The Original Pancake House
3.5 Stars
The Original Pancake House
817 Bloomfield Avenue
West Caldwell, NJ 07006
973-575-9161
https://www.originalpancakehouse.com/phloc_nj_westcaldwell.html
We went to The Original Pancake house at 9:45 AM on a Tuesday morning. I had the chocolate chip silver dollar pancakes with whipped cream and warm syrup. Mama Foodie ordered chicken sausage links and eggs, and it came with pancakes.
According to the website, The Original Pancake House “…recipes demand only the very finest of ingredients, such as 93 score butter, pure 36% whipping cream, fresh grade AA eggs, hard wheat unbleached flour, and our own recipe sourdough starter. Our batters and sauces are made fresh in each restaurant’s kitchen.” I believe them. Without further ado, the review.
Big Baby says:
Atmosphere: 7 Cleanliness: 3 Food: 9 Service: 8
Average Score: 7
The acoustics were mediocre. However the décor was unremarkable
The cleanliness in the restaurant was average but it was very unclean in the bathroom.
My chocolate chip silver dollar pancakes were almost perfect. They were served warm syrup that not only was delicious, but they also melted the chocolate chips so that you could taste the chocolate with every single bite, so good!!!!!!!!
The service was accurate and very fast.
Overall I think it would be an excellent place to go for breakfast! Other than that I don’t know about lunch.
Mama Foodie says:
Atmosphere: 6 Cleanliness: 6 Food: 8 Service: 8
Average Score: 7
I was really pleasantly surprised by this place. I had no idea when we went in that it was part of a national chain. Both outside and inside, it could be any other diner in New Jersey. We were greeted and seated promptly. The service was very quick. Our server was friendly but not overly so. Everything arrived just as we ordered it.
I ordered the chicken sausage links and eggs (scrambled, well done). My selection came with pancakes. I thought about switching to whole grain toast, but I figured I should try the pancakes at the pancake house. I ordered coffee, and my server asked if I would like medium or dark roast. Extra points right there. I almost always choose dark. Shortly before our food arrived, she brought us a bottle of warm syrup.
The food was excellent. The chicken sausage was perfectly cooked. The eggs were fully cooked and definitely tasted fresh. The pancakes were fluffy and not rubbery at all. The warm syrup was a really nice touch. The only thing I might recommend is using real maple syrup, rather than pancake syrup. With maple syrup, they would have been perfect.
Cleanliness was about average. I have no real complaints. The bathroom floor could use a deep clean, but otherwise, pretty good. The décor could use an update, but the place does have classic diner charm. I was impressed by the kids bathroom. I think that is a really cute idea. There was also a play area with some toddler toys and a classic video game console.
When we go back to the Original Pancake House of West Caldwell, it will definitely be for the food. Besides, I want to try the dutch baby.
