Mystery Diner: Joliet’s Old Fashioned Pancake House consistently serves up outstanding food

If there’s one place I’ve missed during the pandemic, it’s the dine-in experience at the Old Fashioned Pancake House in Joliet.

It’s always been a favorite of mine, whether I’m enjoying a spontaneous weekend morning breakfast with my family or joining a friend for dinner.

The restaurant has been family owned since 1986, according to the venue’s website, and the menu has the widest variety of food you can order in Joliet.

Meaning the food choices are not limited to pancakes or breakfast, despite its name.

In addition to breakfast, you can order lunch, dinner, or items off the children’s menu.

Me, I almost always order breakfast from the Old Fashioned Pancake House, no matter the time of day, although its turkey club is outstanding, too.

Unlike many restaurant menus these days, prices are not listed online. Instead, the website says to “call for prices.”

So that’s what we did the other day. We had never done carryout there before, so here’s what we ordered, and here’s what we thought.

I ordered the Belgium waffle topped with blueberries and ham steak on the side. The ham slice was a generous piece with a smoky grilled flavor. The waffle arrived crispy on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside, and hot through and through. But the blueberries are especially important.

Many restaurants that offer blueberry pancakes or waffles mean pancakes or waffles topped with a blueberry compote. But I’m not a fan of compote. I’m a fan of fresh fruit. So the Old Fashioned Pancake House is one place I can depend on to serve up fresh fruit on its pancakes every time.

Just so you know, the strawberry pancakes typically have fresh fruit, too.

Another family member ordered breakfast. This was two eggs any style, with links, plus two buttermilk pancakes and hash browns. This is that person’s go-to breakfast order at the Old Fashioned Pancake House because the items arrive on her plate (in this case, her carryout box) consistently delicious in terms of flavor.

The pancakes are always light and fluffy and not overly sweet.

The hash browns are real shredded potatoes: crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, and they taste “made to order.” The eggs are always cooked perfectly “over easy.”

Another family member’s go-to is the chicken breast panini. Simple and robust, it has thick slices of chicken, fresh tomato and a mild Swiss cheese. This is in between two slices of buttered, toasted bread. We ordered it with regular mayonnaise, but the sandwich does come with a pesto mayo. The French fries are also great. They’re always thickly cut and always crispy – not so much with carryout – but the flavor is still good, and they’re seasoned really well.

That person also ordered a French onion soup to accompany the panini. The soup was loaded with lots of onions, flavor and cheese. It had a great beefy base with a hint of wine, and the color was really nice. One surprise: instead of topping the soup with a hunk of bread, the pancake house prepared its soup with croutons. This made it easier to eat with a spoon.

And, yes, just to stress it again: all of the food was still hot by the time we brought it home. Even the butter, ketchup and maple syrup were nicely packaged.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff when ordering or picking up the food. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Old Fashioned Pancake House

WHERE: 2022 W. Jefferson St., Joliet

WHEN: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Sunday

INFO: 815-741-4666, oldfashionedpancakehouse.com