The Original Pancake House | Facebook | IG: @ophcentralohio
1633 W. Lane Ave. (map it!)
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
(614) 695-6810
Open Tues-Fri, 7a-2:30p; Sat & Sun, 7a-4p
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free?
Kid-friendly? Y
Not much has been written about the first Original Pancake House location in central Ohio, so I was pretty excited to review it the Columbus Dispatch back in July. We’ve since been back again, and wanted to share our photos and experiences.
The Original Pancake House started in Portland in 1953; we’ve actually been to one of the OPH locations out in Portland when visiting friends in years past, so it’s exciting to see it pop up here in Columbus.
The Original Pancake House is down the courtyard in the center of the Shops on Lane Avenue. On our first visit it took us a second to find it, but just follow the sign on the arch.
The central Ohio Original Pancake House opened pretty quickly at the very end of June, but people seem to have discovered it quickly. The two times we’ve stopped in – both on Saturdays – it’s been humming with activity. They seem to have things under control, but it is bustling. You can sign in at the front counter (they don’t take call-ahead seating or reservations) and they’ll text you when a table is ready. They have an app you can use to sign in, but we couldn’t get it work. Regardless, anticipate a bit of wait. Fortunately, if the weather’s nice you can hang in the courtyard.
The space is fairly big. There are small booths along the walls, larger ones running up the center, and four-tops scattered throughout. There’s also a long counter that looks towards the kitchen and a private room in the back.
They’ve also nailed down the branding and delivery, from the ceramic mugs to the menu items like branded coffee or whipped cream made with “Supreme Pure Vanilla from Lyons.”
Twice we’ve had the same server, and twice she’s been a little rushed. Attentive, yes, but on our first visit we had barely gotten situated and she had already asked to take our order 2-3 times. Guests – especially first-timers – need a little more time to get acclimated.
But they execute every dish very well. The menu includes tons of pancakes, from traditional buttermilk ones to Swedish pancakes with lingonberries to baked Dutch babies to buckwheat and sourdough pancakes to French crepes.
And to their credit they do the pancakes very well. They’re uniformly golden brown and a little buttery without being dry. We’ve tried the plain buttermilk and (pictured above) the chocolate chip pancakes.
We also loved the Three Little Pigs in a Blanket variation of sausages wrapped with silver dollar pancakes and served with “Hot Tropical Syrup” that’s like an orange marmalade.
Big thumbs up to the Cherry Kijafa crepes: dense and spongy crepes rolled and filled with tart cherries.
I also appreciated the thick-sliced bacon.
And we ventured into savory territory as well, opting for a very well done corned beef hash served with over easy eggs and potato pancakes.
I prefer the hash a little crispier, but it’s still made from scratch and nicely seasoned. Big fan of the potato pancakes (which you can order by themselves); they’re essentially small piles of hash browns smashed down onto the grill.
It should say something that we’ve returned to the Original Pancake House. Despite the busy atmosphere it features a lot of well-executed and -presented breakfast dishes and it’s great for families. Just expect a bit of a wait and to feel a little rushed, especially if you’re coming in on a weekend.
Disclaimer: this meal was paid for as part of a Columbus Dispatch review. Thoughts and photos here are my own.