Brave the crowds for breakfast at the Original Pancake House in Lehi
California Benedict with breakfast potatoes at Original Pancake House.
Hawaiian Pancakes at Original Pancake House.
The Western Omelette at Original Pancake House.
White chocolate macadamia pancakes at Original Pancake House.
Despite the name, I find breakfast food is often most enjoyable at times other than the crack of dawn.
I can think of many occasions where I opt for a cup of yogurt or an energy bar rather than a full breakfast, simply because of time or convenience. This means that when the time arises for me to actually enjoy some bacon, eggs and pancakes, I attempt to relish as much of every bite of fluffy pancake and salty bacon as possible.
Brunch and breakfast restaurants are obviously less common than the standard lunch and dinner eateries, which is why I had to try the first breakfast diner at the Point of the Mountain, the Original Pancake House.
The Original Pancake House is a chain with locations across the nation, including several restaurants in the Salt Lake Valley. Each restaurant’s decor, design and even menu is tailored to its location. The new Lehi location evokes the feeling of an old barnhouse, with exposed wood finishings, machined steel accents and rustic decor dotting the restaurant. It felt like coming home for breakfast, along with about 150 other random people.
This noise and occupancy was my first observation as my wife and I arrived at the restaurant. We were told it would be about a 35-minute wait, which, on a Saturday, wasn’t very surprising. But my wife and I were a little uncomfortable with how once we were seated, we were practically smacking elbows with the group adjacent to us. It was extremely tight quarters, which I guess on a Saturday morning was a necessary evil.
Once seated, I ordered a glass of the house special orange juice, while my wife ordered a mug of their hot chocolate. The orange juice basically reminded me of the half gallon of OJ in my fridge and my wife’s hot chocolate was Stephen’s hot chocolate.
My entree was the California Benedict, which was an English muffin topped with bacon, an over easy egg, tomatoes, avocado and covered in hollandaise sauce. I’d never had an eggs Benedict before and I felt like ordering something out of my traditional comfort zone was a bit risky. But at this point, I’d been waiting almost an hour, and I was fairly hungry, so caution went to the wind.
And I’m glad it did. The avocado was the perfect touch to this take on eggs Benedict. The English muffin was toasty and crispy while the smooth avocado created a balance of texture. The muffin also made an excellent sponge for sopping up the runny eggs. The bacon was salty, savory and very thick. I easily and excitedly cleaned this plate.
On the side were a stack of Hawaiian Pancakes, which were traditional pancakes with coconut, pineapple, topped with coconut and served with a side of coconut syrup. The pancakes were perfectly soft, while the toasted coconut added a fantastic and unexpected texture element. This was further complemented by the coconut syrup, which I must find somewhere to buy by the bottle.
My wife chose a Western omelette for her entree, which was an omelette loaded with ham, green and red bell peppers, onion and cheese.
What she didn’t realize prior to ordering was that each omelette was made with five eggs. Our jaws dropped — partially of hunger — as we observed the omelette easily filling a dinner plate. She would later split this Leviathan omelette over three meals.
The ham was chunky and well-seasoned. The vegetables gave an extra crisp. And the cheese was overflowing, considering how much it comprised the omelette.
The edges of the omelette were a bit overdone for her tastes, but she ate around the burnt bits.
Her meal also came with a side of pancakes, so she elected to upgrade to the white chocolate macadamia pancakes. Each flapjack tasted more like a cookie, with smooth white chocolate being soaked in that sickly sweet coconut syrup.
As if the pancakes weren’t enough, each entree came with a side of “breakfast potatoes” a sort of in-between of hash browns and potato wedges. The texture was also an in-between of smooth and crispy, which I felt was a bit odd.
My favorite part of the meal was when I got the bill, which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the food. It was purely that when I looked at the bill, I was astonished that we received so much food at an undeniably reasonable price. Most meal items hover around or below the $10 mark, making this an easy spot for breakfast with the kids or brunch with family.
Everything we ordered was consistently good. I don’t feel like anything was so great it knocked my socks or taste buds off, but there’s something to be said of that overall consistency, especially with the range of the menu spanning everything from oatmeal to waffles to crepes and even acai bowls. Nothing was so bad that we wished we had not braved the crowds. Everything was acceptable.
Breakfast has always been labeled the most important meal of the day, and it’s a treat that a restaurant dedicated to this oft-forgotten meal is the latest addition to the Point of the Mountain dining options.
ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE
Where: 1674 W. Traverse Parkway, Lehi
Hours: Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Prices: $2-10.95
Info: (385) 336-8386, https://www.ophutah.com/