This is an iconic Eugene pancake restaurant! I decided to visit since I was in Eugene over the weekend, and hey, I just needed to try another places chicken fried steak! Hopefully they have it!! I’m not sure if I’ve ever been here but I’m sure I must have – I lived in Eugene for ten years, and Ye Olde Pancake House has been there for forty so, seems it seems likely I’ve been there, but it’s been a while.
My dad and I decided to visit there and it was fortunate he was my guide – there was a fantastic mural outside that I would have completely missed if he hand’t pointed it out to me. We drove in from the east – so pulled into the parking lot via a right turn, so the mural was hidden to me. I saw it after he pointed it out to me – the interesting thing is that on the sign you can see what must be the owner – his picture is literally part of the logo, and his appearance is pretty iconic, he’s got a bit of a dated haircut, however on the mural he’s obviously gained a few years and it looks like he’s leaving or closing the door – one can imaging that after forty years he might be a little tired, but I never got the impression from my experience there that it was anything but a fantastic experience.
If you’re looking for Ye Olde Pancake House there is a large sign that is easy to see high above the restaurant and easily seen – the same gentleman who is seen in the mural (as I mentioned) is pictured delivering pancakes in a classy suit with a happy smile. There is also another sign that has the actual restaurant name on it just above the building. So it’s easy to find and you’ll have no difficulty spotting it from either side of the street.
Once you get inside there is a nice entry where the specials are listed. A couple of steps further and a turn to the right and you’ll see the waiting area – it’s pretty nice and fairly large so it looks like the place must have lots of folks waiting for tables on the weekends! One thing I particularly like is the little man who is near the table – his job when the benches are full of customers is to hold the coffee for folks – it’s a great idea that works really well to calm folks who area waiting. On the day I visited there wasn’t any waiting (as you can see), but I thought it was a great idea.
As we started making our way toward our table I noticed a small room off the main room. It’s a small meeting room that can be sectioned off from the rest of the restaurant. It can also be used as another seating area when it gets busy. It’s nicely appointed and to make the area seem larger there are false windows with mirrors where the panes would be. Nice touch there!
We made our way to the spot the hostess showed us and while on the way I got a good shot of the comfortable booths at Ye Olde Pancake House – they are roomy and comfortable – I had to try one and even a large person like myself felt most comfy in the booths. Right behind our booth is a counter bar area with built in seats around it and a large pavilion above it. It looks like the restaurant could seat around seventy or eighty diners at one time.
The table we were sitting at was comfortable and one thing I noticed was that the table had lots of creamer for coffee – no surprise there – however, the creamer wasn’t ordinary powered stuff or artificial, it was real half-and-half. Nice touch there and one more reason to recommend Ye Olde Pancake House – those caffeine folks will surely appreciate that special touch!!
I finally got around to browsing the menu – I really appreciate the fancy fonts on the titles of the different offerings, it lends a rich touch to the menu. If you’ve read any of the other breakfast reviews I’ve done you’ll no doubt guess what I ordered – no sense messing with a good thing after all, and there was even a little Ye Olde Pancake House guy next to the Chicken Fried Steak indicating House Favorites – uh, that’s plenty good reason to get it as far as I’m concerned!!
I got my chicken fried steak quickly and was very pleased – it was exactly as I’d requested, eggs over medium, gravy on the side, crispy hash browns, and rye toast. It was absolutely delicious. I definitely recommend this combination, and believe me, I’ve done the research. The gravy at Ye Olde Pancake House is homemade and has pieces of sausage in it – just delicious!!
Overall I’m really glad I got a chance to revisit Ye Olde Pancake House, like I said I’m pretty sure I’ve been there before at least once. It’s a great spot to visit if you’re in Eugene. The chicken fried steak is excellent. It deserves five Heywillamettes for it’s longevity (forty years!), great menu, real creamer on the tables, and more! Keep in mind that Ye Olde Pancake House only serves breakfast and lunch so if you do decide to dine here you’ll need to visit before two in the afternoon.
Hey Willamette Valley 