Pancake Joe's is why I do this blog. The place is hidden in San Antonio, but because the food is so great, a lot of people in the city already know about Pancake Joe's. It has a menu that will rival Magnolia Pancake Haus and prices that are lower than the Jim's chain. The quantity of food you get on their plates, particularly their omelets, will leave your belly full or with a take-out box. What I show you today is only a small sampling of the wondrous breakfast dishes they serve.
The place is owned by the Cruz family, and two of the Cruz daughters work as wait and checkout staff. Everyone working here is cheerful and appear to really enjoy serving their Pancake Joe customers. Come early (before 9:30 weekdays, before 8:30 weekends) because this place crowds up. There's no wait at the counter and you get to see all of the wonderful menu items coming out of the kitchen.
Pancake Joe's:
I didn't find this place by happen chance. There was a person doing work at my old house that told me about it and I forgot her name. Pancake Joe's is not a place you drive past and notice. Hey, let's try this place out. In fact, I passed the restaurant up the first time that I was searching for it.
The best rout to get to this out-of-the way restaurant is get on I-410 in San Antonio and drive to Fredericksburg Road. Go south on Fredericksburg Road until you get to Donaldson Street. Turn right on Donaldson, drive through an older residential neighborhood, past a high school on your right, and into a small business section. Pancake Joe's is on the right two business down from a closed gas station. Generally there is no parking in front of the restaurant and the neighbors don't want you taking their spots. There is off-street parking on the other side of Donaldson.
Pancakes-n-Sausage:
What can I say -- Pancake Joe's makes great pancakes. My friend Robert ordered this plate. And see the grease shining on their great tasting sausage. This place for the most part is not low fat or low carbs, though there are some low fat fruit cups and oatmeal bowels on the menu which I won't mention.
Santa Fe Frittata:
Ham, tomato, onions, green peppers, (and it gets better) jalapenos, Monterey Jack cheese, and cheddar cheese, all of that is on his open face omelet. Frittatas are not folded like an ordinary omelet. They top this wonderful dish with a dollop of sour cream and green onions. Those cool stringy things on top are tortilla slivers dipped in red-pepper paste and sour cream. There is so much frittata that you don't need the toast. Warning: taste first before adding hot sauce; the jalapenos will more than warm your pallet.
Chorizo Omelet:
Chorizo is this soft, fatty Mexican sausage. But the good restaurants in the San Antonio area, Pancake Joe's included, cook the grease out of the sausage before adding it to eggs. This omelet has, in addition to chorizo, sautéed onions, mushrooms, green peppers, jack cheese, and would you believe it … feta cheese. If anyone gets an upset stomach from spicy foods, a little feta cheese will go a long way to settling it. The feta slightly changes the flavor, but does not dominate it. Oh, I forgot … they top the omelet with sour cream and chopped green onions. I love this place!
Cowboy Breakfast:
This was my first pick on my first visit. Obviously, it wasn't a disappointment. Eggs with a choice of meats, and biscuits and sausage gravy. The menu just says gravy, but it's sausage gravy … trust me.
French Toast:
I'm from New Orleans so this is always a favorite of mine. And here they do it with French bread just as you would expect in the Big Easy, but not in San Antonio. This is one of two restaurants in the area that I have found that use real French bread in their French toast. Give me a break other San Antonio restaurants … this is FRENCH TOAST! It's great with bacon and butter. From the top photo in this blog, you can see that I added syrup as well.
Steak-n-Eggs:
There is something wondrous about the combined flavor of beef steak and egg yolk. And they cook both the eggs and the steak anyway you want them. The hashbrowns they fry on both sides.
Eggs Benedict:
This is a local take on Eggs Benedict. You pick the style of eggs. My choice is always poached with runny centers. The eggs are served with hollandaise sauce on top and crisp English muffin underneath. Between the muffin and the eggs is a meat of your choice. My wife chose bacon … crisp. Also offered is a choice between hashbrowns and ranch potatoes.
