Dining Out: Dutch Pancake Cafe

This week I'm taking you all with me as I relive my weekend in Stowe, VT. As my friends and I were planning this getaway, we vetted many restaurants that were recommended by family members, friends and coworkers.

One of the suggestions was called the Dutch Pancake Cafe. Their website didn't have too much to look at, so I decided to read some reviews on Yelp. Normally I find Yelp to be a place where people complain just because they can, but when I got to the page for the Dutch Pancake Cafe, it was one rave review after another. Here is just a smattering of quotes:

"This is my absolute favorite breakfast spot in Stowe. We literally go every single morning every year when we're in town to go snowboarding. I love it!"

"What a great breakfast place! The candied ginger Dutch pancake was tastier than any pancake or crepe I've ever had. I wish I had time for another visit, this place was out of this world!"

"If you love crepes, you must experience this Dutch dish. Imagine a crepe that is thick, gooey, rich and buttery, with great big slices of apples and blueberries (or other fruit of your choosing) baked right into the dough! Top it off with a little powdered sugar and you've got yourself a small piece of Dutch heaven. Stop reading reviews of this place and go already!" 

Needless to say, I was ready to try the place.

On our final morning in Stowe, we woke up, packed up the cars and headed out for breakfast. We drove straight to the Grey Fox Inn, the home of the Dutch Pancake Cafe.

One thing I love about Stowe, every single place has free parking. This is something people who don't live in a city take for granted.

Inside, the restaurant was decorated with Dutch accents like wooden shoes and pictures of windmills.

There was a pair of wooden shoes right by the stack of menus.

The dining room is one big, open space with lots of tables for four as well as rows and rows of group tables.

In the center of the dining room there are two street style lamp posts. Not sure what about these are Dutch . . .

As soon as you sit down the bus boy appears offering to pour coffee.

The menu tells the story of the Dutch pancake tradition. Breakfast with a side of cultural history.

We weren't quire sure what to expect (even after reading the descriptions) so we watched as plates made their way to the surrounding tables. The restaurant was short staffed that day so we had plenty of time to decide before someone came to take our order.

Two of us went with the Dutch pancakes and two of the girls went with more traditional American breakfast items.

The first Dutch pancake to arrive to our table was the banana, chocolate and coconut pancake. My friend cut into it and said, "The pancake is not overly sweet. It's like the batter of a crepe, but thicker."

After a few more bites, she continued, "The bananas are baked into the batter, which is super yummy. The chocolate chips and toasted coconut are sprinkled on top. I was afraid this would be overly sweet, but it has the perfect amount of garnish."

I ordered the Dutch pancake called the farmer's pancake. It was a mix of shredded potato, onion, tomato and cheddar cheese. Because of the potatoes and onions this tasted like the love child of a pancake and a potato latke.

All of the ingredients were baked into the pancake, so you had to cut it like pizza to it eat - one slice at a time. The edges were perfectly crisp and you could see the goodies poking through the top of the pancake.

I liked the farmer's pancake, but I didn't love it. I couldn't quite figure out the texture and the mix of flavors. I kind of wish it came with sour cream, since it was really tasting like a potato latke.

One of the girls selected a dish called the black stone eggs. The plate was two eggs with Hollandaise sauce, bacon, home fries and one sweet pancake.

When her plate was cleared, I asked for her thoughts and she said, "This was very decadent. The eggs were done really well and had the right amount of Hollandaise sauce. The bacon was perfection. The home fries were good, though I like mine with onions. The pancake was stuffed with fresh strawberries, which was solid."

Next to me, a friend ordered the two eggs (she chose scrambled) which came with bacon, home fries and an English muffin.

Half way through the plate she commented, "The bacon is definitely the best part. The English muffin is grilled, which is tasty. I wouldn't write a letter home about the eggs."

After all the Yelp praise, I was expecting to have my mind blown at the Dutch Pancake Cafe and it just wasn't.

Thankfully, post-breakfast we went shopping, so my mood improved immediately.

Do you have any breakfast or brunch recommendations in Stowe?

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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Address:
Dutch Pancake Cafe
990 Mountain Road
05672 Stowe , VT
United States
Vermont US