Founded in 1953 in Portland, Oregon, and with 120 locations—mostly franchises—across the country, the OPH is an anomaly: The menu boasts crave-worthy specialties made with more skill and consistency than many of its independent counterparts. Of the three outposts in the metro area, we gravitate to the gem on Cheshire Bridge Road, staffed by a wacky cast of characters, some of whom have worked at the restaurant since it opened in 1989. One word of advice: Many of the pancake variations (crepes, potato pancakes, delicate Swedish pancakes with lingonberries) outshine the basic flapjack. Be open to experimentation, or go with an omelet.
ORDER THIS: The massive, cinnamon-flecked apple pancake (it can take twenty to thirty minutes to cook; order it as soon as you’re seated); cherry crepes; vegetarian omelet; thick-cut bacon.
2321 Cheshire Bridge Road, 404-633-5677, and other locations, originalpancakehouse.com
