Aurora Pancake House

Doesn't Recommend

Paula Miller

Joined 3 years ago

Never Again!!!!. We visited Aurora Pancake House a few times over the past 3 or 4 wks.On Sat, Feb 6, we visited for our final time around 3 pm.Our waitress was very curt and unpersonable.Not once did she offer my husband a refill on his empty tea glass.I asked for coffee and was not given cream.I had to flag our waitress down for cream. I was given a refill on coffee and had run out of cream.I had to get a refill from another empty table.I had to get my silverware from another empty table.I ordered the banana nut bread french toast as a side to my late afternoon breakfast. When the french toast came out, it did not look as I expected.It look very unappetizing and my husband thought the same. Even so, I tried it and ended up taking two bites.I could not eat any more than that.It was very dry tasting, stale, without much flavor, and the presentation was poor.It was 3 small thin slices of old banana bread that had been dipped in very little egg without any milk in the batter.Then they tossed on a few slices of banana with a tiny bit of pecans.No or syrup as a topping, just cold maple syrup on the side.I was very disappointed.Aurora Pancake House charges $7.40 for this slop I don't like to send things back, but it was called for in this case.The waitress balked at sending it back and spent a few minutes giving us the third degree about sending back the virtually untouched French Toast.At the end of our meal, our waitress brought the check with the item still on the check.She told us that it was still on the ticket and that if we didn't want to pay for it, we would need to bring it up with the Manager when we check out. We told her of course we weren't going to pay for it and asked her why she hadn't taken care of it with the Manager. She kept telling us that we would need to take that up with the Manager.She apparently couldn't be bothered with it.At this point, we were not only upset about the food, but the attitude of our waitress.We asked to speak to the Manager. Finally, a young man about 16 years old came to our table.He said his name is Tony and that he was the Manager. This kid Tony had a worse attitude than our waitress.He had absolutely no concern that we were having a poor experience.He again gave me the third degree about sending the French Toast back.He argued with me that there was nothing wrong with their Banana Bread French Toast on this occasion.He said that it looked ok to him and that he touched it and it was warm and not dry.He told me that if I thought it was dry that I should have put maple syrup on it. After much arguement, he finally agreed to take the charge off.This is a family owned restaurant.We were so upset by the treatment we were receiving that I asked to speak to the real Manager or Owner.Tony said there was no one available.I asked Tony if he was a member of the family and he said yes.I was told that his uncle, Jesus Arceo owns the restaurant.I asked to speak to his uncle on the phone.Tony told me that he would give me his phone number and I could call later on.We were waiting on the phone number for Tony's uncle. He came back a few minutes later and said he couldn't give out personal information.I got the impression that Tony did not want us speaking to his uncle.I asked him to call his uncle from the phone there.He then said he did not know his uncle's phone number.When I challenged that fact that Tony first said he would give me the phone number to call in a complaint to his uncle and now he tells me that he is in charge and doesn't even know his own uncle's phone number, this kid just turns his back on us and walks off without a word.We felt devalued as customer's and were humiliated.Therefore, my husband and I will never eat there again and we urge others to think twice before they spend their hard earned money at a place with such poor service and inconsisent food

Recommends

vfrdave1

Joined 5 years ago

Hidden Gem of a Restaurant - and they're open for Dinner until 10pm, too!. Perched on a hill just one block west of the Fox River, the Aurora Pancake House is a local favorite offering an ambitious menu spanning all three meals of the day. Unlike Blueberry Hill Pancake House (on Eola) or Mother's Pancake House (on Galena), both of which close at 3pm, Aurora Pancake House is open until 10pm M-Sat and 9pm on Sunday. In addition to a wide range of yummy breakfast offerings, (including 25 kinds of World Famous Omelets and 25 specialty breakfasts, including German pancakes), there are 17 types of fresh salads (tuna-stuffed avocado gets my nod), plus "Real Meal Deals" for $4.99 for lunch and dinner. Of the Real Meal Deals, the pork loin sandwich is my favorite, which comes with fries and wonderful homemade soup, with the creamy chicken and rice topping my list. All meals are great values because they taste delicious and are generously portioned, so you won't walk away hungry. In fact, one of my favorite routines is having the baby back BBQ beef ribs then walking down the hill and along the Fox River to take in the sights! Plus, the Hollywood Casino and Paramount Theater are nearby as well, if you prefer indoor excitement!

In addition to generously portioned meals, what makes dining at Aurora Pancake House such a nice experience is their very attentive and friendly service. In fact, my wife and I are always surprised by how quickly our order is filled, which leads us give the Aurora Pancake House a "highly recommended" rating!