Original Hotcake House

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1002 SE Powell Blvd
Portland, OR 97202

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(503) 236-7402
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Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Original Hotcake House - Portland, OR
Reviews
( 14 )
( 8 )
( 2 )
( 2 )
( 4 )

Best

This place is delicious. Everything that i have ordered has been outstanding. The atmosphere is nice and it makes you feel welcome. The people who work there are very nice and the...

Worst

Funny how appealing this place becomes after the bars close. Long lines, greasy food and a sloppy drunk clientele are somehow okay. Portions are gigantic and the hotcakes and eggs...

BIGGEST GREASEPIT IN TOWN! 5/13/2011

The first thing I noticed when I walked into this place was that there are layers and layers of grease everywhere. Looks like they haven't cleaned in a decade. To top it off, my husband and I BOTH found thick black Hispanic hairs in our food! Disgusting! I'll never visit this dump ever again! more
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You have got to be kidding me! 12/4/2010

My disabled friend and I went into this place for a breakfast in the morning. He took a seat (due to an illness that takes his strength away from him) and we were kicked out. Very bad service I am reporting them to the better business bureau. As far as I know, by law you (the restaurant) has to accommodate the disabled. Hope to see these guys get it together or be shut down. Just a heads up, dont take you disabled friends/family or your grandmas to this place. For that matter, dont take anyone who needs a seat before you order. more
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portlands worst service 5/1/2010

bad service..the older(male) manager...he is very rude.you are not allowed to sit down before you order..was not nice to my 85 yr grandmother made her stand in line with every one else before sitting down... (company policy).. not elder friendly .parking is a joke..if there was another place open close by i would go there first... Pros: the hot cakes Cons: most every thing more
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Off Night? 3/20/2010

I went there for the first time last night, I've heard good things about the place and since it wasn't to busy I decided to stop in for a hotcake. First off the guy at the register didn't look at me nor say anything for a good 2 minutes as he poked away at the register. Finally he said (without looking up) "What do you want" I just ordered one strawberry pancake and sat down, 45 minutes later my one pancake arrived with no strawberry. If it was busy I would defiantly understand, but it was not that crazy.... The Pancake was pretty good but I was very disappointed with just about everything Pros: Good set up Cons: Not so great service more
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Great food and great deal. 12/30/2009

This place is delicious. Everything that i have ordered has been outstanding. The atmosphere is nice and it makes you feel welcome. The people who work there are very nice and the food is made fairly quickly. Pros: Great food, fantastic hashbrowns and eggs, great biscuits. Cons: long line more
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Great Food! 7/21/2009

I've been going to the Original for about 40 years now. As a Paramedic in my younger days working mainly on the East Side this was the place to go whenever we were hungry. My favorite, a short stack and a side of Patty Sausage. I once took out their daughter to get the secret to the pancake batter....Hmmm I ain't tellin! Need to get some better coffee, for sure!! Pros: Great Food All Hours Cons: Bad Coffee more
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Great anytime of the day! 2/29/2008

I moved here from Chicago 7 months ago and for the first 6 mos. I was looking for a cheap breakfast place. With every suggestion I was disappointed. Most places try too hard here in Portland to separate themselves from the rest and end up costing way too much. The food is home cooked on a huge griddle right in front of the ordering line. No frilly eggs or fancy seasoned hashbrowns here. Three egg omeletes and buttered toast. Pancakes are great too. You can buy 1, 2, or 3. Be ready for a wait on the weekends and to serve yourself your coffee but it is worth it. I feel like I'm back home in Chicago where breakfast spots are known for their low price and simple but great food. more
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It's good... 8/13/2007

What can I say.... It's a hole in the wall place that has very good food all the time... The hotcakes are big and taste great and the hashbrowns are to die for, In fact eat them too much you may from all the grease but what the heck they are good. People watching is half of what this place is about all types. So if you want some good old diner type food and don't mind the the music and the wait that can happen for your food if they are real busy then this is still one of the best around. Pros: Hot off the grill Cons: parking... more
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It's good enough to bring your Grandparents 7/20/2007

I've been going to the hotcake house for about 8 years now. It's that good. When I moved out of the state for college, I requested when I came back that the first stop after PDX was this place. The hotcakes are a must. If you don't get hot cakes, it's like committing suicide. No matter how your day is going, that greasy mother always gets me going. My personal favorite, since it is the Original Steak and Hotcake House, is the Ribeye Steak and Eggs. Absolutely dominant. I took my grandparents here after my brother graduated from high school. And we live in West Linn. That's called committment. And love. And the ability to bridge the gap between generations with nothing more than a short order cook, some hotcakes, and that jukebox. Remember, once you go Hotcake, you never go back anywhere else. Pros: Food, the disgusting bathrooms, and the prices Cons: Consistently making illegal left turns out of the parking lot more
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Best Hotcakes, and all other food atleast above average. 7/17/2007

I've been a regular for many years. Sometimes the hotcakes are cooked too close to the onions, but they're good even then. I was once served hotcakes that were burned on the bottom side, I informed my server and they were replaced without complaint. The place does get very crowded, and I'll only go if I can go off hours. Their coffee is bad, but I guess that's to avoid people taking up the limited seating just to drink the coffee. Pros: Hotcakes, real butter, real maple syrup, other food. Cons: Too crowded, bad coffee. more
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Our Saturday Evening Hangout 3/27/2007

Food is greesy and good. Coffee is bad---I often bring a cup of Peet's. Omeletts and burgers are very good. Ask them to toast the bun on the griddle. You won't get a burger like this at Mickey Dees! And you can watch them being made. Service is as fast as they can do it---depends upon how many folks have ordered ahead of you. Bacon and hashbrowns are fine. We've been meeting there every Saturday night since 1989---so it must be good, huh? We are a bunch of adult amateur radio users and go early in the evening before the young folks fill the place around midnight. Oh, I didn't mention the hotcakes. They are gooey and wonderful. Real butter, homemade syrup. And they are big. Pros: Hotcakes, Burgers, Omletts. Cons: Coffee more
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Huzzah! Hotcakes 11/10/2006

I stand by my original review, when I was ToddVania #1, until CitySearch loved me and left me like a booze-goggled lot lizard. This place, however, has only gotten worse. Like I said before, it was the best in the '80's. I remember a Korean chef frantically pouring batter and using the cash register at the same time...best food, breakfast-wise, in Portland. Nowadays, who gives a **ck if "Ice Cube," or whatever, ate there? He was probably looking for a fight, anyway, and probably would have found it here. It's only gotten more crowded and hostile, like the rest of Portland. The food is still great, but the best time to come is in the afternoon when it's empty. And don't put that rap garbage on the juke when I'm there, dude. Pros: Exacto Food, 24 hours if you can get a seat Cons: Too crowded at night, no parking, clientele, service, 'music' more
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They'll hire you straight out of prison! 11/3/2006

This was my favorite late-night place to hang-out pre-21, but since then I don't make it there as often. I still LOVE the food and service. REALLY good pancakes! Pros: the employees have done hard time! The pancakes are good, the bacon is greeeeezy! Not very many breakfast joints have a juke box! Cons: nothing that I can think of more
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highly recommended 10/25/2006

Yummy menu - always good for the drunk crowd. Been there many a night with a few too many in the belly. more
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Late night dining at it's best 10/22/2006

I've been here 6 or 7 times and all but once at 2am or later. Although the beakfast eats are good, I prefere the slight buzz of inebriation to dull me senses to how dingy this place is... The staff is complacent at best (which just add to the greatness) and the food greasy and fantastic. Pancakes are great and I'm very partial to the hockey puck shaped sausage they dish up. Always a great mix of people eating there and usually half of them in the bag. Good times. Pros: people watching, feeds your drunk cravings Cons: parking more
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24 hour eats 9/5/2006

I love this place! It has great hashbrowns and ham steaks. I came here after prom night, as trashy as that may sound... But when you got a craving this is your place! Pros: great breakfast 24 hours a day Cons: potential artery blocker more
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Greasy spoon delight` 4/26/2006

If you don't care about the grease, this is the place. You can count on cooking the old fashioned way: without a concern for anyones health, as long as it tastes good! This kind of eating is great once in a while and everybody should treat themselves once in a while to the way grand ma used to cook, when in doubt, add a little butter. more
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A Greasy great value 3/16/2006

You know what you're going to get when you come to this place, good food cooked the old fashioned way, no radiccio salads here, just good bacon and eggs, pancakes, without any concern for one's health. But ya gotta go out and have some of that once in a while. this is the spot. Pros: Grand ma's cooking Cons: parking more
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the best greasy spoon Portland has to offer 2/3/2006

There are systems and rules in place, and as long as you follow then you'll get along great. I've been a patron sice they used to yell the orders back and forth. No saving tables, by the time you order someone will have left anyways. Bease pancakes in Portland hands down. Giant yummy omlets, giant plates of hashbrowns. Terrible coffee. These area few of my favorite things... Pros: inexpensive, GREAT FOOD, fun attitude Cons: parking more
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THE BEST 8/6/2005

I seem to always order the same thing...mushroom and cheese omelet with hash browns. The portion is so big. Food is yummy and greasy (in a good way) and definately hits the spot. If you go there, be ready to order, eat, and leave promptly. There aren't too many seats in this place. If you want a place to read your book or do your homework...go find yourself a Starbucks. Pros: food, inexpensive Cons: crowded, parking more
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Menu for Original Hotcake House


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Vinyl booths, a jukebox and a service counter create the ambience of a classic greasy-spoon diner. Big portions and lots of carbs are just the ticket for those looking to fill up or soak up the late-night alcohol. The plate-sized hotcakes are deservedly famous, dripping with syrup. Other breakfast items include omelettes, waffles and biscuits and gravy. A bevy of lunch and dinner plates is also available, like steaks, burgers, salads and sandwiches.

  • 6/18/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Payments: Visa, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Brooklyn Action Corps, Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program
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