Pancake Pantry

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

OK, I had my third birthday at the Pancake Pantry when Mr. Baldwin was in charge before his son Dave inherited the establishment, and I had my 30th birthday there last year. My family has been going even longer than that since my dad was in med school at Vandy in the early 70s. Now, if youre a FOODIE and not from Nashville, you probably wont get the place. Yes, you wait in line for at least 30 minutes if you get there after 8:00 am. Thats the culture. Its a place where people know the waitresses and they call you "honey" and "sweetie." Literally, its home for me. Its a place where you take your time and enjoy the morning. Welcome to Nashville and the South. If you are looking for fancy food and such, forget it. Theres no goat-cheese omellThe Pancake Pantry is all-american. Its a great place, very relaxing and 100% Nashville. The country music industry regularly attends. Garth Brooks was told by Joyce (a legendary waitress who now has retired after working there 40+ years?) not to leave Nashville when he came in one day before he made it big and was going to quit and leave. He was going out and she convinced him to stick around. Thats the Pancake Pantry. You go there for the soul of the place. Ill sit and talk to Mary for a darn good while when she has moments to spare. Im sure if youre a vet like me you know all the classic folk like Betty and Sue and all the others. We go every Saturday as long as were in town. Now, lets get to the food. First and foremost, you GO FOR THE PANCAKES!!! Ive never had pancakes like them ever. They have fantastic buttermilk pancakes with variations ranging from cherry to Caribbean coconut. Dont forget, they also have Buckwheat Pancakes served with honey (a newer favorite of mine) and sweet potato pancakes served with cinnamon and spice syrup! Recently, they added the Southwest Pancakes which my dad has taken to that are cornmeal with bacon and cheese mixed inside. Now, Im just showcasing their pancakes because they are the greatest, but they have so much fantastic food to offer. Most of their sausage over the years has been of local Tennessee variety, and you can pretty much have your eggs served any way you like. IF YOURE READY FOR THE SAVORY BIG MEAL, go for the Grill Cooks Medley. It is the undiscovered gem on the menu. If youre in for a long day of physical work, get this dish! The cook pulls all the stops and mixes up eggs and potatoes topped with peppers, onions and cheese dressed with salsa. Its sticking to your ribs and leaving your taste buds in paradise. Again, Ill tell you straight to the point if youre someone who doesnt like to enjoy taking the time to start your morning slowly and with smiles, youre not going to like the place. If youre wanting a place where all the waitresses are dressed in black and the name of the place is trendy like these one word expression restaurants like "Pancake" or "Egg," forget it. You wont like it. People dont come in to use laptops or refer to Zagats guides. Its the enduring side of Nashville during a period of transformation. Enjoy, Tim Wesley

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Keef C

During an impromptu weekend trip to Nashville, the wife and I searched for and found the Pancake Pantry as our local, non-chained eatery for Sunday brunch (we found out about another location in Gatlinburg later that day - lol). Nice little place - open dining area, extremely friendly and courteous staff, reasonable prices, great food. I tried the sweet potato pancakes which, as a few other reviewers have mentioned, were really tasty. Despite being a cinnamon fan, I was less impressed with the cinnamon cream syrup than most others (a little cinnamon sometimes goes a long way), and opted for the maple syrup which worked very well on its own. Of all the things I tried though, the one thing that stood out as absolutely fantastic were the hash browns. Little chunks of starchy goodness - crisp, thick, and hearty - absolutely loved them and highly recommend them to anyone that cant do a breakfast/brunch without em. From what I understand theres typically a lengthy wait for a seat but, judging from our visit, its not much longer than 30 mins or so. YMMV though, especially considering the day you visit. One thing to note - the place stays open (at least on Sundays) til 4pm, and by 1pm the line was significantly shorter to get in, so if youre not a fan of waiting in line, that may be a good tip to remember. All in all we enjoyed the eats and experience at the Pancake Pantry and will most likely visit again after giving a few other local hotspots at least a try first. Give it a shot - I doubt youll leave dissatisfied.

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Adam Forsythe

We ate here because there is typically a line around the block, and for some reason when we passed by there was no line and tables were open. Why anyone would wait in a massive line to eat here is beyond me. I wouldnt even wait for a table. It was incredibly underwhelming.... Food: Average diner quality that you can get literally anywhere. Setting: Everything inside felt old, greasy and dusty. Ceiling tiles and fans were caked in layers of grime. Our salt shaker was so packed with old food that it only came out of two spouts. Our pepper shaker was covered in butter on one side from someone who was there before us. Staff: Our server was great. However another person decided to start dusting while there were still people eating. Layers upon layers falling from the fan that he left turned on which made it blow everywhere. Granted no one was at those tables but this is cleaning that should be done after hours. Finally once he got close to our table, I asked him to stop. He stopped and said he thought we might have wanted him to by the way we kept looking over at him. But he didnt take the initiative to stop on his own. We will not be back. Which is unfortunate because from the hype, it seemed like it wouldve been an awesome place. Go next door to Fidos, Grilled Cheeserie, or Biscuit Love. You will be 100 times happier.

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David Barton

This mom and pop restaurant has withstood the test of time, since 1961, and rightfully so. The Pancake Pantry has a laid back and relaxed atmosphere with lots of seats and a quick diner turnover. However, this popular pancake destination still has lines out the door – with waits in excess of an hour on weekends. On a Thursday around 10:30 we only had to wait for about 10-15 minutes. The pancakes at The Pancake Pantry were delicious. We ordered: Santa Fe Cornmeal Pancakes: This recipe comes from the Village Smithy restaurant in Carbondale, Colorado. Three stone-ground cornmeal pancakes with chunks of bacon, cheddar cheese, and roasted green chiles cooked inside. Sweet Potato Pancakes: Real sweet potatoes in a fluffy batter make this our most unique pancake. Sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Hash Browns Yes, that’s a lot of food. The Santa Fe pancakes were unlike anything I’d ever had before. The cornmeal was unusual in pancake form but I liked the different and unique texture. The bacon, cheddar cheese and green chiles were plentiful and cooked directly into the middle of the pancake – not just on one side as chocolate chips sometimes are. The hash browns were equally as good and were more like home fries with a crunchy crust on the outside.