (which, by the way, I did not find to be greasy-- especially, the crispy eggroll / Lumpia Shanghai one. I've had that one more than once, so I find that allegation to be questionable). I usually order 2 of them each time I come in (the Milkfish with eggs and garlic fried rice and the Longanisa sausage with eggs and garlic fried rice, are my 2 favorites). However, they are all great; I've had them all and will order each one of them again when I go in tomorrow (Sunday 6/8) for brunch! Another thing that keeps me coming back is the continuing expansion of their Filipino menu's non-breakfast items! I love their roast piggy dishes, like Lechon Kawali and Crispy Pata! However, I wish they'd add another exotic homeland favorite which is karé-karé (oxtail stew with peanut butter sauce)! Annie told me in my last Facebook message exchange with her, that it's going to be added to the menu-- but that was weeks ago and it's STILL not on there! Sigh/Groan…Anyway, I still do plan on coming back for more of the other Filipino menu items, especially the Calderetta! I love that Annie's saves me from having to schlep to Skokie/Niles/Morton Grove and Chicago, for Filipino food. Plus, her employees - everyone, from her servers like Nikka, Miguel and Veronica, and her busboys like Aiden and Ben --are all so efficient, attentive and personable to interact with! (Which is why I leave 40-50 % tips when I come here!) In addition, the restaurant has always been clean every time I've gone in there, plus it's also been packed with people during peak breakfast/brunch hours on weekends! The majority of the diners I've observed here LOVE the American/non-Filipino menu items, so I'll definitely order those when I start craving them! But for now, I'm going to order all the other Filipino menu items I...

Annie’s Restaurant is okay. The service is great and you can easily tell that this is a family owned buisness which I love to support

I ordered the the lumberjack skillet and blueberry pancakes

As you can tell from the photos, the bottom pancake was burnt and covered by the well done pancake. The pancakes in general were a bit rubber like, not fluffy. Reminds me of a continental breakfast pancake you’d get at a hotel lobby. Rated 5/10

The skillet was just ok as well. The potatoes were the worst part of the skillet. The potatoes where stale and seemed to be either made day ago since they where far from fresh or reheated multiple times. The cheese on the skillet was too much for my taste, very overpowering flavor and texture. The corn beef hash tasted like it came out of a can. I was expecting home made corned beef. Rated 5.5/10

I do have to say, when the waiter noticed that I was not happy with the pancakes she asked me if there is anything else I’d want in substitute to the burnt pancake. I asked for bread and was very happy the the problem was fixed.

Overall, Annie’s Restaurant was good affordable food with great service. I would love to see improvements done in the kitchen. That’s the most important part of a successful restaurant. I most likely won’t be coming back here again but I wouldn’t shut this place down due to my review. You should come find out for yourself and see if this restaurant is right for you. Everyone has different tastes and opinions, the only way to find out if it’s for you is by...