When it comes to food, few things in the world can match the satisfaction that comes from awesome pancakes. If you can find them in a restaurant that has efficient and professional service, then you are having a great day indeed.
Perhaps I was just having a good day, but this is the kind of experience that I encountered at Hotcakes Emporium.
Currently, the restaurant has three locations, and I recently visited the one on Ditch Road near 86th Street on the city’s Northside. Having lived in this neighborhood for a few years as a teenager, I have fond memories of it, but wish my friends and I had the Hotcakes Emporium to walk down the street to back then.
Inside, the restaurant has a basic design and is clean, comfortable and neat. When I visited, it was half full, and those who were already there seemed to be having a pleasant experience. I didn’t have to wait long to be seated or have my order taken. My server did not have much to say, but was polite, quick and professional.
As its name suggests, the Pancake Emporium is like a warehouse for those of us who love these tasty breakfast masterpieces. You can order them virtually any way you like, with several types of fruit toppings, with chocolate chips, with pecans, or Hawaiian and silver dollar styles.
For my experience I went with the banana nut pancakes, which were so fluffy, rich and soft. During the years we have been running this column, I have tried pancakes at several restaurants, and these rank among the best for flavor and freshness.
Patrons can also order pancakes in various styles, such as 2×4 (stack of four pancakes topped with two eggs), pigs-in-a-blanket or pancake sandwich with ham and two eggs cooked in any style. This place is a pancake emporium in every sense of the word.
Patrons who want breakfast but might not have a taste for pancakes can also try the Belgian waffles, French toast, crepes, croissants and omelets. Some of the breakfast skillets, available in such options as country, Western, Mexican, Italian and Mediterranean sound delicious, and I will be trying one of those next time.
Although it is called the Pancake Emporium, the restaurant has an amazing variety of food choices that cover lunch. In fact, there are so many it wouldn’t be wise to list them all, so I’ll just offer a couple of examples in the different categories.
For lunch, patrons can choose from burgers (such as mushroom and Western); sandwiches (BLT, Rueben, breaded tenderloin); clubs (turkey and Swiss, chicken cordon bleu); melts and manhattans.
Trust me, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what the Pancake Emporium has to offer. Visit this restaurant, and you will definitely be amazed at the variety and satisfied when you leave.
