I prefer to drive to the Original Pancake House in Anaheim on Lincoln Blvd. The atmosphere is much nicer there (it's an actual house that was converted into a restaurant) and the food is A+ quality. I like to order the buckwheat pancakes with bacon and eggs. The way they brew the coffee is great and as a bonus, they have recently added hash browns to the menu. I have been to the Original Pancake House in Aliso Viejo three times hoping that it would improve, but it never has. It is unfortunate because I live about a mile away from the restaurant. The buckwheat pancakes and the regular buttermilk pancakes at the Aliso Viejo location taste like there's beer in the batter - and I hate beer. Therefore, it's not worth my money to ever go there. The hostess is very nice, but the waitresses are rude. \r
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On my last visit, the waitress told me I could not have fried egg whites - I either had to have them with the yolks or scrambled. Who wants scrambled egg whites? Yuk! That was a first for me as I had ordered the same thing with no problem during my two previous visits. They simply removed the yolks for me and I paid extra. That was certainly fair. In addition, the place is so big that it feels like I'm at Denny's because it's noisy and crowded. \r
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I know that people love the dutch baby pancakes, but I have never tried them so I cannot rate that menu item. Maybe that's what people come for at the Aliso Viejo location. \r
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Whenever I get a taste for pancakes, I either make my own organic whole grain pancakes at home, or travel up the 5 fwy to the 57 to make my way to a decent restaurant - the Original Pancake House in Anaheim. By the way, the Original Pancake House in Las Vegas gets an A+ rating as well.
Pros: Close to home
Cons: Nasty regular pancakes
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