The Best Pancakes in the World in Alpharetta, Georgia

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The Original Pancake House

We don't go out for breakfast too often, but when we do, we drive past the Waffle House and the IHOP and head directly to Alpharetta, Georgia, to the Original Pancake House.

In the 1970s, I was a runner and ran in local races almost every weekend. And after each race, a large group of us would head to Brookhaven and wait for up to two hours to get into the Original Pancake House. This was the first location in the city, and it grew to about a dozen within a few years.

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There are only three left, and the Alpharetta, Georgia location is the newest, brightest, and, in my opinion, best. But the original site in Atlanta isn't the original original. The restaurant began in Portland, Oregon, in 1953 in an old house owned by Les Highet and Erma Hueneke. Their attention to detail and quality can be found in every Original House of Pancakes for the last 68 years. The Alpharetta, Georgia location is no exception.

The two signature dishes at the Original House of Pancakes are the Apple Pancake and the Dutch Baby. If you think of a traditional pancake with a few feeble apple bits in it, you will be pleasantly surprised. The apple pancake is a huge baked concoction smothered with sautéed apples and cinnamon sugar. The Dutch Baby is just as large and baked but lighter with a delicious lemon flavor.

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You can expect to wait for as much as half an hour for one of these dishes to be prepared. Back in the day, this wait was on top of the two-hour delay to get in, so you know it had to be something special. I always opted for either the mushroom or veggie omelet. These six-egg monstrosities are also baked after starting the traditional way. And if six eggs and a rich filling aren't enough, these are served with a side of pancakes. I don't think I was ever able to finish an omelet, much less the pancakes.

The consistent quality of the ingredients is what keeps me coming back. The finest 93 score butter, fresh AA eggs, unbleached flour, and hand-whipped 36% cream, and all batters and sauces are prepared fresh each day. And the coffee! Long before there was a Starbucks or any place to get a good cup of coffee in Atlanta, there was the Original Pancake House.

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We have long since lost the ability to consume one of the signature pancakes or ginormous omelets, but we never leave hungry. My standard order is the simple Apple waffle. A traditional waffle filled with pieces of apple and served with fresh apple syrup. I usually split an order of the thick-sliced, peppery bacon with my wife.

Her order will vary but always include two key ingredients, fruit and the delicious, fresh whipped cream. The base may be pancakes or a waffle, and the fruit either bananas or strawberries. You have to remember that if it's not fresh, they don't serve it, so don't expect strawberries year-round.

A few times, I have ventured outside my comfort zone and ordered other specialties, but I have never been disappointed. Their corned beef hash is homemade with chopped kosher corned beef, roasted potatoes, and onions. The crepes are outstanding, with the Montmorency cherry and Kijafa sauce crepes leading the pack.

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I have even tried to eat light there once or twice. Bacon and eggs. Simple, right? But three huge slices of their thick-sliced bacon and two large eggs along with the obligatory three buttermilk pancakes, and light goes out the window.

If you are in the mood for a freshly prepared, filling, and delicious breakfast, head into Alpharetta, Georgia, and stop by the Original Pancake House. You won't leave disappointed. Or hungry.

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