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Pancake Chef
Category: Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
15215 Military Rd S(between 152nd St & International Blvd)
SeaTac, WA 98188
(206) 431-9411
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6 am - 3 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
49 reviews for Pancake Chef
Review Highlights
"House-made Corned beef hash and great service, need I say..."
(in 3 reviews)
"Portions are generous, 2 can easily share a Big German."
(in 12 reviews)
"The bacon waffle is by far my favorite thing to get here."
(in 4 reviews)
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49 reviews in English
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Review from Pui S.
I LOVE this old school, old fashioned type diners with REAL FOOD! :)
I ordered Chicken Fried Steak with Eggs... although, it wasn't the best I ever had, it was pretty dang good!
My babe ordered Strawberry Crepe' -- he liked them but again, they weren't the best since we had really good crepes at La Provence in Lake Oswego, OR!
BONES: They use real wipe-cream in the hot chocolate, not those BS weak a** wipe-cream like some restaurants!!!
Service was GREAT
Good location -- easy to see from the street!
I can see that the parking be a problem, when they get crazy busy but we got there at 8 a.m. Didn't have any problem at all. :)
NOTE: if you are the type who eats fake eggs and trendy Gluten Free type. PLEASE DON'T EAT HERE, THIS RESTAURANT IS NOT FOR YOU!!! :) -
Review from Stephanie K.
Seattle, WA
2/8/2012
This place feels like a time machine. Walk in the door and you are instantly transported back to a crappy diner in the '60s. In reality, you're in a crappy diner in the 21 century.
This place is called the Pancake Chef, but he or she must have been laid off, because these are not good pancakes. They are on par with the quality of pancakes that kids make their moms for breakfast on Mother's Day.
The service is bad, and the coffee is atrocious. (Neither of which is unexpected, but worth noting anyway.)
I'm tempted to give one star, but it's hard to give a crappy diner one star just for serving up crappy diner food and lousy service. Diner breakfasts are one of those things I crave on a regular basis. A simple but tasty breakfast is all I hoped for here. But honestly, you'd be doing way better if you visited a Denny's or IHOP instead.
I've been here twice (visited a second time, just because I thought the first visit might have been on an off-day), but I won't be back. -
Review from Spencer D.
Fullerton, CA
10/26/2011
We were on our way to SeaTac and wanted to stop for breakfast. This seems to be the norm for the patronage here (reading from the reviews).
I ordered bacon & eggs (whites) and my boyfriend ordered french toast. The only thing that had any real flavor was the bacon. Everything else was just a, "Meh." The egg whites I got were basically scrambled eggs, but I didn't feel like waiting for eggs again I just went with it. Plus, I saw our server telling the cook that they weren't egg whites and the chef came back with that shrug and "they are to me" look.
It wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't all that fantastic either. I probably should have just gone to an IHOP or something else - at least my expectations wouldn't have been set high and then met with disappointment. -
Review from Tabitha B.
Seattle, WA
1/30/2012
So good you'll always volunteer to bring/pick up your friends from the airport. To be fair I've never strayed from the breakfast menu, but honestly, don't know why anybody would have to. Pancakes-awesome! Homemade corned beef hash that doesn't taste nor look like cat food-awesome! A carafe full of delish coffee so you don't have to rely on the waitress to keep your mug full (a damn near impossible task for me in the morning)- awesome! Mother effin' bacon waffles- awesome beyond belief! The only negative thing is that parking can be sketch when it's crowded and it's in SeaTac.
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Review from Ken C.
Kent, WA
10/20/2011
This is one of those places that I love. I have been going here for years and I swear they have the exact same waitresses. Their hashbrowns are great, their sausage patties are unbelievable, and their food is always good.
Admittedly, it looks a bit worn out and run down but that's part of it's charm. -
Review from Estella P.
Seattle, WA
My husband and I used to come here years ago for breakfast every once in awhile and the food was pretty good. I'm a chicken fried steak person and always order that when we go to a breakfast restaurant. Well it's been over two years since we've been here. We came on a Sunday morning and it was busy. The service was okay. But the food was blah. I ordered my chicken fried steak with hash browns. The steak was plain tasting and the hash browns was bitter tasting. I've never had bitter hash browns. My husband had the french toast and he said it was okay but was not as good as it used to be. I don't know if it was because it was busy and the chef was just in a hurry to get the food out? Don't know if we'll come back.
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Review from Brittany L.
Lynnwood, WA
8/28/2011
Really?
Came here on a Friday morning as a group before the four of us sent off our friend at Seatac to go live on the east coast. I saw that there were (mostly) good reviews of the place and I can never pass up breakfast at a place that seems to be stuck in the past - I'm into the old chairs and wood paneling!
Everyone ordered something different - stuffed french toast, eggs and bacon, regular french toast, an omelet and I had the blueberry pancakes. Now, you'd think with a place like "Pancake Chef" that pancakes would be their specialty, would it not? Trust me folks, you could make better pancakes with a Bisquick mix at home. Typically I put little to no syrup on my pancakes but these things were so dry I had to douse them with it and I remained unimpressed with or without the dousing. Everyone seemed to like what they had, and I had a taste of the stuffed french toast which I thought was so-so.
We felt a little rushed by staff, which wasn't appreciated when we were trying to take our time with our friend (the place wasn't packed, either) but I guess when the service was paying attention to us (or when they weren't asking a question and then getting sidetracked by another staffer and forced to re-ask the question) they were decent albeit a little awkward.
I had high hopes, but unfortunately Pancake Chef didn't fit the bill on my quest to find the perfect breakfast spot. -
Review from Jeff J.
Kent, WA
12/18/2011
After a saturday night of drinking nothing like a good breakfast in the morning to help you recovering, i know i was here many years ago, the pancakes and hashbrowns are very good here, but the it's throwback from the 60's prehaps early 70's. Dont expect the best staff it took awhile to get the food but a had friends to keep me company, the coffee is not grade A but it fair, I would skip on the bacon, talk about overcooked..YIKES! But overall the food seemed good. But you do get a lot of food for the money. if im around after a night of beer drinking and raving maybe i'll stop in again.
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Review from JC D.
5/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
BACON. BACON. BACON. PANCAKE. PANCAKE. PANCAKE. BACON WAFFLE!
I'm a veggie, but I can appreciate the creativity and tradition. My sis treated me to a nice breakf...brun... okay! we slept-in, it was more like lunch, but breakfast is good any time of the day.
I looked it up on yelp and since it wasn't too out of the way from my sis' we made the trek. I gotta say the building is kind of propped up awkwardly above another building and you have to drive around to get to the top. Some kind of engineering marvel... or just plain weird. The inside atmosphere is what you would expect at any sleepy town diner with pit-stop status: older, friendly waitress and some wood panelling reminiscent of the 70's.
The service was spot on and the food hit the spot. Would def come back if I'm ever in the area or catching a flight. -
Review from Kel M.
Seattle, WA
10/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Casual family atmosphere. Fast and friendly service. Try the German pancake-- something different, a bit sweeter than a regular pancake. Lots of free parking.
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Review from Jennifer D.
Tucson, AZ
10/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Greasy spoon, but fast service and great place to just have a quick breakfast.
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Review from Jenn N.
6/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here to try to see what all the hype's about. I'd have to say I shoulda gone to IHOP that day.
First thing I thought of was those truckers' diners from the 60's. All the waitresses were young and pretty. The tables and chairs look totally old school. The atmosphere was cool.
Now on to the food. I ordered biscuits and gravy, the light order. Two biscuits came out on a plate with a slab of hash browns. Hey, where's the gravy?! ...Oh, there it is, in a bowl....on the side.... weird. I guess it was too much trouble for the chef to cut my biscuit open and poor the gravy on top. I had to do that myself. Maybe they wanted me to control how much gravy I wanted on my biscuits? I don't know....I've never had to poor my own gravy on my biscuits and gravy before! The gravy was meeeeh.. everything else was meeeh... the highlight of my meal was my white toast. hmm....
Yeah, I guess it's inexpensive and a totally good place to go if you're hung over and don't wanna drive to southcenter for ihop. Sure. But I don't think this is a place I'd come back to or recommend to a friend. -
Review from Euge R.
The pancake chef is a nice local favorite right next to Sea Tac airport on International Blvd. With a name like Pancake Chef you would expect the pancakes to be phenomenal however I wasn't blown away but I wasn't disappointed either. The service is great and the quality of food is better than your average Carrows, Cocos, or Denny's. The chicken fried steak had nice flavoring and was a decent size. The dollar pancakes were ok and the blueberry syrup was yummy.
There well known for their German Pancake which takes 15 minutes to cook and the person next to me said it was worth the wait. -
Review from David A.
Seattle, WA
I loved the chef! Great menu including blue plate specials! I love the logo of the pancake chef and I don't think a thing has changed in 50+ years
Mexican omelet - TASTY! Just the right amount of thinly sliced green onions and chorizo sausage were bonded to the melted cheese and proudly displayed as part of the happy little omelet family.
The staff was efficient and perfect for what the place is, an institution.
Great place for business breakfast if you like authentic experience versus "chain". -
Review from Jamie W.
Seattle, WA
10/9/2011
We came here on a Sunday morning, about 10am.. Place was packed! About a 10 minute wait before we were seated in the back corner (yay).. Most of the food was average fare for an average price,.. average coffee, etc.. except for the corned beef hash.
I ordered it after seeing the reviews and what I received was a runny mussy gelatinous mess, pawned off as corned beef hash. Sent it back twice. I would definitely recommend (if you actually get it) you order this dish "super well done" Even our server acknowledged this was a constant problem, and was prompt at getting me a new plate.
They make OK pancakes, they are small-ish and a bit dry.
I hear the German pancake is NOM but didn't have the patience to wait for it to be cooked.
All in all... this gets a "Meh" from me.. Probably won't be back though. Sorry! -
Review from April F.
8/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Let me get straight to the point....the pancakes are not that good. It wouldn't be a big deal if the place was called "random breakfast joint" but being that this place is called "pancake chef" I assumed that the pancakes would be better than average. FAIL! They weren't. Edible...yes if very hungry. Ok so with that out of the way, I also ordered a scramble that was the "special of the day" and it was really good. It had the standard sausage, egg, cheese, and selected veggies. That's pretty hard to mess up though. I saw some of the other customers food and it all looked pretty good and there are a few dishes I would like to try one day if ever in that area again. So my review may change in the future...but for now... It's blah....
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Review from Carrie V.
Berkeley, CA
9/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Decent breakfast place.
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Review from Brandee M.
Olympia, WA
8/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is nothing to brag about. Regular diner with mediocre food. Ordered a crab and cheese omelet and it was bland. My mom took a few bites and pushed it aside. The only thing worth coming back here for was the German pancake. Our waitress was nice and the atmosphere is family friendly. I have no desire to come back.
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Review from Benjamin P.
Cupertino, CA
The food was average. The service was awful. The waitress did not care at all about us, she literally threw the plates on our table while rushing to the next table.
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Review from Daniel F.
Taos, NM
8/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
House-made Corned beef hash and great service, need I say more, a match made in heaven.
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Review from Kelly N.
Seattle, WA
1/28/2011
I give 5 stars to the bacon waffle.
I give 2 stars to the biscuits and gravy.
I give 5 stars to the Buen Sabor.
The bacon waffle is by far my favorite thing to get here. Who can resist bacon chopped up and cooked inside the waffle, not to mention more bacon laid on top. The pancakes are good as well and they have different options such as buckwheat. Their menu is pretty large and you can get some unusual breakfast foods like German pancakes. The service is good sometimes and terrible other times. They are cordial but can be realllllllly slow. I do wish they had alcohol because there have been many times when I was craving a bloody mary to go with my breakfast.
They only stay open until 2 so get there early. -
Review from Jim F.
Tracy, CA
8/1/2011 1 photo
Good pancakes, good French toast , good Bacon. Been here 51 years, they must be doing things right. This place is definitely old school and no nonsense. Love it.
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Review from J. K.
Kennewick, WA
8/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Had the bacon waffle. It was amazing, but a bit parching.. the level of salt in this dish makes you very thirsty. Be ready to order some fresh squeeze OJ to go along with it. Service was decent.... Coffee was horrible. Decorum was 60s goodness. Btw.. this place IS right off of International Blvd.
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Review from Emily L.
Seattle, WA
2/21/2011
Great service. Fun, retro decor and atmosphere. Decent food.
My favorite thing about Pancake Chef was the decor... it appears that nothing has changed about this place in several decades. Lots of wood, gold, and orange, and big comfy booths give this place exactly the feel you might be looking for some Sunday morning. Obviously lots of regulars... this is clearly a well-loved neighborhood pancake joint.
Our waitress was fantastic - very attentive and sweet.
The food was decent too - good, not great. I had the buttermilk pancakes, which had a good flavor but were tougher than I like. I love a soft, fluffy pancake, which these definitely were not. I also ordered two eggs over medium, and they were decidedly over easy.
Bottom line: I'd definitely return. The next time you're hungover and craving a greasy spoon breakfast place, give Pancake Chef a try. -
Review from Dave G.
Newark, DE
6/29/2011
This place is great to stop at before catching a flight out of Sea-Tac. I have never had a bad meal here. Recently I discovered the Bacon Waffle - yes, it's a waffle with bacon cooked into the batter, and 2 pieces of crispy bacon on top. Extremely delicious!
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Review from Henry L.
Renton, WA
7/10/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Have been coming here since I was a small child...Love Love the German Pancake!!!!
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Review from Melissa C.
Scottsdale, AZ
3/9/2008
Oh My! You put bacon inside of a pancake! I have heard that everything tastes better with bacon, but jeez this is ridiculous... It must be magic!
The Pancake Chef is the perfect breakfast spot. It's affordable and they have just about every pancake or breakfast item you might want from fritters and Swedish pancakes, to corn beef hash(not my thing) and omelets. The trip back in time is just an added bonus to the experience. Oh, and did I tell you they actually make pancakes with little pieces of bacon throughout! -
Review from Amy B.
4/2/2007 4 photos
When some of my friends at work found out that I'd never been to the Pancake Chef they were shocked and disturbed. I grew up in Seattle - not in SKC where I now work and am still learning local hot-spots.
I recently checked out the Pancake Chef and my world is forever altered! Groups of friends (an unlikely pairing of mostly seniors and high school students) gather here and have chosen it to be their special place to hang. They don't seem to mind sharing their spot and were totally friendly and sweet.
The restaurant was decorated when the restaurant opened and I think that the owners decided to leave well enough alone. On the far wall are paint-by-number paintings that are available for purchase. Seating is comfortable, and if they're not too busy, you'll be able to choose to sit wherever you fancy.
It takes a true chef to produce the perfect flapjack. This undervalued art-form has been celebrated since 1959. Regular clientle from the immediate area often indicate a genuine hidden gem, and in this case, the Pancake Chef qualifies absolutely.
When you order coffee, they bring you a giant stainless steel carafe of the stuff. The Chef's "full stack" of pancakes turns out to contain "only" five, but they are fresh-tasting and substantial, and probably beyond the ability of most mere mortals to finish. Carbs be damned! Best of all, the pancakes have a light texture and -- as I said -- that unmistakable fresh taste. The menu is extensive and the service is efficient, although the kitchen can often be "leisurely". For many, road-stops like this one represent an era where time seemed to stand still, and for this great little find, perhaps it has.
I offer this (minor) caution: the owners appear, from certain items and small signs found around the restaurant, to be very conservative, both politically and religiously. They don't actually try to evangelize either religiously or politically face-to-face, but I figured it was worth mentioning. -
Review from Carla J.
Seattle, WA
3/3/2009 2 Check-ins Here
Family owned and operated for a zillion years at least!!
Simple clean, consistent spot! Good for families and groups! Breakfast specialties include the baked German Pancake & home made corned beef hash!!
Portions are generous, 2 can easily share a Big German! It is sprinkled with powdered sugar and looks like a huge pancake bowl browned to perfection, it is served with lemon wedges! I just like the plain ole maple syrup on mine!!
Service has always been friendly, not to much of a wait even if the house is packed!Listed in: If you DO'nt go.. You're an…, Loving a Decade or More
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Review from Valerie R.
Kapaa, HI
4/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
This local gem is in a really obscure and industrial area. Excellent service and a very family and home cooked meal feel to the place. Healthy options!!! Egg whites, buckwheat pancakes, wheat waffles. Pretty awesome! The German pancake looked massive and delicious. Wish I would of found this place earlier. It's located down the street from the airport. So perfect spot to grab a bite before or after your flight. Can't beat the prices either.
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Review from Cameron B.
Seattle, WA
12/7/2009
Boy, coming back to the Pancake Chef is like stepping into a time machine. It brought back many memories of my high schools years. Back in the day, our swim team would come to breakfast here on the morning of our state swimming meet. We always swam like champs after a meal here.
Deciding to be active, we went downtown and caught the Link Light Rail, where the restaurant is essentially kitty corner to the station.
We were seated within 5 min of our arrival and promptly served coffee and water.
I ordered the corned beef hash with a side of bacon, while my gf got a crab sandwich. The hash was excellent, and combined with the hashbrowns and some Tabasco, was a top notch breakfast.
I could easily see myself (and other patrons) relaxing and not worrying about the time while enjoying breakfast and reading the weekend paper.
The Pancake Chef is easily accessible with public transportation via Sound Transit Link Light Rail at Tukwila Intl. Blvd Station, and by King County Metro with the #124 coming from the north, and the #174 coming from the south. -
Review from Eva R.
San Diego, CA
6/4/2011
5 stars for this place! Loved the German pancake. Tastes like a lemon bar when you add only the lemon and nothing else. Absolutely delicious!! Banana pancakes are also great with the coconut syrup. Definately recommend this place if you love pancakes and excellent service. My fiance had the homemade corned beef hash and said it was the BEST that he had ever tasted. Prices are good and decor is definately a blast from the past. Very 50's retro with friendly service, great food and excellent prices.! Highly recommend!
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Review from Ben S.
King, WA
8/10/2009
Pancake Chef is a new favorite!
The breakfast card (get one if you order before 9 am on weekdays, turn in five for a free entree, I believe) is a great deal, on top of the already good prices and good, quick service.
The food is wonderfully standard. The buttermilk pancakes are simple and perfect, the ham and bacon are both fantastic, and the coffee pot is left at the table. The dutch baby (labeled as a german pancake) is a treat, although the portion is larger than I really need.
If you live in Seattle, I highly recommend using the train. It's half a block from the Tukwila International Blvd station. -
Review from Ken L.
Standard breakfast that did not impress. The eggs, hashbrowns, corned beef and french toast took way too long and the food was not hot. Prices were acceptable but IHOP or Denny's still would be better for breakfast in my opinion. Maybe I am not ordering the right foods or went on a bad day; I am not sure about the 5 star ratings given by others here. The fresh OJ is pretty good though =) though it didn't contain much pulp.
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Review from Bob G.
Bothell, WA
8/23/2007
What more can I say about the Pancake Chef? I have met up with a friend a couple of times here for breakfast. They specialize in, you guessed it, Pancakes! I usually avoid pancakes and stick with foods that won't raise my blood sugar, but they have a very high fiber pancake that I can enjoy. If you are really hungry, rather than a short stack or stack (of 3) regular sized pancakes, you can opt for the 5 smaller pancakes with 2 eggs and 3 strips of bacon - delicious.
They do have other breakfast fare like omelets, and their home made corned beef hash. I tried the corned beef hash on one occasion and found it to be several cuts above the standard restaurant item. It was mostly corned beef with a little potato - just as it should be - and the corned beef was still recognizable, not some ground mystery meat.
If you are out near Seatac - or not and just want to have a good breakfast on the way into Seattle from the south, check this place out. -
Review from Andy P.
2/18/2010
It's funny, I was dining some of my friends in Dallas and explaining the phenomenon of the Pancake House to them. Dallas, and for that matter--much of the country from what I can tell, doesn't have these kind of establishments, which is a shame.
The Pancake Chef has been independently owned since its inception and that spirit really shows. There is a focus on quality in what they do and it's an absolutely excellent place to eat breakfast. I think that of all these types of places in Seattle, this was my favorite. It has something special and it's in a kind of odd Seatac location which makes the environment even more interesting.
Top notch. -
Review from Pachi C.
San Jose, CA
11/29/2008
Food: Good healthy options and excellent fresh OJ
Service: Friendly
Price: Good deals. Average $6 per entree
We had a 3 hr layover at Sea-tac on our way home so stopped by Pancake Chef with some friends for a quick breakfast based on the positive reviews. It's not often that I disagree with fellow Yelpers, but today was an exception.
It's true they offer high-fiber pancake and waffle options. Which is great for those that are health conscious.
I got the high fiber waffle, and topped it with strawberry compote and whipped topping. Aside from the waffle being sort of thin and flat, everything else was actually quite good. The whipped topping and the compote not too sweet - perfect for my taste. All for about $6. If they had a fluffy version I'd be all over it.
I tasted my friend's potato pancake - it contained some herb (forgot what) that made it taste like a chinese egg-chive omelet. It was served with applesauce, which likely complemented the salty flavors. I thought the whole thing a little dry, actually.
The orange juice (fresh squeezed) is a winner. Lots of pulp, fresh, and simply delicious. Comes with some of the breakfast specials - otherwise a glass is "market price" (in case there's orange freeze in Florida?? I didn't know there was such a thing - I thought this term was reserved for lobsters).
I probably should've ordered the pancakes. -
Review from Sara T.
Renton, WA
9/11/2011
This is a good breakfast place. I had the omelet special, bf had bacon & eggs. Good, solid place. We'll go back.
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Review from Lesley K.
Edmonds, WA
1/30/2011
I love this place, I've been coming here since I was a kid. I have consistently had excellent service here. The inside of the restaurant is definitely dated, but the food makes up for it. My favorite menu items are the apple fritter or German pancake. My only regret is I live to far away now, so I don't get a chance to go as often as I like. But definitely one of the best Breakfast spots in town.
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Review from Glenn D.
Tacoma, WA
8/21/2010 1 photo
I was really hoping this place would turn out to be some awesome unknown roadside diner that had great breakfast. I quickly learned that there is no one here because the food is rubbish. My pineapple omlet was just not very good. Maybe I should have gotten pancakes but the pineapple was calling me. I don't understand the love for this place. The service was decent but the food just wasn't anything special. IHOP is better and I really don't like IHOP.
