The Original Pancake House

A dreary day in Pittsburgh today - cold, gray and freezing rain. So what can be more cheerful than a giant plateful of pancakes? Morning errands took us to the Greentree neighborhood of Pittsburgh and just down the road on top of a hill sits the Original Pancake House right next door to a Denny's restaurant. These are the only two businesses on the hill. The OPH looks like a newer build, with young landscaping, so does that mean they specifically chose the location to siphon off business from their competitor? Just sayin...

We arrived around 8:30 and I was surprised to not have to wait in any sort of line. There is a really large waiting area, and signs posted "we will not seat incomplete parties" indicating that they are expecting to be busy. So we sat down right away and received great service. The menu was quite informative. I now know that the OHP is not "original" to Pittsburgh, but is in fact a chain founded in Portland, OR in 1953 and is now all over the country. I even got a great definition of a pancake:

"Pancakes are the very old beginnings of bread and pastry. Generally a pancake is any kind of batter, fried or baked in a skillet, on a griddle, or on any hot surface. The peoples of all nationalities have made pancakes from time immemorial."

So now you know. I counted nearly 20 different ways to have your pancakes served. But the extensive menu doesn't stop there. Also available are a wide selection of omelets, crepes, waffles, and egg selections. 

Portions are extremely large. The plates are saucer-sized and my little camera had to stand way back to get everything in one shot. A funny breakfast habit I have is dipping my bacon in syrup. So I had to try their bacon waffle. (Add chopped/cooked bacon to the waffle batter.) And husband ordered an Irish omelet (corned beef & hash) with granola pancakes. 

The omelet was SO big, we ended up taking half of it home. We'll see if it's able to hold up as decent leftovers. The bacon waffle was quite convenient for me, and the granola pancakes seemed to be one of the only choices that didn't include a super-sweet topping. 

So even though it's not original or unique to Pittsburgh, it's a good choice for Saturday breakfast for the very hungry who appreciate a varied menu. 

My favorite part of the restaurant is the cute front doors!