Ye Olde Pancake House
Ye Olde Pancake House
2421 W 11th Ave
Eugene, OR 97402
(541) 344-7830
Eugenified.com rating: 
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I am trying to think of something to say about Ye Olde Pancake House, but my mind keeps drifting before I can get anything on paper. It’s hard to describe. It’s just so…so so. There’s nothing really bad or good to say about it. Of course, that could be seen as a wonderful reliability on their part, or it could be seen as a not-so-wonderful drabness. Which one is it? You be the judge.
Well, let’s take a look first at the decor. There it is…uhhh…it’s nothing special. Sort of a 70′s-ish, Denny’s-ish, IHOP-ish, Elbonian mix of features with a strong dose of UO-hyperbooster strewn about the place. Does it bother me? No. But is it even slightly memorable or does it add to the overall eating experience? No. No.
The service is nothing special either, aside from the fact that the servers seem to be oddly Amazonian in height (the opposite of Elbonian)…At least one of them has that I-am-a-skinny-model-but-don’t-stand-out-at-all-without-makeup look. They semi-bustle about the place, take your order with semi-interest, and deliver it to your table half-fast in a semi-friendly sort of way. If you order one of the cheap (i.e. low tip generating) breakfast specials, you might just see a tiny hint of a frown cross their face for a microsecond. If you blink, you’ll miss it. That’s about all the emotion you gonna get out of them.
The food is also a rather uneventful affair. It’s definitely not very good, but it’s also not bad. There just seems to have been very little thought given to the food. It’s as basic as you can get without becoming a military MRE (look it up). Serving sizes tend to be on the small side, which I guess is perfect for the smallish senior citizens that pack this place on weekday mornings. From time to time, you will catch a glimpse of some hulking college football players heading towards the banquet room in the back, so I assume they have a special hulking menu for them. Otherwise, they would be able to down a breakfast special in one bite.
Even the name of this place is boring and generic: “Pancake House”. Wow, that’s sooo original. The addition of the Renaissance-Fair-ish “Ye Olde” really does nothing except annoy me when I am forced to say the name out loud. The acronym doesn’t work either: YOPH. Catchy.
In summary, it’s not a winner, nor is it a loser. It’s just there. If you are looking for something reliable, smallish servings, and slightly-sub-Denny’s in taste, then head on over to Ye Semi-Olde Sub-Denny’s Boring Pancake House. You not only won’t be disappointed, you won’t even remember eating there 10 minutes after you leave.
Eugenified.com rating:
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November 19th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Hilarious! Are you referring to Dilbert when you mention Elbonia?
November 30th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Which waitress is the model? I don’t think she was there when I ate there. The food was ok though.
December 28th, 2008 at 9:05 am
We love the omelettes at Ye Olde. you should try them. They are the best in Eugene.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:35 pm
The serving sizes of the specials seem to be smaller than the regular serving sizes. Otherwise, food at Pancake House is ok in my book.
August 23rd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Sounds like this person had way too much time on their hands to write such a long lousy review get a life and cook your own food!
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
This review was actually shorter than my normal. I guess I do not have enough time on my hands.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I tend to agree. That place is just a little too boring and unsubstantial. Maybe beachbumshell works there or owns the place. He should spend some more time improving the restaurant rather than trying to attack honest (and funny!) reviews.
January 12th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
[...] burritos have way, way more flavor than Laughing Cafe’s. Dare I say, even anti-quirky Ye Olde Pancake House’s breakfast burrito puts one over on the [...]
February 19th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Update: Now that I have been there about 8 more times since I wrote the review (yes, I am that desperate for a breakfast food place), I think it is actually a little better than my initial impression. The service seems better now too.
One weird thing though is the serving sizes are really inconsistent. I order the same thing every time I eat there, and sometimes the plate is packed full of food, but other times it is distinctly reduced in qtty. Maybe the mood of the chef or different shifts? A mystery.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:08 am
[...] surface except around the outside edges. This is not only a problem at Brail’s. Studio One, Ye Olde Pancake House, and Cornocopia all have this same sparseage problem. The only place I have found in Eugene that [...]
August 31st, 2010 at 1:04 pm
[...] Ye Olde Pancake House and Brail’s have patiently tried to teach me for years that serving sizes should be smallish at best. I know they are just trying to help me control my weight. And I should thank them for their concern and caring. Instead, like a lumbering zombie, I get drawn back to Shari’s over and over again for their reasonably-priced and good-sized portions. Whether it’s eggs & bacon, pancakes, or a spinach/mushroom omelette, Shari’s consistently shows their lack of concern for my health by giving me a good value for money. [...]