My wife and I visited the newly opened (Sept. 4th) Pannenkoeken Cafe, 4757 N. Western Avenue, for a Sunday (Sept. 9th) morning breakfast. We were very eager to try this new addition to the Lincoln Square area, after seeing the "Opening Soon" sign for a few weeks. Their specialty is the pannekoeken, which is a Dutch pancake. My wife had visited Amsterdam and Delft in the Netherlands, and had tried them there on numerous occasions, so she was pretty excited to learn of this restaurant's opening.

Upon entering, we were warmly greeted by the host and seated at a table for two. The restaurant was full, except for two tables that seat 2 people. There were larger groups of 4 and 6 people waiting outside.



The decor of the restaurant was very clean and uncluttered. It had a very Euro feel to it, with an Espresso machine and large coffee prep table. We liked the little vases with painted wooden tulips on the tables. The background music was at a nice level, so you could still have a conversation. The restaurant looks to seat close to 22 at most.




The waitress was very welcoming, explained exactly what a pannenkoeken is at my request (I haven't had the pleasure to travel to the Netherlands yet, so I was clueless) . We placed our order, and she returned promptly with two cups of coffee.

To me, the measure of any restaurant is the quality of it's coffee. If you cut corners with it, then you probably do the same with your ingredients as well. Not so here! The coffee was excellent! It arrived hot in two 16 oz. mugs ($1.50). It also came with a little pitcher of cream (not those little plastic creamer cups).



Our breakfasts arrived between 10 and 15 minutes later. My wife ordered the Chocolate Banana Pannenkoeken ($7.75) and I ordered a Belgium Waffle ($6.75) with a side of sausages ($2.50)



My wife's pannenkoeken came with ripe sliced bananas, freshly whipped cream, crumbled toasted hazelnuts, and Dutch chocolate sauce drizzled over the top. The pancake itself was very thin, and crepe-like. I sampled hers and WOW! This tasted like something I had never tried before! What I liked about the whole pannekoeken was that the toppings were not overly sweet, and they seemed to compliment the base pancake's flavor.



I had the Belgium Waffle. It came with very fresh, ripe strawberries and blueberries (I was hoping that the fruit would not be frozen, and it was indeed very fresh and ripe) along with a dollup of whipped cream (again, just the right amount of sweetness) and a dusting of powdered sugar.



I also had a side order of sausage. This came with two links of larger than normal sausage, similar to what is served at the downtown hotels. The sausage was cooked properly and juicy (I dislike when sausage is overcooked and dry)and had a great flavor.



Overall, we enjoyed our experience at this newly opened restaurant. We can't wait to return to try something else. Some of the dishes I eyed up going past were the French toast, and the pannenkoeken with bacon and cheese. We overheard conversations by a few Dutch customers, and they seemed very pleased with their selections. I think that is a great compliment to the owners. We can't wait to return!

Nice pictures, TheWindyCity. I merged your post to the existing Pannekoeken thread so people following that one will see it.

Nice post. I'm looking forward to a visit in the near future. Probably on a weekday, judging from that line of people waiting to get in.

I liked it. The service needs work (i wanted to get up and help bus tables) but I enjoyed the thinness of the pancakes. Sort of like super thin crepes. After sharing a strawberry and chocolate (they were out of bananas) pancake, and one with bacon and cheese, both the size of large dinner plates, I did not feel the usual need to sleep for the rest of the day.

Nice addition to my neighborhood.



I'm hoping they start serving them rolled up, maybe out of a take-out window. Then I could eat them on my way to the EL in the morning with a cup of coffee...

jlawrence01 wrote:

chicagostyledog wrote:De Dutch Pannekoek House is a chain in BC we discovered in Vancouver. They specialize in traditional pannekoeken with many varieties as: strawberries and cream, banana walnut, and peach. www.dedutch.com

We did the location in Victoria two years ago. I guess that my reaction to De Dutch was that it was pretty forgettable and fairly expensive.

Now the German pancakes ...

If you seek an unforgettable experience at a reasonable price with a huge dose of sarcastic humor, visit the Elbow Room Cafe in Vancouver. The pancakes and eggs taken to a much higher level than De Dutch. The EBC is home of the world famous "Big Ass" pancake. They also serve excellent burgers and sandwiches.

Be sure to ask for Patrick as your server.
Warning: This is not a family restaurant.
http://www.theelbowroomcafe.com

The Elbow Room Cafe
500 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 685-3628

jakekate wrote:We stopped by as promised but around dinner/7 p.m. time on Friday. Although the hours posted stated they should have been open, the door was kinda blocked with stuff and employees (owners?) were occupying two of the 6 tables. No one beckoned us in after we lingered, nor did they tell us they weren't open. Menu wasn't as extensive as I had hoped. We'll stop by some other time after they're really up and running and give them a shot.

According to Metromix, they close every day at 3pm. (Breakfast 6am-3pm; lunch 11am-3pm.) Do they have different hours posted somewhere? I would love to try it for dinner sometime, but I thought they only served breakfast and lunch.

We talked to one of the workers there. This was their first weekend being open, and the German Day Festival brought in a lot of extra customers, so they were trying to figure out if they should adjust their hours during the festival hours. I believe they will continue only breakfast and lunch, as we didn't see any dinner items on the menu. We took a menu with us, and the hours are 6:00AM - 3:00PM M-F, 8:00AM -3:00PM Sat-Sun
I guess when you just open, you have to see what kind of response you'll get, and then adjust personell and hours accordingly? The first few weeks have got to be rough for any place. I think I'll stick with being a dining customer, and not a proprietor!

Bster wrote: We also noticed that the entire reason that a table was not available was because two hipsters were breakfasting with their two toddlers in tow in two of the biggest, single-seater "F*ck-everybody-in-the-World-except-for-my-family" & "My-child-is-the-most-important-thing-not-just-to-me-but-to-everyone-in-the-World" SUV-style strollers. Actually, they were more like humongous, off-road ATVs. Instead of seating the children on the chairs or on there laps or on booster chairs, the hipsters just had the staff remove two of the chairs and allowed the children the sit in the SUVs/ATVs...

Did they realize that this place is extremely small and that they were taking away 10-15% of Pannenkoeken's business during probably the busiest time of the week by blocking two chairs? No, totally oblivious to the roadblock and wailing of the children. Much more concerned with hubby's big case at the law office. Where do these people come from - go to the 'burbs - NOW...

I just wish some of the patrons would not be so a self-absorbed and give the place a better chance for success...


Bster

FWIW, you seem to be grouping a lot of the parties you don't care for together, i.e. "hipsters" usually aren't parents with strollers, nor are they generally lawyers. Let's keep the rage focused!

I can't tell you how sorry I felt for Pannenkoeken and its owners - just sick to my stomach. I wanted to throw those strollers through the pane glass window. Sickening. They were there for an hour at least: the half hour we waited plus another after we were sat right next to them.

I think this over-the-top rant is misdirected: the restaurant management controls the room and if it allows such a condition it, and solely it, is to be blamed for the inconvenience to other customers.

That the owners chose to open such a small restaurant and allows such a situation to develop (strollers in the small space) raises the question as to their business/food service experience.

Anger management might be in order, for the maker of the comment - maybe a day spent with a couple of young children is in order! ;-)

I think we're getting back into Smoque/Coal Fire Effect territory here.

The restaurant will, I think, quickly learn that their place is too small to accommodate such strollers, and that bending over backwards for one customer can cause problems for others.

Me, I spent Pannekoeken's initial Sunday morning... at Over Easy. Walked right in and got a table for four at about 8:30, though the place stayed full the whole time we were there.

Okay, really, let's keep our calm here. I doubt anybody seriously disagrees with the basic points here, babies are to be expected (no pun intended) in Lincoln Square, however the restaurant is too small for giant strollers and they'll figure that out soon enough, let's not pile on the restaurant their first week and let's definitely not pile on each other for the crime of being attorneys, hipsters, babies, etc.

Mike G wrote:Okay, really, let's keep our calm here.

After two additional pulled posts G Wiv writes

In case Mike was unclear, this thread is a stitch away from being locked.

Civility please.

Gary for the moderators

Okay, after another post I'm locking this for the rest of the afternoon. Let's return to talking about the food, not the worthiness of our fellow humans as broad stereotypes, when it reopens in a few hours.

Sorry to spoil the generally positive comments but I tried Pannenkoeken today and came away severely underwhelmed.

My friend and I each ordered the pannenkoeken: one with chocolate, banana and hazelnut ($7.75) and the other with apples ($6.75). I would not recommend either one, although the pancake portion itself was cooked perfectly on both.

The pannenkoeken with chocolate did not take advantage of the flavor and texture combinations advertised. The chocolate sauce was too thin and the hazelnuts sparse. That being said, I will admit that the one pictured above has far more chocolate sauce and hazelnuts than the one we were served.

The pannenkoeken with apples was a disaster. There were very few apple slices and they were sliced so thin you could hardly notice them. Also, the apples were firm and not cooked (except for a brief moment on top of the pancake in the pan) and they were barely dusted with cinnamon . . . even less than a pinch. The apples would have greatly benefited from a brief saute and a more generous dusting of cinnamon, maybe even some nutmeg.

Finally, the hash browns ($2.00). Have you ever noticed that green package at the grocery story labeled "Simply Potatoes"? Well, nothing necessarily wrong with that, but don't visit Pannenkoeken expecting anything more. These hash browns were hardly crispy and were never introduced to any salt or pepper (fair enough, I was able to season them).

On the plus side, service was friendly and efficient. Of course, there were only about 15 people dining there (all tables full) and there were 8-9 employees (service and kitchen).

I'm curious about this place in the winter -- it's so small that unless they get a barrier between the outside and the main door, I have a feeling that the dining room will constantly fluctuate between freezing and steaming.

In any event, my breakfast at Pannenkoeken today did not cause me to plan a return visit.

Well, it's only been two weeks since our first visit, but when we awoke this morning, my wife had a taste for the Dutch pancakes. I mentioned in my previous post that she visited Amesterdam and Delft about 3 years ago and had them a number of times, so now she's hooked. She's addicted to them as much as I am addicted to Huevos Moltulenos, after visiting the Yucatan.

We re-visited the Pannenkoeken Cafe, sans camera. We took my in-laws this time, and got there somewhat early. There still was a line outside, about 10 people.

Once inside, they arranged a table for 5. I was going to have the pannenkoeken, but this time, after eyeing up a Denver omelet, I went with that instead. The Denver omelet was made more in a fritatta sytyle. The ham, red & green peppers, and onions were mixed up with the egg, and then some cheddar cheese is melted oveer the top. It was really very good, as were the hash browns. I also like the raisin toast served here. The waitress told me their breads are from Red Hen bakery. They also have imported marmalades on the table, which were pretty good for a change of what you get at every other breakfast place in Chicago.

We tried the cappuccino, which was served in a large mug, and stayed hot throughout the time it took me to drink it. I got a refill of their regular coffee which, in my opinion, is the best around. No idea who's it is, but maybe on my next visit I'll ask. My wife ordered the chocolate and banana pannenkoeken, which was just as good as last time. I noticed they have more people working the room, so any issues of opening week seem resolved. My in-laws enjoyed their meals, having what we ordered, as well as the Belgium Waffles. The service was excellent and attentive. We didn't have to wait for condiments, or coffee refills.

When we left, there were about 15 people waiting outside. Also noticed out-of-state plates of other diners that came in, that had parked out front...Montana, Indiana, and Washington. Someone out front was also standing there with a Frommer's guide for Amsterdam. Looks like they are doing really well for their third week.

TheWindyCity wrote: . . . It was really very good, as were the hash browns. . .

Sounds like we had vastly different experiences at Pannenkoeken, and that's always possible. But I'm curious -- what did you like so much about the hash browns? The ones I received were shredded, unseasoned potatoes, and only potatoes . . . no onions, no salt, no pepper, just potatoes. Did you receive something different?

My was comment more so about the omelet. The hash browns were crispy, the way I like them. As far as seasoning, well...you're forcing me to divulge that I like mine with ketchup and hot sauce (a big no-no to some, akin to ketchup on a Chicago dog), so I had not noticed the lack seasoning. The first time we visited, they didn't have the sun shades drawn on the kitchen window, and I saw them hand shredding the potatoes, which appealed to me, so I know they weren't frozen. I still plan a return visit for the French toast and bacon and cheese pannenkoeken. I'm pretty much hooked on their coffee......the breakfast restaurants with quality coffee seem to be hit or miss in this town, but they pour a really good, large cup here.

Really liking the food here so much, I made the trek across town from the Midway area, to Lincoln Square, with my wife and daughter. This is becoming a high mileage habit. I don't mind, though. I love travelling up the drive on a beautiful day. We took advantage of the Columbus Day holiday we all had, and I treated for breakfast. We love Lincoln Square, with all the little shops and eateries. The shop owners are all friendly and helpful.

Anyway, on to the food. I still try to sample something different when I come here. This is actually our fifth visit, but my third report on the restaurant. I still have one more dish to try. (I feel the same way about Xni Pec....still have many more items to try....but that's for another thread).

Today, I ordered the breakfast sandwich. I requested ham on raisin bread, with mayo, cheddar, lettuce and tomato, and a side of hash browns. It came as ordered, with the addition of fruits on the side such as melon, cantalope, and pineapple, all very sweet and fresh:



My wife ordered the Denver omelet, with spinach, and cheddar. The spinach used was very fresh, not frozen. And the hash browns were tasty and crisp. (My side was the same way). I mentioned before that they shred thier own potatoes.



My daughter ordered the strawberry buttermilk pancakes. There were strawberries cooked INSIDE the pancake, as well as fresh strawberries over the top. Man... these were really good:



Our wait was about 20 minutes, and there were people waiting outside when we left. It's a small restaurant with only 7 tables. They will need to expand someday, hopefully soon. I don't mind the wait, as we felt the food quality is exceptional, and the service was attentive. My coffee cup was kept full, and I really, really like the coffee here. Don't really know if I'll make the ride up here during the winter on weekend mornings, but for now I plan to try everything on the menu.

Took the boys to Pannenkoeken this morning to finally try it. Number 2 son had the chocolate and banana one; Dad had a savory gouda and bacon one which was rather heavy on the cheese:



Number 1 son had a Belgian waffle:



Everything was well made, quality stuff, and the service seemed to have solved most of its past issues (understandable in this TINY space) and moved folks through very efficiently yet without pressure (we had about a 30 minute wait at 9:30 am today, managed very well). It's a respectable place but I can't say the food did that much for me. The pannenkoeken, for all the owner's training in the Netherlands, were very much like the crepes I occasionally make at home, and one real disadvantage is that being so thin, they lose heat pretty fast (and this place is going to have a real cold air problem in a few weeks, given where the door opens). And if no higher than comparable spots (like Over Easy), it's no bargain, that's for sure. I'm not knocking it, but I can't say I went cuckoo for Pannenkoeken.

I passed the Pannenkoeken Cafe today, and decided to stop and have an early lunch as a mid-week treat. I noticed the sign board had a lot of specials not found on the regular menu:



The place was full most of the time I was there. There was a break when there were 5 empty tables for about 5 minutes, but the place filled up again. I talked to the owner(s) for a bit, and learned they are taking breakfast reservations on weekends so that people won't have to wait outside in the cold.

I tried a cappuccino today, and it was pretty good, and hot as I like.


I experience too many restaurants that serve coffee that quickly cools because the mugs soak up the heat. But here, I never have that problem. A hot cup of coffee is important to me, and a lasting hot coffee is even better.

When I talked to the owners, they told me they are adding a lot of different pannenkoekens to the menu, similar to the selection that they have in the Netherlands. They first introduced 4 types to see how they were received here, without inundating the the public with strange choices. They have a lot of regulars now, so they will be expanding the pannenkoeken portion of the menu soon.

One new combo not on the menu, or on the "specials" board yet was a Ham, Pineapple, and Havarti Pannenkoeken. Hmmmm...I thought it worked, so I asked if they can make it for me, and they did.



I really liked this combination. The ham is of good quality, with a nice, smoky flavor, and not too salty. The pineapple was sliced fresh, and went well with the smoky ham. The Havarti cheese paired excellent with the pineapple, so it all worked well for my taste buds.



The service was attentive, and I had to ask for nothing. My coffee was refilled just when I needed it.

I haven't been here on a weekend since October, but if the weather is dry, we will have to take a trek up this way from the Midway area on a Sunday morning. I would still like to try the French Toast and a few other Pannenkoekens.

I went there a few weeks ago, and I gotta tell you, I was underwhelmed. I had the chocolate and banana pannenkoeken, and it was okay, but nothing really great. The pancake itself was somewhat tasteless, like a pale imitation of Walker Brothers' excellent Swedish pancakes. The chocolate syrup was, well, just chocolate syrup, and the sliced bananas, while fresh, just didn't really enhance the dish in any way. Service was pleasant and it wasn't very expensive.

Pannenkoeken Cafe is one of those places where I went, I tried it, and I'm not likely to go back. I'll stick to the places I like much better. My favorite places for creative pancakes this far north are M. Henry and Walker Brothers. Or, if I want to go close to downtown, Bongo Room.

Has anyone tried the Original Pancake House, like the one in Park ridge?

jlawrence01 wrote:Has anyone tried the Original Pancake House, like the one in Park ridge?

Yes, but not the one in Park Ridge. I've eaten at quite a few of them, including the ones on Bellevue in the Gold Coast, at Clark and Armitage in Lincoln Park, and in Merrillville, and the one that used to be right off IL-83 in Villa Park. I tend to eat at OPH for breakfast when I'm out of town, and have dined at locations in IN, OH, GA, and CA, as they're a big step above the usual IHOP/Denny's/Bob Evans/etc.

The Original Pancake House (OPH) is a national chain based in Oregon. Walker Brothers is a franchisee of the OPH, and is the only franchisee allowed to put their own name on their locations (Walker Brothers has six, in the north and northwest suburbs). The menu and recipes are very similar from one location to another, including the Walker Brothers locations. All serve the huge baked cinnamon apple pancake (see photo below from their website), as well as their huge German pancake, thin Swedish pancakes, excellent omelets, spinach crepes, etc. And oh yes, conventional pancakes and waffles, too. My experience has been that the quality at all the Walker Brothers locations is consistently superb, and it remains my favorite breakfast place in the Chicago area. Quality at the non-Walker OPH locations varies, from excellent (including the one on Bellevue and the one at Clark and Armitage) to just okay (as I recently found in San Jose CA); since it's been a while since I've been to the city locations of OPH, I would probably need to re-visit before expanding the scope of the previous statement beyond Walker Brothers to include those as well.

I've nominated the Walker Brothers apple pancake in topics on LTH for "one perfect thing" and "my favorite Chicago breakfast". It was the subject of a lecture in March (ref) by Steven Katz, who wrote an article about it in an article entitled "Chicago's Big Apple" in the January 10 Tribune (no longer available in the Tribune archives, sorry, but it's available on the "America's Newspaper" archives that some public libraries have access to).

Made another visit to the Pannekoeken a few Sundays ago, and am happy to say they are still turning out the quality dishes I keep returning to enjoy. We waited about 10 minutes for one of the seven tables in this small store front behind the west side of Lincoln Square. Couples and families abound:



I keep coming back here for the coffee, and today I had a Cafe Mocha. Ain't she a beauty?



I had the new item finally added to the menu, the ham, pineapple, and Havarti Pannenkoeken. I usually put a little maple syrup on it, but you can now ask for the Belgian syrup they have, which is more like corn syrup, as it does not have any flavoring added.



This pretty much carried me through the day until dinner time! The ham they use is very tasty, and with the pineapple and Havarti combined, it is very satisfying.

My wife had the Denver omelet with the addition of spinach, Havarti cheese, and made with egg whites:



Another perfect omelet. I love the hash browns here because they make them from scratch. I personally like to order mine well browned, and season them myself. If you were to ask me my favorite hash browns in the whole city, it would be The Palace Grill on West Madison Street. But these are probably healthier, and I like the basic flavor I get here, especially with a little hot sauce and ketchup on the side.

I like the vibe here, the background music, the attentive service, and most of all, the food quality. I know a lot of folks here complain about the size of the room, but not to worry too long, as they are looking to larger digs in the future.

TWC - nice write-up, but could you resize the pix to 600 pixels wide, max? It's a real pain to have to scroll horizontally to read your words, which are well worth reading.

nr706 wrote:TWC - nice write-up, but could you resize the pix to 600 pixels wide, max? It's a real pain to have to scroll horizontally to read your words, which are well worth reading.

Yes, it seems simple enough, but when I loaded them to Photobucket with the reduced size I promised I would do, they went back to full screen. Grrrrr.

Sorry to be a pain in the butt with this, folks....bear with me.

The pics are sized perfectly if you have a wide-screen monitor.

Anywhozit, I don't have much basis for comparison for what an authentic "pannenkoeken" looks or tastes like, but I do know that I like this place. It's definitely a different presentation than one is accustomed to from an "American" pancake place. I was most pleased with my apple ginger pancake. When they first brought it out I thought they had skimped a little on the ginger jelly (or whatever the heck it is) and the apples, but as I dug into the thin and delicate baked treat the ingredients were sitting on, I came to realize that any more apple and/or ginger would have been overwhelming. I loved the clean, uncluttered "Euro-chic cafe" atmosphere within, though I can see how some might start to feel a bit claustrophobic after being in the tiny little space after a while. Still, this is a nice departure from the standard breakfast options.

Drover wrote:The pics are sized perfectly if you have a wide-screen monitor.

Would you or The Windy City like to buy me one?

Drover wrote:The pics are sized perfectly if you have a wide-screen monitor.

Drover,

LTHForum strongly suggests 600x or less for picture size, it's a matter of simple courtesy. As stated upthread forum participants are using a multitude of devices to view LTHForum, there are 5000 members and we get millions and millions of hits per month. Many of us view LTHForm on different devices depending on circumstance or time of day, just myself range from dual 20 inch monitors to 15 inch laptop to the occasional Blackberry pop in.

Once again, picture size, and WindyCity's pics were terrific, is a matter of courtesy, and we strive at LTHForum to be courteous, relevant, interesting and help the occasional old lady across the street.

Enjoy,
Gary

The pics look great!

Thewindycity - I love the egg white omelet with ham and a heavy dose of Havarti. The spirit was in the right place