My son has started requesting to go out to breakfast, and it
just so happened I had a gift certificate I had won at a fundraiser, so we were
off to try Hotcakes Emporium. I sort of thought it was a chain, but it turns
out they just have three locations in the Indy area. It also turns out, it is an extremely popular
place on the weekends. We had to wait a bit, which wasn’t a big deal, and they were
pretty prompt at getting us seated.
Seriously though, the place was jammed. Once we got seated, the service was quite
fast though. Hubby and I got our basic
standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, but one of us got pancakes
and the other one toast. You have to try the pancakes in a place called “Hotcake
Emporium” right? Overall, the food was
pretty straightforward breakfast food. The eggs were cooked exactly as ordered
and were nice and runny inside. The
bacon was good—nice flavor, not fancy.
The hashbrowns needed to be cooked a little more crispy. (I’m curious,
are there those of you out there who like your hashbrowns soft and without any
crispy edges, or is this just a universal problem?) On any return visit, I
would certainly ask for them well done. In fact, I think I may just start doing
this with hashbrowns always. What’s the chance they are going to be TOO crispy?
I digress. They have sourdough toast
which I like, and it was perfectly toasted and I liked that they ask you if you
wanted it buttered or not.
Anyway, the pancakes themselves were really good. Nice and
fluffy. The only bad part was that they
were sprinkled with powdered sugar, which makes them a little sweet for us.
Neither of us even used much syrup with the pancakes. And the dollop of butter that
comes on top tastes like it has honey in it or something. It was slightly sweet
as well. So, next time (what? I’m always thinking about making something into
more of the perfect experience for me) I would get a pancake because they are
really good, and ask them to hold the sugar and the butter (they have regular
packets of butter on the table).
My daughter had the chocolate crepes—she said, you know, for
the sake of the blog. She loved them and ate just about every bite. What’s not to like about crepes wrapped
around chocolate, and drizzled in chocolate sauce and topped with melty
chocolate chips. Yes, certainly more of
a dessert, but tasty. And you know up front this thing is gonna be sweet.
All in all, we were in and out in a decent amount of time
despite the crowd, and the food was good, basic breakfast fare. If it were my neighborhood, I can see repeat
visits. I am not sure how often I would
drive over there otherwise.
Hotcakes
Emporium
8555 Ditch
Road
Indy 46260
317/254-5993
I've only been there once, and I remember it being fine, but if you're in that direction, I totally recommend the Original Pancake House (just across the street). I think food there is better--love the omelets, crazy pancakes (Dutch baby, apple pancake), and since I'm not a huge pancake person, I really enjoy getting the potato pancakes.
ReplyDeleteBeth, thanks for the recommendation. I have been there before, but a really long time ago. Truth be told, we chose this place because I won a gift certificate to it in an auction. But I will add the Original Pancake House to the list. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is in my 'hood. It's our go-to place when we just want breakfast quick, easy and cheap. It's consistent and large in quantity (ie good hangover food).
ReplyDeleteI love how busy they are as this location is difficult as we've seen several restaurants before it come and go quickly.
I l
ReplyDelete