The Pancake Pantry


Best Pancakes I've Ever Had

On the advice of friends and family (as well as a special I saw on the Travel Channel), I made my way to the Pancake Pantry to try some of its signature pancakes. In going there, I wondered if the place will live up to the hype, for a lot of places that I've been to that was proclaimed as "great" didn't live up to expectations. Fortunately, based on my experience there, Pancake Pantry was good as advertised (of course, this is based on one visit, but I don't get to Nashville often so I'll try to make the best assessment possible).
In making my choice from the menu, I thought about the sweet potato pancakes that I had at Memphis' Arcade Restaurant. Arcade's pancakes, while good, were a little on the heavy side and out of four pancakes, I was only able to finish three. With that in mind, I decided to get a "short sack" (three) of P.P.'s sweet potato pancakes with a side of bacon. I figured that if the pancakes are as "heavy" as The Arcade and many other places, this would more than satisfy my appetite. However, P.P.'s version of it was unlike anything that I've had before, and in a good way.


The sweet potato pancakes has an orange-brown appearance and powdered with cinnamon and sugar. Without syrup, the pancakes' taste has that sweet potato flavor (obviously) and is about as sweet as eating an actual cake. But what really impressed me was the pancake's texture, for even after adding syrup, the pancakes didn't make me feel bloated after eating them. In fact, after eating three of them, I was yearning for more. I don't know what technique/recipe Pancake Pantry uses to cook their pancakes, but I wish more restaurants would follow suit (the Travel Channel link in the first paragraph has video about how they're made).
As for the syrup, I was presented with two flavors, maple and cinnamon cream. After trying one of each, I decided to combine both, and the result was a sweet concoction that worked very well with the pancakes. They also comes with a big scoop of butter that gives the pancakes additional pizzazz.
In all, I really enjoyed the sweet potato pancakes which were by far the best I ever had. Unlike a lot of places that view the pancake as a side or secondary dish, Pancake Pantry has made the pancake into a gourmet food. Judging from its extensive menu, the restaurant offers pancakes with a wide variety of options ranging from chocolate chips (which I would've gotten if not for my desire to make a comparison with The Arcade) to coconuts to roasted green chilies. Also, because this is primarily a breakfast restaurant, it also offers egg entrĂ©es as well. Judging from what I saw served at other tables, I'm confident that the entrĂ©es are very good. The only thing that didn't impress me was the country bacon that I had. Even though the bacon was good, it wasn't worth $3.20 (or $3.50; not sure about the price).


Still, I have no complaints, for just about everything was excellent and well worth the ten minute wait (give or take a minute). Speaking of that, kudos to the staff for their efficiency for clearing tables and seating customers in quick fashion. Because of my excellent first experience there, I look forward to dining at Pancake Pantry often whenever I'm in the Music City.

NOTE: The Pancake Pantry has two locations. I dined at the Hillsboro Village restaurant and look forward to going the Downtown location soon.

Website: www.ThePancakePantry.com

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