Heidi's Pancake House — Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe

My wife and I were really looking forward to eating breakfast here on our weekend getaway to South Lake Tahoe. On our last morning, we searched reviews looking for the best breakfast in town! Heidi's ranked #3 and looked the most authentic based on the review photos. When we pulled in and got out of the car, we thought it smelled wonderful before we even went inside. We were greeted and seated fairly quickly, which we thought was a great sign! We were offered coffee right away, and it was delicious. We were excited while looking over the menu, and asked the waiter several questions before deciding what to order.

I ordered the Corned Beef Hash, after the waiter assured me it was delicious and "homemade," and a fresh squeezed Orange Juice. My wife ordered the Heidi's Swiss Crepes San with a poached egg, and substituted the bacon/sausage for a second poached egg. She also added a side of Home Fries (since she couldn't substitute the meat for the potatoes).

We received our order in a timely manor, yet again, thinking that was a positive sign! Let me preface, I have eaten Corned Beef Hash more times than I can count in restaurants around the country, so I'd say I'm confident I know what Corned Beef Hash is supposed to taste like. In fact, I'm not even that picky when it comes to Corned Beef Hash, or anything for that matter. My order was unrecognizable to say the least! The Corned Beef Hash was the smallest portion I've ever seen, flat as a pancake, extremely over cooked, greasy, and flavorless (with the exception of a rancid grease flavor). My eggs were cold, and my "homemade" Blueberry Muffin tasted like a bland Jiffy Mix muffin, dry and inedible.

My wife absolutely loves Crepes, and knows what they are supposed to taste like. First of all, they were not Crepes, they were thin rolled pancakes. Secondly, the butter wouldn't even melt when she tried to spread it on the "Crepes." As for her poached eggs, they appeared to be in some sort of "As seen on TV" Egg Poacher mold, and not poached in water, which you'd traditionally expect in a Breakfast Restaurant. Finally, the Home Fries, were cold and tasteless.

The waiter seemed oblivious that my wife had eaten very little of her meal. He finally asked how everything was, my wife stated that her crepes were not good at all, and seemed to be more like a pancake batter, not a crepe batter. The waiter then said "our crepes are much thicker than other places," and completely ignored the fact that she said they weren't good. He brought our bill, and left us.

The overall experience was extremely disappointing! Over rated, not to mention over priced as well! The only reason I took time out of my life to post this is because my stomach as been unsettled all day, and I have had the worst heartburn since I ate here...

The atmosphere at Heidi's is so fun! Well-decorated, cozy, and full of character. It took a little while for us to get waited on but it appeared there was only one server for the entire front portion of the restaurant, so I was willing to be patient (to a point). Most customers appeared to be finishing up their meals so it didn't seem like our 10 minute wait to be served was particularly necessary. Additionally, it was a little frustrating because there seemed to be plenty of other staff walking or sitting nearby that could have easily gotten our drink order at the very least. It just didn't feel like an efficient use of staff, especially given how the crowd seemed to be lessening by the time we sat down. The hostess kept telling us our server would be right with us while the hostess sat at the register and didn't do much else. When the server arrived, our service was prompt and friendly. She was funny and certainly worked hard, so I don't fault her at all. There was a gentleman going around filling coffee and he did a great job of keeping our mugs full. When the food came out, it was fine, though lukewarm. For the price, I didn't think it was worth it but given the area, I know it's to be expected. I was impressed that the manager came around a couple of times to check on each table and was very visible, though again it felt like each staff member could've been doing more to help each other out. The handicap accessibility was decent for this place, with accessible parking and easy access into the restaurant, but the handicap-friendly restrooms are clear in the back of the restaurant, requiring navigation between cramped tables and busy aisleways to get there. I realize the layout and age of the restaurant prevents much improvement, but it was still a little disappointing, given the otherwise easy access into the restaurant. We enjoyed our meal and the atmosphere here but I'm not sure we'd be quick to return, as nothing really blew us away. Still, it was a cozy, atmospheric restaurant and we enjoyed our visit. I just think with the wide variety of breakfast places in the area, we'll explore other options the next time we're in Tahoe, as nothing at Heidi's was...

For years I was always told to go to Heidi's and have breakfast, I always passed it up because I had my normal spots to go to and each time I'd have time to go it'd be on the jam packed weekends and I just didn't feel like waiting. So when I took a midweek trip, I finally got to try it out.

Walking inside was a blast from the past and I loved the nostalgia. I have to say that the staff was completely friendly and accommodating, even though it was a midweek visit, every booth was full. I was even more shocked at the speed in which we received our food (10 or so minutes after ordering). And one of the most important things happened to us, the drinks were always kept full! Our bill was a little on the pricey side for 3 people eating ($94 including tip), so if you're on a budget LOOK at the menu lol

Although the food was good, there really wasn't a WOW factor about it. To me it tasted like any local specialty diner breakfast, but that always brings back memories so that's still a good thing. I had the chicken fried steak and eggs (my staple in trying ANY breakfast place) and this place passed the fork test. I was able to eat and cut everything with my fork, the flavor was good but again the gravy didn't have that wow factor of flavor, it was more of a sausage chowder than a traditional sausage gravy. Still flavorful, just not exciting as I needed to add a lot of pepper. One thing to note, the biscuit was fresh and the pancakes were some of the best I've had anywhere, and we really don't order pancakes often because only some places make them well, THIS is one of those places.

If you want a family oriented place with great pancakes, service, and blast from the past nostalgia then this...