My son's school connected their parent teacher conferences and Presidents' Day making them have an unusual six day break. With one kid in school and another one off, we had to stay in town, but had time to do things we otherwise would have to do on weekends. Brunch at Slappy Cakes, for example. Since we went midmorning on a weekday, there was no wait when we went. We sat at one of the griddle tables and our nice server explained how it all worked. Now, she said that one bottle would make four or five small pancakes, so I thought it would be best to order two. If I would have read the reviews before I went, I would have known that one bottle would have been enough for both of us. Before I go any further, I have to say that I stay from places were you cook your own food. Seriously, I won't even go to fondue places. I cook at home, so I find it silly to pay to go cook at a restaurant. That said, I thought my son would really, really enjoy this and so I caved. I was right. He loved making his pancakes. We have a griddle at home, but I'll make one kind of pancakes and maybe have about two options for toppings. One of the cool things about Slappy Cakes is that you can customize what goes in and on your pancakes. My son chose peanut butter batter with chocolate chips, pecans, and whipped cream. I went with buttermilk batter, green apples, granola, and lavender honey. Other than drinks (chocolate milk and coffee) that's all we ordered. There are a lot of really little kids here, which I don't understand. I mean like toddlers and babies. A large table was taken by what looked like a mommy group with their kiddies (none of which looked older than two). The babies were clearly too young to be interested or safely able to cook, yet they took up a lot of the griddles. I don't know, I just don't get it, but whatever. I thought it was pricey for what it was. The bill came out to more than $30 for just my kid and me. No cocktails, no sides, and a lot of leftover wasted batter. With tip, it was closer to $40. I was doing mental math about how many pancakes I could make at home for that much. I get it, though. It's the experience and it's cute and kids like it. I'd give it three stars but my son said he gives it five stars, so I'm reluctantly compromising on four stars. My son also wanted me to mention that he likes the pancake art they have on their back wall and wants that in his room (that's not happening).
(4)
J O.
Surprised by the good quality. Bacon was yummy. Gluten free pancakes were a nice treat. Fun for the kids. Very kid friendly. Recommend going on a weekday early.
(4)
Anhelina F.
Me and my family love coming here for breakfast. There is usually a 1 hour + wait time but we don't care. We love the pancakes, coffee, atmosphere, everything else. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We need more Slappy Cakes locations!
(5)
Brian N.
Great fun for the kids, not quite as much for the adults. You are paying for the experience, not the food. Pancakes are a tad hard to manage. Lines can be long.
(3)
Justin T.
Attitude goes a long way with me in terms of service. If I feel that someone is doing their best, then I give them the benefit of the doubt, even if things go wrong. Background Information: For good or ill, I have large-diameter man legs. Not from edema. Partially, because there's some muscle bulk in there. Also, due to my Mediterranean features, a good bit of hair extends the "reach" of the circumference of my man legs, if you will. Chapter 1: is it a worm or is it a caterpillar? Sadly, whilst indulging in our batter-based repast, we noticed a minute, multi-legged organism wiggling his bits near the entrance of his home...which happened to be one of several blueberries that was assigned to us as a side item for our arforenoted repast. My niece said, "look, a worm!" Upon closer inspection however, a set of micro-legs were spotted wiggling from the main body of tiny unfortunate, dangling from our blueberry. Therefore, a differential, provisional diagnosis of "caterpillar, NOS" was made until a doctorally-trained entomologist can be called upon to render a professional opinion on the particular inhabitants of fresh blueberries. Ladies and gentleman, I am no homewrecker. I had no wish to divest the Tiny Unfortunate from his blueberry home, like some cruel Dickensian tenement slum-lord putting a soot-besotted, club-footed orphan lad out from his home to labor in a coal mine. Nay indeed! However, there was slight difficulty raised by the fact that I had paid for my blueberry, unawares that it was currently tenanted. There was the matter of the caterpillar's lease, title and rights to the blueberry, and whether and if he would relinquish all claim and title to same. Obviously, this was a matter for our solicitors to discuss, a matter perhaps only for a magistrate to resolve. Chapter 2: A Duel With A Tiny Green Unfortunate Thus, in a voice I thought loud enough for the Small Neon Green Unfortunate to hear, I said, "Kind sir of ma'am, would you be so kind as to forward me the contact information of your family solicitor, that we may resolve the issue of blueberry ownership forthwith?" The only response was slightly wiggling, which, as it occurred in public and in front of my family, I deemed a most grievous insult to my dignity. "Sir or ma'am," I stated, "you have insulted my dignity and I demand satisfaction. My 13 year old niece, who witnessed the insult to my honor with be my second. Choose your second now, and your weapon of choice. Though I would be satisfied using traditional weapons such as swords or flintlocks, I suggest that you choose a weapon as best suits your stature and morphological traits." So saying, his/her/ or its response was silence. Finally, I deigned the entire situation beneath me, and called our waitress to the table, whereupon a terrible accident ensued. Chapter 3: The large-Diameter Man Leg, And What Happened To It, And Why As the waitress, a spare, petite lass with a barbell-pierced septum courteously responded to my summons, she mistakenly ascertained that her presence was required in order to fill my coffee cup, and not to remove the Tiny Green Unfortunate from my breakfast repast. Thus it was that my large-diameter man leg, which was protruding precipitously from beneath our table, came to catch a small torrent of coffee as it spilled from a carafe, poured from a high-altitude into a waiting cup and onto a waiting leg, due to the inability of the small waitress to approach aforementioned cup closely due to the awkward presence of the aforenoted man leg. My gentleman's pride forced me to bite my tongue to spare the feelings of the stressed and barbell-clad lass rather than draw attention to it. When asked what to do with the Tiny Unfortunate populating our blueberry, she took him away and replaced the blueberry with another of equal or greater value. Chapter 4: The Repast At this time, we commenced to pour batter into various shapes on a griddle. A smiley face with hair was generated, along with a yin and yang symbol, and the name of one of our party which, unfortunately, appeared to resemble the lower portion of the human alimentary tract when viewed from upsidedown. Sadly, the low temperature of the griddle caused a substantial wait in order to cook the pancakes, and the content of the batter was insipid. A grits and egg dish, though delectable, seemed rather over-priced. Though the shine of the experienced was tarnished by a singed man leg and the debacle with our tiny friend, our waitress performed most admirably under what may be termed, adverse conditions. Chapter 5: Conclusion of the Repast and the Resolution of All Misunderstandings With Aforenoted Tiny Green Unfortunate Later on that morning, a note arrived by post to our table. It read thus: Kind Sir, forgive my lack of manners. As an insect, I am unacquainted with the customs and manners of g
(3)
Eric P.
Very cool idea. Fun for the kids. Definitely worth doing. I would have given it a higher rating except my ouevos rancheros was gross. Definitely not recommended. Not sure if it was supposed to be watery, runny and tasteless but it was. Overall, I would do it again with a party of four or less wpuld be the best. The kids made several pancakes each woth alot of batter left to spare. Cheers.
(3)
Eric H.
Lots of fun to be had here for a lunch date or work a group of friends. Banana, walnut, chocolate chip is a great combo with whole grain batter. Toad in the hole was perfectly buttered and grilled. Get the sausage gravy with it as well, you'll be glad you did. Mocha was tasty as well.
(4)
Sasha F.
Amazing just simply amazing. We got buttermilk batter and peanut butter batter. Lemon curd and blueberries, bacon pieces, cheddar cheese and apples. Also country fried bacon Omgoodness so good. Great place my 2 year old niece loved watching my sister and I make pancakes. Will definitely return.
(5)
Sarah G.
Been there many times with my best friend and we always order the same thing off the menu since we are never early enough to build our own pancakes - she gets the "toad in the hole" and I get the buttermilk pancake with blueberries and we share the fried bacon (which is indulgent but necessary when you go, and since we only go once every couple months it's worth it)! Only complaint is that no matter how early we get there we've never been able to get in to make our pancakes, which we would like to do eventually.
(4)
Jim L.
Great breakfast! I had the vegan sweet potato bowl which was super comfort food....kale, gravy, sweet potatoes, wow...I had 2 poached eggs on top. My partner had the forest mushroom scramble which was good but she deleted the bacon and the dish needs the bacon flavor. On that note....I also ordered the macadamia/brown sugar bacon....decadent!
(4)
Aloysius A.
Don't get it. All the hub bub about this place and I don't understand it. The food was so so. The service was so so. The menu was so so. The atmosphere was so so. The waitress had a chip on her shoulder. The parking stinks. Don't get it. Wasn't impressed but in their defense it wasn't bad either.
(3)
Sarah M.
This place was amazing! Friendly service, fun atmosphere, and yummy food. We did blueberry buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd and peanut butter pancakes with chocolate chips. Such a treat! Super kid friendly too.
(5)
Shannon L.
What a fun place. The service was great. The whole grain batter was excellent. I had toasted almonds and coconut with fresh whipped cream. Yummy bacon and fresh orange juice. The breakfast items we saw coming out of the kitchen looked phenomenal. I'm going to try something next time and have pancakes for dessert. I'm surprised to see it wasn't 5 stars. I cant say anything bad about it.
(5)
Brody L.
This place is kind of fun and kind of stressful for both the diners and the staff. I was amazed watching 2 year olds making their own pancakes table side on hot stoves, but also mortified when I saw babies standing on chairs throwing spatulas around while teeter tottering over hot bubbling pancake mix. I saw one child dip his hands in batter and run to a giant window and smear handprints down the glass. Of course the parents didn't scold him or clean up after him and the mix dried on the glass after the hour I was there. I felt really bad for the servers that have to deal with sticky nasty babies and their bad parents all day long and I could tell they hated their jobs because when I would ask questions like "do I cook my eggs at the table too?" They seemed annoyed because they probably get asked that a lot. But I also don't want to feel bad because my server thinks my questions are stupid and hates the environment they work in. The server was real sassy and seemed annoyed at everything going on. I had fun making my pancakes and might come here again if I was trying to impress some older children that have all their motor skills and hand eye coordination up to date. But as far as an adult breakfast spot goes, stay far far away!
(3)
Genevieve F.
Very fun experience for the kids. Both our 5 and 2 year old daughters loved it. I'd say 5 is about the right age to cook their own pancakes. We loved the red velvet special batter. Good breakfast dishes if you don't want pancakes. Wish the line wasn't so long.
(4)
Gaylen J.
This is probably a good place to bring children but is a madhouse if you just want to eat breakfast. Place is noisy, and a big hot griddle is sunk in the middle of the table. At least I know where not to go for breakfast.
(2)
Benson N.
Go here for the experience to test your inner artistry with pancakes! They offer 8oz of pancake batter from which you should be able to make several pancakes with. So many sides to go along with your pancakes like bacon, chocolate chips, nuts etc. I don't recommend getting more than 1 or 2 sides with you pancake batter because even though they are $1-2 dollars per side your bill can easily stack up and have you spending about twice as much as you regularly should for just pancakes! I think I made the mistake of also ordering the eggs Benedict because it was like $12 and I've waaaaaay better before. The main attraction of this place is the fact that you get to make your own pancakes and create whatever you like but it's hard and I eventually ran out of ideas on what to draw so I just started using the batter to create the regular round and plain pancakes towards the end just so I could been done with it all. Service was good they kept checking up on us and it made me feel insecure about my drawings though because I was trying to draw a rocket ship but it sort of came out looking like the male genitalia and I swear they were staring at it on our pancake pallet. Probably won't be back for awhile but for my first time it was enjoyable!
(4)
Daniel G.
This is our first negative review on Yelp. We usually aspire to the thought of "if you have nothing nice to say..." However, felt is was understandable for our visit. We were visiting for a girls basketball tournament and showed up on a Monday midday and hoped for some luck to accommodate 7 girls and 5 parents. After some jockeying the hostess did a great job of getting us all seated. Girls at a table and Parents at the bar that overlooks the kitchen. We sat with Sarah and she was great. My wife and I ordered the grits with Spinach and poached eggs. The grits were really under cooked and very gritty and clumpy. What really set us off was how dirty the place and staff were. We are NOT Howard Hughes obsessed neat freaks...not by a long stretch. Hell, we have 6 kids! This place was filthy, especially the kitchen and the floor. The cooks were filthy too right along with their appearance. Severely soiled clothes and no aprons. Additionally, the staff was snacking on prepped food in the back of the kitchen. One last point....the bathroom was completely filthy. On a positive closing, the girls loved hanging out and cooking their own pancakes.
(2)
Rebecca R.
We have been here a few times for breakfast and really like the concept. I know some people don't like paying to cook for themselves. I like that I don't have to prep or clean up for pancakes. Plus, I can customize my pancakes anyway I want to. My favorite combination is regular buttermilk batter, bananas, coconut and coconut syrup. Yummy! I was a bit hesitant to try the vegan batter but it is surprisingly really good. Honestly, as a non-vegan, I couldn't tell the difference between it and the regular batter. This is a great place for families. Your kids will love playing with their food, I can't wait to bring our niece here.
(4)
Karla T.
Very cute for kids... Adults should order from the menu for sure! The orange juice is great, the season batter is yummy... Lots of people but fun for kids.
(2)
Andie D.
Drove all the way from CA to check this place out after I saw on triple D. Waited an hour but it was worth it. I had the Slappy Benedict and it did not disappoint. We found something (tiny wire) in our chicken fried steak and they replace it immediately and the manager was nice enough to give us a discount for the inconvenience. Normally I wouldn't give a 5 star for that but I found the service and how they handled the situation very professional and impressive
(5)
Jess M.
We love going here! The cook your own pancakes are so much fun! The peanut butter pancake batter is really good. The chocolate is ok. They have field roast veggie sausage which we love. The best addins are the butterscotch chips and granola. The staff is always really nice. The wait on weekends can be long, 45 mins- 1 hour, but they always have seating during the week.
(5)
Jasmine B.
I recently took my boyfriend and his parents here for brunch and although the wait was long, the area was great to kill time and walk around Hawthorne (a couple blocks away). The food was great, I made my own pancakes on the personal table griddle. My boyfriend had a small yet tasty biscuits and gravy and his parents loved the mimosas and sweet potato dish. I will definitely be going back.
(5)
Ziyan C.
Still a fun place! I realize my last 5 star rating was a little bit of me reeling from the novelty of this whole idea of make-your-own-pancakes, but it was still enough to get me back here on my next trip to PDX (and this coming from a person who never likes to repeat restaurants). I also realized this time: their regular brunch items are good, not amazing by any means. But the pancake batter is still great, and as long as you know what you're doing, have good toppings, and have a fun crowd, you'll have an amazing time! The wait at 9am was about an hour for the 5 of us. Cost: ~$90 for 5 of us. Great deal! Menu: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… ~~A LA CARTE~~ * Chicken fried bacon - 4 stars (2 slices of hand-battered bacon drizzled w/ housemade apple caramel sauce. $5) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… Nice! Very thick crunchy batter. ~~PLATES~~ * Huevos Rancheros - 3.5 stars (Crispy corn tortillas layered w/ braised pinto beans, two eggs & queso fresco. Topped w/ creme fraiche & salsa. $10) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… A giant plate, has all the components, as tasty as huevos always are, but somehow just not super memorable. * Shirred eggs - 3.5 stars (Roasted pepers & red onions scrambled w/ crispy tortilla strips & topped w/ queso fresco. Served w/ potatoes & toast. $9.50) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… Not bad, my friend really likes this dish and enjoyed this one. I found the diced peppers/onions/potatoes under the eggs kind of undercooked. Menu: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… ~~PANCAKES~~ * Pumpkin - 4 stars (my toppings: white chocolate, walnuts, goat cheese) Great dense, moist batter. The white chocolate was amazing. I also added bacon and maple syrup from the other pancake we got. When I added the blue cheese, it became a little too much savory contrast. * Buttermilk - 4 stars (the bf's toppings: crispy bacon, blue cheese, roasted mushrooms, valdeon bleu cheese) Classic, also dense and moist. Yummy!
(4)
Dylan R.
What an awesome idea!! You get seated to a table that has a grill in the middle. You then have a menu with all sorts of options to make your own pancakes. Overall, something very different and I could see this being a great date! Now, I did knock one star based on service. #1: No batter samples. I'd love to have tried the Peanut Butter batter. I've never had it, but I don't want to pay $7 if I don't like it. I don't see why they couldn't fill a small container just to try the batter. #2: We received poor service. We went long waits before getting attended to, even though it was us and 2 other people in the place. They seemed more focused on closing down than taking care of us. Regardless, I'd still recommend it. The Buttermilk batter was great (the peanut butter batter is still a mystery...) and the toppings were very fresh!
(4)
Jacqueline C.
Restaurants are not only about food but they are also about overall experience and this place provides exactly that. The wait for a griddle table was an hour and a half and I could not believe how crazy this place was. Instead I chose to just sit at the booth and have the chef make the pancakes for me because I was starving! I ordered the Gluten Free Vegan Buckwheat waffles with bananas & blueberries which was then topped with a lavender honey. It was alright nothing to go raving to my friends about. It did the job. This place is great for Sunday brunch with the family. I have never been in here and seen a person who seemed like they were genuinely having a horrible time. It's fun and that's how food should be.
(4)
Jesse L.
I was really excited to try out Slappy Cakes as I heard that this place is a must. I MUST say I was highly disappointed. Partly because they forgot about my pancake and brought it after the rest of my party was finished eating. Needless to say. Great Concept, Poor execution. And if your claim to fame is making your own pancakes you might want to consider a small bottle so those that are order a meal and add on a pancake could also enjoy the experience. Good luck with your business. I obviously will NOT be coming back.
(1)
Cassy P.
Delicious pancakes & fun to make! It was about an hour wait but worth it! I just went down the street to the food trucks for coffee while I was waiting. My group & I tried the buttermilk & chocolate pancakes with blueberry & hazelnut toppings. The buttermilk pancakes melted in your mouth & coffee was strong enough. Great place for kids & kids at heart. Fun experience to at least try once.
(4)
Chris C.
What are unique idea and great experience who would've thought making pancakes would be so fun and simple.
Kids had a fabulous time and so did the adults. Recommend though that everyone at the table coordinate their add-ins. There is plenty in each dish for more than 1 person!
(5)
Jeanette R.
Go to spot for brunch with kids in tow. Making our own pancakes is always a fun way to spend the morning! My kids love the chocolate batter, and I'm crazy about their wild mushroom scramble. The place can be busy- expect a wait, especialy if you're dining on a weekend, but the service is friendly if brief, and the whole experience is something you cannot get elsewhere. Reccomend!
(4)
Rob P.
Friendly atmosphere, great food. They bring your pancake batter to your table and you make your own. Only negative is the limited hours, closed by 2pm most days.
(4)
Spencer E.
So good! Like I still have a food baby from this morning. Personal pancakes and a shared classic breakfast. Soooooo satisfying and delicious. Glad we were one of the first in line for the morning- there was already a line and crowded waiting area less than 15 minutes after opening.
(5)
Bryan S.
OK, so, I'm going to give a good review one of these days. Today is not that day. My kids were so excited to go here. They love making their own pancakes. That's... pretty much the whole deal here. The batter is meh (overbeaten, thin). The toppings, too. But, whatever, it's fine. It's pancakes. This was my first time there. Bad sign #1, the hostess sort of tossed our stuff on the table and wandered away. It's a volume operation. You people are here for McPancakeLand? OK, sit. The bigger problem was when the waitress dumped maple syrup all over my setting. And my shoe. And phone. Things happen. I get that. But she doused the whole spot in syrup, and it was mildly sticky for the rest of the meal-- a breakfast that cost us $80 or so, for two adults and three children. For pancakes and a frittata. Because I didn't freak out, I guess, she made no attempt to comp my meal or coffee or... anything. Just sort of wiped up the puddle of syrup, mostly, and split. We decided it's better to be a huge jerk when stuff like that happens if you'd like any consideration for it. I spent part of the meal in the bathroom washing maple syrup off my shoe and foot. So, the food is OK. The whole pancake on a griddle thing is cute. If you don't mind the attitude and sloppy service (kind of a Portland hallmark, I'm afraid, it's OK for a novelty breakfast for the kids.
(3)
Andrew H.
Well, a breakfast place where they want you to do the cooking yourself. Why not? It seems like something fun to do and the kiddo plus all of us can have some fun with it. My brother and his girlfriend had been here prior and they thought we would enjoy it. We did. First thing is if you don't want to make your own pancakes, you don't have to. But what fun is that? There are many options for the batter alone. Buttermilk, peanut butter, whole grain just for examples. As for the toppings, most any fruit was available. They divide them in the two catagories, sweet and savory. Chocolate chips, pecans, shredded coconut and granola were some of the sweet options and bacon, chorizo, mushrooms and local goat cheese were some of the savory ones. You receive a 6.5oz bottle, which is enough for two people to get a nice light breakfast and since I was sharing with the kiddo we went with two simple choices. Chocolate chips and bacon. Remember the flattop grill IS HOT. So if you are with little ones, make sure they realize that. Thankfully mine knows the difference, but she still wanted to be an active participant in making her pancakes and helped put on the chocolate chips and even made two small ones herself. By many of the pictures I've looked at, people get very creative with what sort of pancakes they make. My father attempted a spiderweb, it didn't fair so well but it didn't matter, they tasted good. There's even the option of some great toppings like 100% maple syrup, yogurt, creme fraiche, homemade "Nutella" and lavender honey. Besided the lure of the pancakes, they offer many egg choices, some benedicts, some chicken fried bacon and country fried steak. You need to make it there early because you will be waiting if you don't This is one of those novelty type places that really works. They have been around since 2009 and have gotten some national noteriety. Do stop in.
(5)
Noah U.
The lines at Slappy Cakes can be a little long. The food is fairly good and people will enjoy it. I needed to wait thirty minutes when I went, but they contact you with all sorts of options including by text. Therefore, you can walk around Sunnyside while you wait. But old singles beware, this is a very family oriented place with crying toddlers. Yet, it is a fine tribute to the ingenuity of Portland and none of its shortcomings are wide, and thus it is a enjoyable place. The tables were big and I sat next to others, but it did not feel uncomfortable. They let you make pancakes to specifications and they innovate with things like fried bacon. That draw is a must-have and I look forward to having that about once every fifteen months in considering calories. Slappy Cakes will above all, provide a solid meal. They defy convention and it works.
(4)
Dead H.
We have gone twice with our 2 year old and 7 year old. The key is to get there right when it opens at 8 am. We were pleasantly surprised with the variety of food other then just pancakes. That allows us to enjoy a brunch while our kids make pancakes. The wait staff is wonderful. They start their morning getting slammed with 4 to 5 tables at once with mostly kids and they are patient, friendly,and stop by to tell jokes.
(5)
Mathieu T.
I don't want to rag on a place that really tries but I was thoroughly unimpressed with the service at Slappy Cakes. Perhaps my expectations were incredibly high due to the lines out the front on Saturday and Sundays, however between the service and the portions I think the restaurants appeal is simply fueled by hype. My brief experience: Unfortunately the hostess who directed us to our table was incredibly frazzled. She wasn't explicitly rude, but she did throw--or perhaps lob is a better very--the menus over our heads onto the table behind us as we sat waiting. Then she told "us" that we were seated there, however she didn't speak to us as she did speak to the air around us, or perhaps to a phantom image of a lover who scorned her in the past. Point being, she didn't address us and sort of barked into the air that our booth was ready. That, unfortunately, left me with a bit of a sour taste. The food itself? Delicious honestly. However the portions were cleverly devised to ensure that you order a second round of batter. Which, though it rivals a scheme by Palpatine or perhaps The Brain, is actually quite inconvenient. And ultimately a little pricey. I don't hate the place, and it's certainly an experience, but I won't be returning and frankly won't be advising my friends to go there. But alas, that'll only turn away about two people. Zing!! *Dramatic lonely person sobs.*
(1)
Bob F.
If you want to waste a whole Saturday/Sunday, come here and wait forever to get a table! A lot of people, yes, but a lot of people leaving after waiting over an hour and a half!!
(1)
Debbie C.
Went for breakfast on a Sunday morning, not knowing what to expect. A 45 minute wait! We had the option to sit at the bar and not make our own pancakes and we were totally fine with that. We didn't have children with us and we just wanted to eat. The food was good, but the service and the staff were the BEST. Sitting at the bar was a great experience to hang with the cool people who made us feel so welcome. Some day I will go back with kids to experience the griddle!
(4)
Andy N.
What a awesome concept! I've never seen this. It's like a korean bbq grill but used to make pancakes right in front of you. It's a lot more fun when you get to do this yourself. For the creative mind you can do all shapes and characters. Definitely instagram worthy spot. They have different choices of pancake mix and toppings. Each bottle of pancake mix can make about 6 pancakes. The place was also really clean inside. My girlfriend ordered the multigrain with lemon custard and blueberries. It tasted really good and the syrups were delicious as well. I would love to open one of these back home. Great concept.
(4)
Libby C.
Not going to lie, I hate slappy cakes. Sooo much. I've been several times, and it hasn't impressed me once. The wait is always long. Ridiculously ridiculously long. And full of tourists. You basically wait 30-45 minutes to make your own pancakes. For approximately four times the cost of making them yourself. I don't know. Something about having large groups of small children near extremely hot griddles really doesn't float my boat.
(2)
Jacob C.
Horrible service. Doesnt follow actual waiting list. Lets people ahead. Unprofessional.
(1)
Dave G.
Great concept and a great place for a leisurely breakfast. We got three pancake batter tubes with toppings, sweet potato casserole and toad in the hole. This was just a little too much food for two kids and four hungry adults. Our picky eater has never eaten pancakes of her own free will but gobbled two peanut butter chocolate chip cakes! Definitely try the field roast vegan sausage, wild mushrooms, and house made tart strawberry syrup. They added a 18% gratuity onto our bill, I would have only given 10% since we did most of the work.
(5)
K T.
I read the other reviews and was reluctant to go. Whenever people talk about expense, I am dubious of their review. We went with our grandchildren for a "school's out" celebration, and we just don't understand the bad reviews. It was a hoot, just plain fun for the kids. Something for the kids and something for us! We had mole in the hole egg dish with sour dough and it was clever and good. My husband had the mushroom omelette that had a cute name also. The eggs came with bacon on both, I think, plus delicious roasted potatoes. Again, delicious. As for the kids!.....they were able to make their own pancakes and select the toppings and fillings of their choice. We didn't think it was high priced at all. For $6 you get 8 ounces of pancake batter, which made so many pancakes of varying sizes. Then they ordered bananas and chocolate chips. It was the right amount of toppings for them, and then they had coconut syrup and maple on top. They both loved the experience of designing the shape of their pancake. Clever idea and just plain fun! I recommend this place, not because it is the best I have ever had, but darn good for what it is! and 5++++ for the clever idea! And one other thing, there is a wait on the weekends. We went on Thursday around 10 and we waited 20 minutes. Our server was Chrissy, and she was as sweet and fun as the rest of the experience!
(5)
Doug L.
The establishment has been featured on a television food network. The service was "in your face" with a "that's just the way it is" attitude. The grills are not the greatest; unevenly cooked pancakes taste terrible. I expected my pancakes to turn out better than at home being cooked on a griddle or fry pan, however they still stuck even when the oil or butter was placed on grill. Price= too much for a measly bottle of batter and small ingredient portions for the $$. Overall, the service with an attitude was the topper. When we asked "why do you get so few blueberries when paying that prices for ingredients?" Waitress answer was "yeah, that's just how it is." Sure, it may have been a busy Sunday but any other proud establishment wait staff would have gladly returned to the kitchen to fetch a few more berries so that the meal and experience would be good.
(3)
Larry K.
Great place to bring the kids so they can cook for themselves, well, maybe with some help, depending on how old they are. Also really good for just adults with the usual adult beverage brunch selection. I could see it as a fun place to bring a date. Food and service is great! Expect long lines on the weekend.
(4)
Cydney M.
Our child was sick for about two weeks, and when she woke up this morning she really wanted Pancakes. We thought Slappy Cakes would be a treat, because who hasn't heard of Slappy Cakes for their family friendly, make your own pancake fun? We called to find out what time was best to dodge the wait. 1pm, they told us, so we made our way over at 12:30. We made peace with the hour long wait even at this time, and settled in at the food cart pod next door with some cold brew from Kind Coffee. I'm going to just cut to the chase and say that while their pancakes were decent, there is no reason anyone serving my six year old should be wearing bootie shorts and fishnet stockings at brunch on a Sunday. Where are we, a strop club? Not to mention it was a dude wearing this ridiculous getup. This place is advertised on every public forum for where to take your kids for breakfast in Portland. Completely inappropriate, even for SE. The eggs were rubbery and pretty whack too. Come here if you'd like to have a fun conversation about cross dressing with your preschooler over make your own pancakes. The second star was for the butter, it was whipped and I like that.
(2)
Wade N.
Novelty for sure. We decided to give this a try as a couple before bringing the grandchildren back for the fun experience. We are glad we did, because we've decided the younger grand children would enjoy the experience. The 4 and up kids are going to LOVE this. Watching the young families cooking their own pancake creations was fun. I would be remiss if I didn't also say we visited on a hot day and the heat of the griddle made it even worse. Table that into consideration. Good food, fun novelty, and very friendly staff. If you want a fun experience and have children this is a must do. No kids, not worth the price for pancakes.
(3)
Manolito Daniel M.
Far as we could tell we were the first table served yesterday morning (a Thursday). We were promptly seated in a very open, bright, orange, inviting dining room where each table had its own grill. Our server, Miriam, was very nice and efficient and asked us if we had ever been there before. Having not, we hoped for all the lowdown. We got our basic instructions and each ordered the same, 8oz bottles of buttermilk batter and mix-ins of blueberries and bacon, and maple syrup. He got a side of bacon (yes, I pointed out he'd already gotten bacon for the pancakes and he gives me a look like 'what's your point?') and I a side of breakfast potatoes. Before we came I yelped the place and one person mentioned how the pancake artwork made them smile. Way ditto when I looked at the back wall! That's my kinda art: yummy. I always visit the bathrooms.... not only cuz I drink a lot of water, but you learn much about an establishment from the bathroom. Nice and clean and fresh smelling. The boys working at slappycakes were even hot. Atmosphere, check. While I was gone my partner overheard our server talking to a neighboring table and pointing out there was syrup at the table. We were only slightly annoyed with this for not having it pointed out to us and also for the fact the we totally didn't notice it. We may not have ordered syrup had we noticed. On the other hand I live with a Vermont-er, real maple is usually inevitable. I found the process of making pancakes there much messier than I anticipated. I was very patient and waited but no matter when I tried to flip, it got very stuck. Each time I tried I ended up with a kinda wet massacred cake. Boo. Dunno if it wasn't hot enough (someone did come by and turn it up at one point) or what but that was disappointing. What cooked well was very tasty. The blueberries were fresh and sweet, the bacon nice meaty chunks. I MUST say the potatoes were most excellent, perfect even. Nice and soft on the inside and crisp perfection on the out. Average bacon slices. He tells me the drip coffee tasted 'funny.' Worth the $31 in the end? I think we'd have done better to share one order of pancakes and get individual sides for ourselves cuz we had a measurable amount of batter left. Overall, we aren't clamoring to go back, maybe we'll give them another shot sometime. But with so many other brunch/breakfast options in Portland and the fact that we're just visitors, chances are slim.
(3)
Reza S.
I would have given sloppy cakes three stars but I had to wait 45 minutes to be seated so I downgraded it to two. I know that's a Portland thing to do, waiting in line for mediocre food but I usually refrain from doing so, but unfortunately I was with a group set on slappycakes. I ordered the country fried steak it was 11.50 for an undersized plate, the steak was good itself, the over easy eggs came out over medium and the small portion of potatoes left much to be desired. The griddle at my table just made me hot, worked up a sweat just sitting there eating. I will not return to this place and don't recommend it.
(2)
Karen T.
Slappy Cakes is sort of like a DIY American teppanyaki: There's a grill at the table where your food is made in front of you, but you do the making, it's pancakes and not tempura, and there are no antics from a friendly Japanese chef. Whether you consider this to be a good or bad thing is largely personal. We went at 9:45 on a Tuesday morning, and had no wait at all. But by 10:15, there was a line out the door. Our waitress was friendly and helpful, but you're really left to your own devices on food if you go the pancakeyaki route. I had the gluten-free and vegan batter, which I did not have high expectations for, but was not disappointed. My friend had the chocolate batter, which she enjoyed. Overall, this is a place I'd go for the novelty, and not necessarily the food. Making pancakes at home is neither difficult nor expensive, but the grill tables afford a certain amount of entertainment that's fun and unique. Plus, you don't have to clean up afterwards.
(4)
joseph b.
Can we sit and think for a moment about the inanity of people complaining about being uncomfortably warm whilst sitting next to an electric griddle they chose to utilize in the first place? OK. Done pondering that. This place was a lot of fun, poured creative beverages, and a simply delicious breakfast for me and my pal. He got a Mole' Maria, a perky pepper-infused tequila-based spin on your average blah-dy Mary. Points for that, and for a $2 can of Rainier for breakfast. I made my own pancakes with cinnamon sugar crème fraiche and blackberries. Plenty to share with a single batter setup. Our server (Mariam?) humored us and took pics with us to commemorate our Portland visit, and took the time to suggest some wineries and distilleries to visit during our free day. I'd be happy to return next time through town.
(4)
Erik F.
Best pancakes ever. Many other creative, delicious breakfast dishes. My kids love making their own pancakes on the griddles contained in each table. Gotta try it!
(5)
Heather V.
Slappy cakes is good for pancakes and perfect for kids (think DIY pancakes right on your table!). I'd give them 5 stars for the pancakes/ kid factor and 1 star for the brunch factor.. If you're looking for other brunch food (meaning not pancakes), I recommend going elsewhere, because the rest of the menu just isn't up to snuff. We visited with a friend and her two girls. The girls had a great time making their own pancakes and fun picking their flavor of batter and decent list of toppings. The pancakes looked good (so I guess, decent batter then?), but I'm not a pancake person, so I ordered the Forest mushroom scramble with a side salad. This was the *worst* scramble I've had in ages -- sadly, I think my husband or the two kids we were with, could've made better. Imagine a homemade egg scramble that looks all murky and make it worse. And it tasted that way too -- nice and bland. How can you make mushrooms taste that lame?? My husband had a scramble too, and he agreed. My side salad was some chopped romaine with a simple vinaigrette (and I mean simple). No tomatoes, no nuts, no other veggies. Again, it was like I could've done wayyyy better at home if I had made it myself. Did I mention how my biscuit was?? BAD. BAD BAD. I'm a biscuit lover and I left feeling that I wasted a brunch on a bad biscuit. I hate that. It's tough for me to give this place 3 stars, but because it's a cute little spot and perfect for kids, I have to give the median score. If you don't have kids, you'd better run like the wind somewhere else!
(3)
erok m.
Great place to bring the kids! If you are a few adults looking for some breakfest I would highly reccomend somewhere else because this place is pretty much for the kids. Pancakes were great, had buttermilk w blueberries. Also had a egg w toast, and potatoes, pretty bland.
(3)
Jean P.
Great atmosphere and the wait is long. Would definitely come back during my next vacation!
(4)
Jonathan M.
It is clever and our 6 and 8 year old loved it. We also ordered a scramble and they hit the perfect, "this is fine" mark. Go for the fun.
(3)
Sarah N.
I love Slappy Cakes! Such a simple idea but so genius. Based on the menu you can choose your batter, toppings, and create. We chose multigrain and used the recommended choices for toppings "#1" which was lemon custard and blueberries. We also added some chocolate chips. The ladies working kindly showed us how to make it and simple steps. It was so much fun and interactive with whomever you bring. If you're not into making it, you have the option of having them make it for you. It reminded me so much of KBBQ and shabu.
(5)
Augusto M.
Think a DIY Korean BBQ meets a pancake house and you get Slappy Cakes. Seems so simple but I like it. Could use a little more batter in the squeeze bottles. My favorite combo was banana and chocolate chips. I'm a huge bacon fan but I don't think I'll get the chicken fried bacon ever again. It was just a little too much. Get it once in your life and I hope you share.
(4)
Katelyn K.
chicken fried bacon. that's basically all you need to know... lemon myrtle tea was excellent. definitely could have shared just one bottle of pancake mix between the two of us. fun experience, though for the price i would rather do broder or woodsman. regardless, very fun place and i'm sure for families one of the best breakfast spots in town.
(3)
K H.
This is a little late but wanted to share how great the service was here. On veterans day I took my family, vet dad included, and I asked if they had a veteran's discount. The waiter said "no" but then he came back and said the manager had said they would give us a discount and would for all vets that day. It was really cool of them to recognize our veterans. Thanks!
(4)
Mel H.
Fantastic spot. We sat at the bar to avoid the line, and it wasn't until I spotted the grills on the tables that I figured out why the bar was empty. Make your own pancakes? Awesome! I wish this place had been around when my daughter was little. I had the special frittata (5 stars), The Man had the Slappy Benedict (5 stars), we shared the banana French toast (5 stars). Plus, our Zooey Deschanel lookalike server, Cory, was one of the better servers we've had in Portland since moving here. She rocked it. Only reason I deducted a star is for the prices, which are definitely on the higher side for breakfast, especially for the area. We will totally be back.
(4)
Melvin T.
Slappy Cakes get s a solid 3 stars for the novelty of cooking your own pancakes and having a plethora of choices for toppings and fillings. The cooking experience, though, needs some improvement. The griddle temperature is too low. It takes almost 10 minutes on each side to cook the pancake. However since it is so low, the pancakes never truly get that yummy golden brown color. To reduce your cooking time, make really thin, almost crepe-like pancakes. The temperature of the griddles are low due to safety concerns. However, go to a grill-it-yourself Korean BBQ and those grills are hot hot hot. You can opt to have the kitchen cook your pancakes, but that defeats the purpose of coming to Slappy's The unique add ons to your panacke are really fun. You can get really whimsical and if you don't like it, that's your bad. I went with bleu cheese and walnut pancakes topped with creme fraishe. I have never had bleu cheese pancakes and I gave it a shot and it was really good. Overall, it is a fun place to take the kids and cook your own pancakes table side.
(3)
Angie P.
This is my one stop breakfast shop. THIS IS MY JAM! Any time I want pancakes I always go to Slappy Cakes. The staff are great and swift and the food is hearty. Be prepared to wait for 1.5-2 hours if you come on a Saturday or Sunday because EVERYONE seems to trek here those days. I recommend coming on a weekday to be truthful. Also many people enjoy trying this place out because you get to make your own pancakes. I have tried this and failed horribly. I can't really make pancakes and if I wanted to then I'd stay home to do it. That is why I pay to have someone else make them for me! Call me lazy, but I like how they make my pancakes.
(4)
L L.
Cute place! It's like an American take on Japanese okonomiyaki, where you can make pancakes "as you like it" on a griddle. The option to make your pancake savory or sweet is pretty great, especially if you don't normally like pancakes. The sweet potato batter was great, and the shiitake mushrooms even better. Even the Blueberry Cooler and Lavender Lemonade were super tasty. All of the ingredients, including syrup and jam, were fresh. The vegetable scramble wasn't bad, but definitely go for the pancakes and experience. Sure you could do this at home, but who wants to with ingredients this good and no mess to clean up?
(4)
Nicole T.
My boyfriend & I went here on an anniversary lunch and we both loved it. He loved the chicken fried bacon and I loved all the vegan options. After ordering the vegan batter and the vegan sausage, the waitress came over with some vegan butter for me and I didn't even have to ask. The customer service was fantastic and she walked us through everything. Plus, the prices are really great. Under $20 for a great meal for the two of us. The only downside is how smokey it is inside the building - but I suppose that's inevitable when you have the customers cooking their own food. Nothing too bad though.
(5)
sarah y.
Now let's just state the obvious: pancakes are pancakes. And you can definitely make them at home, no need to go out and make your own. The average hour wait doesn't help either, but... Pork. Belly. Benedict. THAT'S worth waiting for and I definitely don't have the skill to make that at home!
(4)
Marina P.
The idea is wonderful and fun to take kids to, but the quality of food and pancakes is 3/5.
(3)
Niki S.
Paying money to drive across town to cook my own food clearly has it's downside- but, I would highly suggest bringing any guests to this nice east-side establishment so you can entertain them, and chat for the hour, up to two hour wait, you have on a weekend morning before being seated. ---Creativity: 9 out of 10 Slappy cakes works in a simple "options" format if you are doing the pancakes: 1- Pick your batter (Choices as of Sat- Buttermilk, Whole Wheat, Gluten Free, Parsnip, and Peanut Butter). Each bottle is 8 oz, and it is suggested 1 bottle per person. 2- Pick your "add ins" (I opted for hazelnuts, chopped apple, goat cheese, mushrooms) 3- Pick any "toppings", to adorn the top of your pancake and complete the flavor experience. Given the fact I was already bought in to my impending slappy-coma, I ordered the Creme Fresh as a topping. Each bottle runs about $6, toppings are $1-3 each, as are mix-ins. A tart strawberry syrup and regular syrup are already at the table, no charge. ---Now, for functionality: 5 out of 10 The griddle is not so large, when sat with a table of 5 guests total. Realistically, each person has room for like, 1 pancake at a time. Only 3/5 of ours were doing the pancake cooking and the griddle still felt cramped, also considering that most of the cooking is above the heating element, in the middle of the griddle. TIPS: ***Start an "assembly line" to your mouth (That's what she said): Put one pancake on the outlaying area of the griddle, mix ins, etc- so you can have this one slowly cooking, while cooking your central-location pancake in about half the time. By the time you are done eating your middle-o-griddle pancake you are then ready to eat the one cooking on the cooler part of the griddle. ***Another tip: Any party larger than 5, I would say, break the group up, and have 5 sat as their own party. I would hate for it to take 3 hours for a group of 7 people to eat their food because they are able to cook a pancake once every 15 minutes. ***GET THERE EARLY- I arrived at 9am on Sunday, 1 hour after open. The wait was already 1 hr +. Our table was by the hostess booth, and by 9:45, the wait for a party of 4, was between 1:45-2 hours. ***The Candied bacon is worth trying. Not saying it's something I would seek out again, but certainly yummy savory lovings, and worth trying while in the moment. Carpe that diem! OVERALL: I would go back, for sure. Not on my own accord, given the location across town for me, the wait, and how in the time it takes me to drive there, finally be sat, cook my food and then get back home, I could have bribed my husband to clean the dishes for me and taken a nap, allowing the same feeling as if I went to slappy cakes. Worth bringing guests to, though.
(2)
Diana T.
I've been dying to try this place and finally got to try it today, to-go style though. I definitely plan to go back with friends and really experience the atmosphere and service. It seemed really fun and exciting. I ordered the Pork Belly Benedict to-go and I must say, I'm glad I did. Wow, the line was a bit long but my food was ready at the exact time I was told. No waiting at all, if you call in your order like I did! The food was amazing, the pictures don't do it enough justice. I highly recommend this dish! Everything was exactly the way I expected and wanted it to be. The egg was runny but not too runny. The pork belly was perfectly cooked. The coleslaw was pickled to perfection. Everything was on-point! If you want delicious breakfast food, go here!!
(5)
Cory F.
I was looking for a special place to take my son for his 11th Birthday for breakfast. Found Slappy Cakes! Ok yeah I had to wait 40 min. but any place in PDX worth going or with good food and a good atmosphere is going to have a wait. The place is very Portland...trendy, fun and different. You have the option to make your own pancakes or order food. Make ur own cakes was awesome for my 13 year old daughter and her friend as well as my 11 year old birthday boy. I have to say I enjoyed myself too! My wife ordered off the menu and allowed me a couple bites of her food... Mmmm! Check it out but be patience.
(5)
Bob B.
The food was good, service was good. Had the classic breakfast, no complaints there. However, like many restaurants with high ceilings and few soft surfaces to absorb sounds, the place is loud. I had trouble hearing the people sitting right across the table from me.
(3)
Dan H.
You don't really need another Slappy Cakes full review do you? No, you don't. I just wanted to emphasize how much fun it is to come to a place like this with a child. We took my 4 year old niece here and she got such a kick out of it. That made me smile for the rest of the day. If you have a kid, or can find a kid, do yourself a favor and take them here. You won't regret it.
(4)
Jordan G.
I love this place. My wife and I popped in on the weekend. We were told there was a. 45 minute wait so we signed up and strolled through the neighborhood. When we came back to be seated, we were sat at the bar. Watching the cooks hustle and sl their way through the rush was fun, and the kid with the colored Mohawk even took time to chat with us about the blazers losing in the play offs. The goods- I went all out and ordered the pork belly Benedict . It was rich and tender, well worth the price of admission. My wife ordered pancakes which were large, fluffy, and cooked to perfection. Apparently everything they cook is made from scratch! The Bloody Mary was sharp and on point, and our busy server made sure my wife never saw the bottom of her coffee cup. Go, Eat, relax and have a good time. Just don't linger when your done ! They've got to turn the tables and process the line.
(5)
Lysabeth L.
The pork belly benedict belongs on my "best things I ever ate" list. So yum! I loved the crunch of the cabbage. Our kids loved making their own pancakes - buttermilk pancakes with chocolate chips and bananas. Hubby and I had the whole wheat pancakes with chorizo and mushrooms. Yummo! This is a great place! Come early to avoid a long wiat.
(5)
Amy B.
I gave this place 3 stars because it is OK. We had a bit of a hard time trying to get our pancakes to cook, so that obviously took some of the joy out of the dining experience. The service was superb, which it needed to be given the situation. She tried to salvage our griddle, but nothing really made it work better. Four starving people trying to cook off the middle of the griddle getting one cake at a time is not really my idea of dining. The place is packed. People love this place. Maybe it's just me. I really just want someone to do all my cooking. I am glad I tried it, no regrets.
(3)
Jane F.
Hands down the COOLEST breakfast joint I've ever been to in my life! No exaggeration. Was visiting my cousins who live in Portland last week and my Aunt told me about a place where you can create your own pancakes. I was like, psshhh no freakin way does that exist. Then BOOM we drove past it. I saw there was a huge line out side and thought this place must be good. The wait was really long, but they took our number and texted us when our table was ready which was awesome because we wanted to browse the stores around town anyways. Once we finally sat down we ordered 3 batters between 6 people which was more than enough. I got the chocolate chips and everyone else got the delicious maple syrup to go with it. We also got their tasty turkey bacon, eggs and mimosas. We made hilarious shaped pancakes and had a ball! I highly recommend checking this place out in Portlandia, you won't regret it!
(5)
Shy A.
I love to cook but making pancakes at home can be such a pain in the arse considering the clean-up. Slappy Cakes takes care of all of that. Scores major points with me! There's something so cool about making pancakes and having access to all the ingredients your little heart could ever desire. Even cooler is being able to write your name, smiley or kitty faces with pancake batter. I'm a big kid at heart and this joint really brings me back to an time when I rocked my superwoman jammies, sitting on the kitchen counter flipping my pancakes while my mom sang "que sera" to me. Those were good times. The food isn't mind blowing. I've ordered other items on the menu and have been satisfied but not necessarily ready to shout out from the mountain tops about how wonderful the food is. My suggestion? Be prepared to wait in line Go for the pancake making Try the candied bacon Get some booze Bring on the nostalgia!
(3)
Kelly M.
2.5 stars Okay so I've eaten here 4 times now. And I'm just not impressed. The wait is awhile which is fine because a lot of places in Portland are like that. But today was crazy because it literally took 40 minutes to get our food once we sat down. There were a lot of people working, but it seemed understaffed at the same time. We sat at the counter to avoid the wait. It was just 2 of us. I'm not sure why it takes so long when half the meal is cooked by patrons. My friend ordered 1 pancake, bacon and scambled eggs. I ordered the strata. I've never made a strata before but I know for a fact I can make it better. One of the worst 10 dollars I've ever spent. It was overcooked, bland and a little burnt to be honest. People around us were waiting on their drinks. I think they need one or two designated people to just make drinks. The other times we made the pancakes, one bottle does make a good amount. I had extra. But it wasn't great even when we had them cook it. It's a cute idea and probably fun for families and maybe 1 date..but it's not a place I will frequent.
(3)
LanChi N.
Came to Slappy Cakes on a recommendation...got lucky when we found 2 hr parallel parking. We had to wait about 20-30 mins for a table to be cleaned but when we were finally seated orders were pretty quick. Our serve was nice enough to explain thing since we hadn't been there before. They give you pancake flippers and some whipped butter and you choose your batter for$ 6.50. Which I think over heard is about 1 fairly large pancake and a half. Toppings were about $2 each. My brother decided to go classic with buttermilk while I decided on the seasonal zucchini batter. For toppings I went with blueberry and strawberry. My brother chose dried pineapple,chorizo and crispy bacon which was about $2.50. We also decided to try the chicken fried bacon. Overall the pancakes we made were delicious it is tough to make shapes partially because you have no idea how thick the batter is. But the batter is so good it doesn't matter your pancake shape the blueberries were delicious and the strawberries were a bit sour. The chicken fried bacon surprised me because it was salty and sweet by not overally sweet just enough sweet and salty plus it had a nice crisp texture. Slappy cakes surprisingly fills you up and is a fun interactive way to enjoy breakfast. Especially for children they get a kick out of it.
(3)
Megan Y.
Slappy Cakes is so much fun (even for a 25-year-old). You get to choose your batter flavor as well as toppings and can choose different sides such as eggs and bacon. You pay for each thing you order, so it can get a little pricey if you're not careful. My friends and I tried to be creative in the designs we made out of our pancakes, but let me tell you, pancake art is a lot more difficult than it looks! Although our designs didn't come out as nicely as we would've hoped, we still had a lot of fun! For those of you who are looking for a more hearty breakfast, they do have other food options (that you don't have to cook yourself). I'd probably try one of those options if I tried Slappy Cakes again. One thing that I would like to see is more batter flavor options. We ordered buttermilk and chocolate, but ended up mostly eating the buttermilk one because the chocolate was just too rich. As for their service, the workers here were all really friendly. When we got here, there was a 45 minute wait for a table, but they take down your name and phone number and give you a call and text when your table is ready. I thought this was really nice because we didn't have to wait right outside the restaurant for 45 minutes. I would suggest coming here in groups of 4 or less because that's how the tables are set up. Overall, this was a fun experience!
(4)
Elizabeth G.
The atmosphere, staff, clientele and food are what you would expect as a trendy Portland experience. We sat at the bar, because the wait was too long. Children with crayons were sprawling on the floor at the feet of parents waiting for a table. At the bar, Ray, whose arms were richly covered in swirling artistic tattoos, highly recommended the Pork Belly Benedict. Perfect recommendation. Instead of English Muffins, the lofty poached eggs topped hefty chucks of Pork Belly hiding pancake rounds somewhere below. My partner ordered Spinach with Poached Eggs on Grits. Amazing flavor. Recommend requesting more Spinach if you are crazy into greens.
(3)
Sarah D.
Is Slappycakes expensive? Yep. Is it crazy busy and you have to wait for a table forever? Yep. That too. Is it worth it? Oh yeah. Now here's the thing, this is the experience you are paying for. You have a bottle of batter and then purchase add ins separately. Every table has a griddle so it's all about the experience of mixing and matching ingredients and having fun. I wouldn't say it was the best pancake I have ever had but that's not what this is about. I had such fun just laughing and creating with our friends. It was awesome. We got a lot of toppings. Some of my favorite combos were lemon curd and blueberry and apple pecan with cinnamon creme fraiche. We also got blue cheese to do with apples but I have to say I wasn't a huge fan. Tips for you: since the line can be long, once they have your name and phone number, grab a coffee at Kind Coffee (in with all the food trailers less than a block down) and if it's a nice day take a walk through the neighborhood. There were lots of trees in bloom and some friendly cats. It was a nice walk :)
(5)
Angela F.
What a cool concept! Was looking for something fun and unique and we found it. Pancakes were yummy, fixin and topping options were perfect. The experiential part of it is what made it for us. Our wait was about 30 minutes to get a table at 9 am on a Sunday. The line was way longer when we left so recommend going early if you can.
(4)
Shannon H.
Go here because you want to impress your 4-year old niece with your awesome pancake shape skills and your ability to buy her whatever pancake toppings she wants. Do not go here for the best breakfast in town. The pancake side of this place is a lot of fun, but does not come cheap. Don't go on a budget or it will become stressful and not fun. Do not bring more than 4 people because that's pretty much what the tables allow for. However, if you want to have some pancake making fun this is your place. I've gone twice and the first was my favorite. I don't eat pancakes a lot so the novelty really hit me. I always order non-pancake food for myself. The first time I went their potatoes were absolutely on point, my recent trip left me with overcooked, almost blackened cubes of blech. They don't seem to have a traditional eggs benedict but do have 3 other versions, which I found odd but whatever. Next time I think I'll stick to something basic like eggs and toast. The staff is hit or miss. Some of them are genuinely friendly, some are barely holding their friendly "mask" on, and some clearly just don't care. I'm not sure why they chose to get a job at a child centered food establishment but whatever. Anyway, it's a 3-star joint if I ever did see one. Food is so-so, service is so-so (hit or miss), but it sure is fun to make funny pancakes to impress youngsters.
(3)
Samantha G.
Looking for a unique brunch experience? Slappy Cakes will definitely provide that! My friend and I came here after I spotted a picture I saw on Instagram tagging this place. We went on a Wednesday morning and we were able to get seats right away. What's fun about Slappy Cakes is that you get to cook your pancakes right in front of you. If your Facebook hasn't been plagued with pancake art videos, I suggest looking them up on YouTube so you get some ideas on fun pancake art. Some of our pancake art included cats, Homer Simpson, stars and sea turtles. Anyways, Slappy Cakes offers a variety of pancake batters in squeeze bottles: buttermilk, whole wheat, gluten free, gingerbread, chocolate and a special (it was red velvet when we were there). It seems like the gingerbread is really popular as it was completely out during our visit. We ended up going with the buttermilk since its a lot more versatile than other batters, such as red velvet. In addition to the batters, there are a variety of sweet and savory toppings to order for your pancake creations. We decided to try two from each category: blueberries, lemon curd, mushrooms and goat cheese. The savory toppings won me over, which I'll stick to when I come back here. The lemon curd and blueberries are great toppings as well. My friend and I also supplemented our pancakes with a side of chicken fried bacon (so decadent!) and a plate of eggs, biscuits, potatoes and bacon. I recommend splitting a plate just to add a variety to your meal. A lot of people recommend this place for families but I can see myself bringing friends here for future Portland visits.
(5)
Rose E.
I have wanted to go here for a while, having heard great things about the place. It looks like so much fun! It seems like the kind of place you would find in Disneyland. We went on a very busy Saturday morning and it was packed, so we didn't get a table with a grill. We sat at the bar and ordered the Truckstop. I prefer traditional hashbrowns, but the diced potatoes were nicely flavored. I thought the eggs were fine, but they were a little too moist inside for my daughters taste. I thought the pancake tasted fine too, but my daughter thought it had an "aftertaste." The meal only comes with one piece of toast, but it was good, and the jam seemed very fresh and homemade. They have regular and coconut syrup. The sausage was tasty. The portions were large, and the bill was very fair for the quality of the food and service. The service was very good considering how busy it was. There were a lot of servers running around. The menu is very unique. Maybe a bit too far out there for me. I tend to prefer a standard ranch breakfast. But I will probably be back just for the whimsical experience.
(4)
Isaac S.
We took six 13-year-olds here for a birthday party breakfast one Saturday morning. The list and the wait are long, but the staff are friendly and handled things well. (Lines for breakfast are long on weekends all over the East Side, so you just have to pick a place and get your name on the list.) The deal here is cooking your own pancakes on special hot grills built into te center of every table. You order your batter and berries, toppings, etc. and they let you do it yourself. They also have a full breakfast menu of things like omelettes, benedicts, etc. but we didn't get those. Bishop, our server, was friendly and sat down at the end of the table to wait on te girls. Fast and friendly. Pancakes were good, coffee was Stumptown, and we had a good time.
(4)
Michael G.
Beer and wine at a breakfast joint, you bet! This is a true little gem. Don't miss this one. You may need to wait a bit but it's worth it. You have a griddle at your table. They bring you batter and you can make many flavored of pancakes any shape or size you want. This is great fun! Now granted I'm cooking for myself but it's so Darn addicting.
(4)
Lori T.
My friend invited me to her favorite eats in Oregon and Slappy Cakes was one of them. Her three-year-old really enjoyed the opportunity to squeeze out her own peanut butter batter (light and flavorful) along with the hazelnut and fresh bananas as toppings. I know the appeal is the "make-your-own" pancakes but we also opted for the Benedicts--she had the pork belly one and I had the Slappy Benedict. I loved mine because the egg, spinach, cheese and sauce were flavorful without the heavy hollandaise sauce. She had the pork belly one which featured a 1.5" chunk of pork belly. The potatoes were just right for the meal and neither one of us were hungry until dinner--hours later. It was the perfect brunch spot!
(5)
Jules S.
What a fun place for the family. I love that you can give them your number, go shop near bye and they text you when check in is ready. We had an hour wait but we anticipated it. Great to see so many families here having fun! Everything was fresh and delicious! We definitely will be coming back for more. Next stop is the masalas just a few steps away at the food trucks! You can make your own pancakes with different batters and ingredients or order from the menu. I went with the sweet potato casserole and loved it!
(5)
Julie T.
This place is a good fun experience. It's a build your own pancake kind of place. You have the choice of picking your batter along with any toppings you want. We had the buttermilk and chocolate batter along with banana and white chocolate chips. I wish we would have just stayed with the buttermilk batter because we were really full after our meal and the chocolate batter to me personally was too much to handle but my boyfriend loved the chocolate batter. It's a really cute place to let people make their own pancakes and enjoy themselves. We had a really great waiter but towards the end it took awhile to get our bill since we were ready to head out. We also had the country fried steak which was pretty decent. My boyfriend fell in love with the gravy sauce.
(4)
yvonneandscott j.
I want to say thank you to Lauren S. and Raymond for making our first time to Slappy Cakes the best. They were very helpful making recommendations answering question about menu items we saw the line. Always asked if we needed anything else or refilled our drinks. I can say there were both very professional and personable to us. We sat at the bar, because the wait was 45 minutes on a Sunday and they said that was a good wait time. One half of the bar is for over 21 and the other half is for anyone under 21. There was a drink that they make with champagne and cranberry syrup and dried cranberries...that the bubbles makes the berries dance in the glass. We had the #TBC- peanut butter pancakes the serving is not on the large size but they will fill you up. The jelly or jam for the toast is really good it is some kind of berry, didn't ask the name. The HIGHLIGHT is the Chicken Fried Bacon...if you go there at least order this item. If you love bacon it's like a whole new level of tastiness. However, what we ate is not the real fun of the place. It's that you get to make your own pancakes at your table. They bring the batter in bottles and you can make shapes or whatever your imagination can think of to make a pancake shape. Very kid friendly or late night for the adults as they are open until 2am. We will repeat if we have time again in Portland. Thanks again...Lauren S. and Raymond!!!
(5)
Woranut M.
New pancake experience with various choice! Slappy Cake gives customer a chance to make their own pancake in Korean BBQ style. There are several batters and toppings you can choose. If you have a hard time deciding which combination, they already have suggestion for you. This is a completely whole new experience to go to a pancake house. Also if you are lazy, they can make the finished pancake for you just like other places.
(5)
Cherry T.
I think I had more fun than needed at this place. Generally I think restaurants where you cook your own food is a scam yet I was highly amused by it here. I loved that there are 5-6 options for the pancake base and then a multitude of toppings you can add. We chatted with the couple next to us which just made the experience that much more delightful. I had the blueberry and lemon curd pancakes. Perfect. And I really like their syrup. Didn't taste corn fructosey. Tasted like real maple syrup. Nomnomnom. I definitely will come here again. Grapefruit mimosa? Yes, please!!
(4)
Lauren S.
I love Slappy Cakes! This place has made me love pancakes. I highly recommend going crazy with the topping selections. Peanut butter batter with bananas, chocolate chips and whip cream is just oh-so amazing. The seasonal zucchini batter with chocolate chips, bacon, and the organic maple syrup gives you a whole new reason to wake up. And in all honesty, the kitchen makes a life-changing pancake. I'm addicted to Slappy's bacon, the different options just seem to make life more complete. Also a HUGE fan of the Slappy Benedict and Seasonal Vegetable Scramble. Everyone I know seems to LOVE the Chicken Fried Steak and Pork Belly Benedict too. My favorite part about this place is the bar: fast, friendly service, and TONS of great drinks to choose from. Need a new brunch spot? This is it!
(5)
O'Neill J.
Ordered the pork belly benedict and it was fatty as they described it. I was expecting more meat than fat to have more flavor of the charred meat. I probably would not order it again.. the coleslaw was a bit on the tart side and that was diff. The buttermilk pancake batter was pretty good. Experience of making your pancakes on the table was fun..But next time instead of waiting 45mins at the bar for a table with a griddle to make your own pancakes, we'll order the pancakes already made. Also the two strip of bacon that we got was dried not fresh..you can see the dried up oil on it...we asked for fresh ones and they came back with some, still eh.. $3 for 2 strip of bacon is pretty harsh as it is.
(3)
Bobbi J.
This was fun! The kids loved the creative control over making their own pancakes! It can add up pretty fast since you have to pay for the mix, toppings, and more toppings. Like whip cream, which was tasteless. Please get better whip cream!!! Tried the chocolate, buttermilk, and gluten free pancake mixes.... And they were all good. Chocolate tasted like brownies. Great family outing for a special event or family time!
(4)
esme o.
I used to love slappy cakes till I got food poisoning a few weeks ago. I contacted the restaurant and talked to an employee, I told him I got sick after eating breakfast there and I ended up in the ER, he apologized and said he would let management know and that I should expected a call back. It has been almost a month and I still haven't received a call from management. Sadly I won't be returning here, that was the worst pain I ever had, thanks slappy cakes
(1)
Sandy K.
this is a way to keep your kids interactive while out to breakfast :) I have teen and young adult and let me tell you, going out to eat is a chore in itself. .. This place was extremely packed, I would suggest be there at 8am! But it was well worth the 70 min wait. My son's choose 2 batters , buttermilk and peanut butter. This place you choose to make your own mess or have the cooks do it. My son's enjoyed making their own creations with various toppings. A great time and memories made...Well worth it and no matter what age it's best bonding time of the day....breakfast!
(4)
Eric R.
How fun! It is like Benehana except you cook for yourself and you get pancakes instead of hibachi. We went on a Sunday morning and had about a half hour wait. Once seated, we ordered buttermilk and chocolate batter, some fun toppings, and a few savory sides so we could get some protein with our sugary pancakes. Everything was delicious and it was totally fun even as a group of four "grown ups." This place is great for the kids, but fun for everyone else too.
(4)
Carolyn C.
After I saw this restaurant featured on The Food Network from my home in SoCal, my first thought was: "KBBQ PANCAKES!". I knew that I wanted to come visit on my already-planned-trip to Portland! And my experience was, for the most part, worth the drive ;-) The choices are varied with unusual and familiar toppings and batters. I recommend the peanut butter batter because the flavor is light and subtle, pairs well with many fruits, sweets and nuts. My boyfriend and I enjoyed cooking together and the pancakes and breakfast sides were delicious. They have a nice selection of plates, too. This place is also vegan and GF friendly! BUT, I give 3 stars because of the price, for what you get: $2 or more for a few slices of fruit or a handful of chocolate chips! Honestly, it's much cheaper to make pancakes at home with all the fixins you care to buy. While the idea is fun, the price makes it a little gimmicky. But, it makes for a delightful and easy DIY food experience...plus you don't have to do the cleaning part!
(3)
Kae L.
Slappy cakes was great! We got there at the height of Sunday brunch so there was a 2 hour wait for a table but we lucked out and found 2 spots at the first come first serve bar. The staff was extremely friendly, attentive and kind! I got veggie hash with poached eggs, a glutant free pancake and a mole Maria (which is a tequila take on a bloody Mary). All was delish! The mole Maria was one of the best bloody Mary's I've had. This place is known for it's "make your own" pancake stations at the table but sitting at the bar, the cooks prepared our pancakes perfectly with just the slightest toasty crunch to the very edges of the pancake. The work environment felt very fun and functional. This is the kind of place that I'd love to just hang out at for a while and enjoy the scene.
(5)
Nichole C.
I was almost ready to walk away when I saw the line - correction - huge group of people standing around waiting for their table. And when I was advised that the wait time was 45 minutes, I just about called it and went elsewhere. Friend talked me into waiting and I'm glad he did. We were there with two kids; a toddler and a tween. We all had a great time! Essentially, you are seated at a table with a small griddle in the middle then provided with a menu of batters and add-in/toppings. The batter is delivered in a squeeze bottle and you and those you're with go to town making pancakes. They also have a menu of other items that they cook and bring to you. While the pancakes weren't the most delicious I've ever experienced in my life, I did very much enjoy making small, big and funny-shaped pancakes with the kids while mixing and matching different batters and add-in/toppings. And the food they cooked for us wasn't too bad either. Despite the service being less than 100% due to the high volume of people crammed into the restaurant, hats off to Slappy Cakes for creating a unique breakfast/brunch experience that kept two kids entertained for the duration of the meal with minimal difficulty.
(4)
K H.
My husband and I saw this restaurant featured on the Food Network and it looked like fun, so when we were in Portland the last week of July we decided to go. We read the Yelp reviews in advance and showed up early - in fact, we were there before they opened. This meant we got a table with a griddle right away, but I could see a line forming quickly. The pancakes were decent and the experience was fun. I liked being able to control how much toppings were in each pancake. My husband is on some crazy diet and couldn't have pancakes. He was happy with some sort of eggs and bacon dish. The drinks were good. Many of the other reviews complain about the kids at this place, but in my experience they were all reasonably well behaved. Sure, it's kid-friendly and the kids are having fun. Nothing wrong with that. We would definitely go again.
(4)
Ang L.
Such a great place to take your kiddos to break from their everyday breakfast routine! The kids have a designated toy baskets in the entrance for them to pick up while waiting for the batter. I give it 4 stars because of our wait on the order; but it could just be that we came first thing when they opened. Had to make sure that my two todd boys kept occupied. But the food was awesome! So fun being creative with some pancake art, their eggs Benedict was on point and you can't go wrong with free coffee!
(4)
Heidi T.
Took my almost 7-year-old here for breakfast and it was SUCH a hit. He adored it. The staff were fantastic and very kid-friendly. Food was very good - I loved the grits, blueberries were fresh, pancake batter was good. Cons: An hour+ wait (we went on a weekend, 40 minutes after opening), but that speaks to its popularity. The prices aren't cheap, but you're paying for the experience and I think it's worth it for a special occasion.
(4)
Sunny E.
Slappy Cakes was a fun experience for my husband and I. Was a bit of a wait but hey, we came during peak brunch hours on a Sunday so we expected to to wait. Got the buttermilk pancake mix with some bananas, bacon and peanut butter toppings. Yummy! Also split the house special-squash and poblano pepper benedict. Also very good! My husband had to try to chicken fried bacon and OMG....just as delicious as it sounds! I may have shaved off a few years of my life by eating that decadent strip of heavenly goodness but it was worth every bite. It was a it on the pricier side so that's why I dropped it a star but otherwise it was quality good and a great atmosphere. Give it a try if you've got a serious hankering for some brunch!
(4)
Shaiyanne D.
a lot of reviews say its great for kids .. but this place is great for adults too lol!! my friends & i had so much fun playing with pancake batter and showing off our lack of artistic abilities at this place. we ordered the basic buttermilk batter with a side of white chocolate chips and bananas. syrup is provided at every table but i highly DO NOT recommend that strawberry vinegar option they have.. i poured a sample to try .. just NO. trust me. best thing though is you don't have to build your own pancakes, they have a full menu as well. and because i don't eat pork i did appreciate the turkey bacon option.. also tried the vegan sausage which was .. interesting. cant quite tell if i liked it or not lol. oh and heads up, if you're coming for brunch on the weekends be prepared for over an hour wait!! overall, a great place for everyone to enjoy.
(5)
Valerie W.
Hmm. Where do I begin. As this was my first experience here, I expected to be blown away after reading all the reviews...seeing the huge line of people waiting....but no such luck. Luckily my friends had gotten there before me and surprisingly got seated fairly quick. My order: Whole wheat pancake batter, apples, bananas, blueberries, one egg, and coffee. I will say that it is quite fun making your own pancakes. Their batter is good and there is plenty of variety in both the batters and toppings. I would say unless you are super hungry the batter is almost enough for 2 people. Reason for 2 stars: OK...I get it. This place gets slammed on the weekends. I expect things to take a bit longer. No biggie. However, I think our server was hating life that day and aparently did not want to be waiting on us. He was somewhat prompt at first bringing me some coffee and my egg...but then its as if we were ignored for the next 30+ minutes. My friend's soda never got refilled...my coffee only got refilled (20 min later) because another server was making rounds. And of course rather than checkin on us...he just brings the bill. We weren't even half way done eating. I will say that overall the food is good. People around us that didn't order pancakes their food looked awesome. They serve alcohol...big plus. $3 for coffee is a bit much. My total bill was around $15. Slightly spendy for pancakes and a drink. Only crappy part is because you're sitting around a griddle...it get's hot. Like sweaty uncomfortable hot. There's not a ton of space between you and the griddle which can make it hard to eat especially if there's more than 2 people to the table. I may come back here at some point, but it really wasn't worth my drive unless the service gets better.
(2)
H. L.
I would say this place is just average. People mostly come here for the interactive cooking experience. We got the peanut butter pancakes with toasted almonds. I think the ones I make at home are better. The waitress said one order of pancake batter only made 4, but I would say more 6 or 8, so don't over order. We also got biscuits and gravy. They were okay. The biscuits were good, but the sausage in the gravy was flabby, not crispy. The potatoes are yummy. I do think it's slightly over-priced for what you get. I am not sure if we'll be back, but it was fun to try.
(3)
Kat B.
way over priced and the pretentious hipsters that work there suck. Might be fun for kids because they don't notice the snobbery happening around them.
(1)
dea e.
what a fun breakfast place! Especially if you have kids, you can cook your own pancakes and choose toppings and syrups right at your table! The pancake grill is in the center of the table, Can't really go wrong with pancakes and fun toppings like fruits, nuts, choc chips, bacon etc...So the food was good and the prices weren't to bad and the place is very artsy looking just have to make sure the grill is well greased or the pancakes stick
(4)
Jennifer K.
I loved this place. if you don't mind cooking your own pancakes, minus the prep work ( batter and toppings) weather your a little kid or an adult kid at heart I had fun making my own personalized pancakes in all shapes and sizes, go ahead its FUN! Or you can just order breakfast too, cause that's why you went out for breakfast I guess. Try the nutela, I think they make it them selves.
(4)
Alla S.
Came here for my birthday breakfast. The original wait time was 40 min but we got a table in 20. It was a fun and yummy experience. The only thing that bugged me was that the batter kept sticking to the hot grill. I think they should provide a non stick spray or something at the tables.
(4)
Kyle A.
If your in a rush, this is not the place to have breakfast. You'll have a wait for sure. We had to wait for an hour to get a table for seven but we knew it was coming. The service was good, the food was tasty and the music was bumpin! The prices were good. I would check in, give them your name and go for a walk. Come back and you enjoy a yummy breakfast!
(4)
Heidi R.
Very kid friendly, huge bonus. Staff was great. Environment was nice. Our kids loved it and so did us as adults. I love that it's something the kids can interact with.
(5)
Kathryn L.
The line was out the door when we arrived on a Friday morning over Christmas break. We skipped the 1 1/2 hour wait and opted to sit at the bar immediately. Since we couldn't get the whole slappy-make-it-yourself-pancake experience, I chose the eggs Benedict. Omit the sun-dried tomatoes, which made these a tad too salty. We were right in the middle of our meal when a server suddenly asked us if we would mind moving to the other end of the bar! Who knew half of the tiny bar is dedicated to people 21 and over only? Since we were on the end where anyone is allowed, a mother and child wanted to know if we'd switch so they could have our seats. If you want to disrupt someone's dining experience, please have the courtesy to offer an incentive. (Lattes on the house?) All the server's were kind and friendly, but not too savvy when it comes to things like this. Game to return when it's not so crowded, so I can try those slappy cakes!
(3)
Elyse L.
A yummy breakfast + entertainment in one! This place is great to come with friends or family. It's fun to make designs and shapes with the pancake batter. You don't have to only get pancakes, the rest of their dishes are very good too. I recommend getting one bottle of batter, a few toppings and a couple dishes to share. That way you get a little bit of everything!
(4)
Jana I.
Love this place for good food and fun. Their batters are yummy and there are endless topping choices. The other menu options are great as well. Although, my favorites were removed when new owners came in so I was greatly disappointed. Still a great place to go for brunch though!
Hour and a half wait to pay $6.50 for an 8oz bottle of pancake mix. I could have spent a fraction of that and not had to put on pants if we decided to stay home.
(3)
Tina A.
I am really at odds with this place. On one hand the pancakes are delicious. They offer a wide variety of toppings that are fantastic, I recommend the white chocolate chips and bacon combination. I also have to give them props for the music they play in the background, they mix in some of today pop-hits but it's mostly 90's music from when I was a kid. My husband and I like to play name that band while at this restaurant. On the other hand the Service is Terrible. Many people go this restaurant because of the cook your own pancake concept, but what will happen when this trend gets old? Will people continue to come once the fad has passed? If the service at the restaurant continues in the direction it is going, the answer is NO. On both occasions that I have gone to this restaurant it has taken the waitress 10 to 15 minutes to take our order, maybe that's why the wait to this restaurant is an hour because the wait staff moves at the pace of a 100 year old turtle. If you want a refill on your coffee or any other beverage it would be best if you walked over to the food carts next door and got your juice or soda there, as the wait staff is no where to be found nor do they come around to check if you need anything. My husband and I ordered some sodas that were flat, it probably took us about 10 minutes to flag down our waitress so that we could get something different to drink. The best part is when we will tell our waitress that the sodas are flat and she responds by saying that the soda machine hasn't been working correctly and it has been like that all day and there is nothing they can do. Ummm yes, yes you can, how about you tell your customers that the soda machine is not working ??? To the owner of Slappy Cakes, hire people who are motivated, who will appreciate having a job and will do it with pride and respect. To conclude, I would just go buy some bisquick or Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix.Get some of your favorite topping to add to the batter and cook the pancakes yourself, this will help you avoid having to be subjected to terrible service.
(3)
Hali S.
Long wait but worth it. Very interactive and the seasonal batters are the bees knees! Very retro decor, and I like the diner style bar for couples. I come here for special occasions and it's always a crowd pleaser!
(4)
Ashley C.
We LOVE coming here!! The chicken fried bacon is a must! My fav is the eggs benedict and the kids like the hot from the griddle pancakes. There is always a wait but it's well worth it. If you are going to have an adult beverage get a Slappy screw it's a great way to start your Sunday :) or whatever day you happen to be there.
(5)
Paige H.
Quite expensive. Extra charge for real maple syrup. Bacon they use is lardon- it is weird, chunky does not taste like bacon Long wait
(3)
Tonya P.
This was soooo fun. We had been told to try this out and I was having so much fun making my pancakes. Butterscotch chips/coconut/almond slivers... yum freakin yum. And I thought to myself... Only TWO pieces of chicken fried bacon... how will that ever be enough? I couldn't even eat one piece and had to take the second one with me. The atmosphere is positive and uplifting and the people were very friendly and great service. I will definitely go back if I am ever in that area again.
(5)
Kayarrhea P.
Let's make a pancake restaurant where people cook their own pancakes on their own griddle at their own table. Great! Everything is ready to go. Got our delicious syrups ready. Got vegan batter and Earth Balance, too. Now, does anyone know what temperature the griddles should be set to? Neither do we! We have NO IDEA how to heat these things! But here's a $6 bottle of batter. Try to figure it out! Shucks! All your batter is now either a burnt crisp or gloppy gloo. OOOPS! Would you like to order a pre-made stack of EDIBLE pancakes? Okay, that will be 6 more dollars. They need to let the cooks adjust the knobs and let the servers do the rest, like taking my plate of potatoes away before I'm done eating them. This place is also overrun by kids. If you're not a parent or a Jackie Earl Haley character, you want nothing to do with this trendy craphole.
(1)
Jordan L.
Calling all baconlovers .... Oh wow will the brown sugar almond bacon leave you breathless. It will also leave you money less and you'll lose your first born but it's worth the price.... $5 for 3 slices of bacon you say!??!? Are you crazy!?! No, my Fellow bacon lover I am being real here... Drive there now and buy some.. It will change your life.... Pancakes are fun and good Too.... Potatoes are okay, no seasoning :( but that bacon... Oh baby oh baby oh bacon baby it's good..
(4)
Angela K.
This place was amazing! We didn't actually have to wait that long, since we didn't want a table where you make your own pancakes. We just sat at the bar, and watched the magic happen. We ordered blueberry pancakes with lavender honey and lemon curd - and it was incredible. The lavender honey was the real stand out. I daydream about this breakfast. We also ordered the slappy benedict, and the forest mushroom scramble which were both delicious. It was way too much food, but if I'm ever in Portland again - I'll be back!
(4)
Kady B.
I absolutely loved making pancakes at my table. We did the traditional buttermilk with lemon curd. Delicious! I also ordered vegetarian eggs Benedict. I would prefer less prosciutto with my vegetarian dishes! I thought flavors seemed unexpected since the menu described the vegetarian eggs Benedict as having sweet potatoes. Eventually, I discovered the prosciutto after I dug under the poached egg and spinach looking for the sweet potato. I was not amused. The server arranged for my dish to be remade and didn't charge for it. Nonetheless, as a vegetarian, this just isn't cool. And the vegetarian eggs Benedict--the really and truly vegetarian version--wasn't that great. Sparse on the hollandaise. Served with overly dry roasted potatoes. Not bad as leftovers, though. Five stars for the pancakes. Two stars on the eggs Benedict--even after the correction.
(3)
Kelly O.
It's been forever since our last visit, and every time I leave happy!I love how kid friendly they are. We have tried the benedicts and this past visit we did the huevos rancheros, which was delicious! We always get pancake batter as well, and the meal is never complete without their potatoes. Try it all, so far everything has been great! Only downfall is the amount of times we have not been able to eat there due to the wait, and a hungry two year old's tummy. If you have kids, seriously, on busy days, get there half an hour before they open or you are in for a long wait!
(4)
Alvin B.
When I heard about this place i knew I had to try it because the concept was something I've never experienced before. But on that thought alone I began to think that this place is just well known for it's novelty and not it's quality and flavor. I am glad to say this place lives up to its name and deserves to be well known. The staff was attentive and nice which is a major deal breaker. But the food was much better than I thought, I imagined just some plain Jane batter w/ whatever toppings you could throw in to make it taste better. But the buttermilk batter was really delicious and to go w/ my butterscotch and white chocolate chips!...Amazing. Now you can ruin your own pancake so don't blame them if you do cuz you have to option to have them do it. But you'll be missing out on the fun of being here. Slappy Cakes gets two thumbs up from me.
(4)
Timothy W.
I have not eaten this decadently in a very long time. In my pancake history this one goes down as the most epic so far. A make your own pancake place....it seemed at first to defeat the purpose of eating out, but we were willing to try: There were four of us, one was Russian. I am not sure how that will play into the over all tale but you never know with those people. We decided to order several things in order to share and get a broad perspective on this entrancing menu. We went heavy on the savory side of the make your own pancakes, double bacon, sausage, mushrooms, all the cheese varieties, et al. For dishes we settled on huevos rancheros and biscuits and gravy. The table first opened up with bloody mary's and a mimosa, both impeccable. When the food came...none of us were ready. We ate - we fought the mounds of food like kings of lore and in the end the table sat empty. But not without a price.....a dark cloud of laziness and naps came upon us. God...I want biscuits and gravy after just typing out that shitty story. I am definitely hitting that up some time this week....maybe I'll see you there.
(5)
Nick M.
So I liked it - I really did. I know, I know people don't like their breakfast places to be busy, but that's really not the fault of the restaurant. Yes, they hire hipsters as waitstaff, but it's on Belmont - I mean, you know what you're getting on that front, and frankly, they were pretty good the morning we went. Also, we went at 8am to beat the lines - I know, I know, but if you want to be seated promptly, that's the secret. So the deal is you get to cook your own pancakes, which is somehow a lot more fun in a restaurant than at home, perhaps because of the whole communal griddle thing. I can't comment on the cocktails or the made-to-order food, but the pancake batter is good, and the toppings we had we great - it's pretty reasonably priced too. PS. The decor - I loved the art - all squarely in the the pancake or cocktail theme, and the interior design? It's not that I don't like the whole exposed-beams-and-hvac look - it was very edgy a few years ago, and still looks good. I just wonder, would there be any merit in one or two restaurants considering something different? I don't know, just an idea.
(5)
Herman M.
If you're a fan of waiting in 90 minute lines at amusement parks for a two-minute roller coaster ride, you're gonna love Slappy Cakes. If you pine for the days of the old Soviet Union where people would queue for six hours for a loaf of bread, Slappy Cakes is your place. If you're a fan of the DMV -- drop everything and head to Slappy Cakes right now. Three of the four times I've been to this place (and NOT all on weekend mornings), there has been a HUGE mob of people waiting for a table and a 45 minute (or upward) wait. I gave up and left. The one time I actually got a seat, the food was fine but nothing special. Of course, kids love making the pancakes -- and I imagine that's what the draw is. But little kids cannot be expected to wait patiently for 45 minutes in a mobbed restaurant with no place to sit and nothing to do. On the up side, it's great to see a local business become so successful so quickly. I hope they can use that $ to expand or open another location to reduce the overcrowding at this one. In sum, if you or your kids really want to make your own pancakes, and you all have the patience of saints and all the time in the world to wait -- visit Slappy Cakes.
(1)
Will E.
Interactive dining at it's best!!! There are no instructions so you should know it's time to turn your flapjacks over when the bubbles appear on the surface. Blueberries are market price (which just sounds weird) & strawberries appear to be the house's best kept secret! But the buttermilk batter is succulent; a pint of batter makes about four pancakes. The dried cherries are a nice addition to the menu and are as sweet as can be! Many would question why anyone would go to a restaurant to cook their own food but in this lighthearted atmosphere it is definitely a plus! In true PDX fashion the music faintly played amongst the chatter of restaurant goers and dishes clanking is a warm welcome of classic soul, blues and rock. In a word; Cool. It has often been said variety is the spice of life but I would air on the side of irony and Portland, in itself, offers chock full of it!! But places like Slappy Cakes drive it home! Pancakes you make on a hibachi grill at your table would appear to be Chuck E Cheese reincarnated but as kid friendly as it is the spirits flow heavily!! Looking at the crowd you find everyone from the trucker looking for a stack & a drink to a hippy couple possibly satisfying a craving (remember this is Portland) to Mommy and me clubs with their precious little ones in tow as they down mimosa after mimosa! Irony at it's best! The staff is also very friendly and inviting but wouldn't you be also if the customer did all the work!?
(4)
Josh P.
Went on a weekday morning so no wait. that was cool. I personally would not wait very long if it was busy. The food was very good and i really liked the cool pancake batter combos, i had one with bleu cheese that was really good. here's the trick though, if you suck at making pancakes at home, you're gonna suck at making them here. Mine were a mess. I'm not a fan of going out to breakfast since that is the cheapest of all food (not to sound too cheap!) and to compound that i'm making my own bad pancakes just adds insult to my injury! I'd go here with kids any day for the fun of it but I don't think i'd make it my spot for adult breakfast.
(3)
Brice B.
Dandy? Yeah, that just about gets it right... Jim dandy. You see, somewhere around 2002 I developed a mild allergy to children. In my part of Portland, this really isn't much of a problem. Incidental exposure to kids doesn't cause much trouble, so as long as I stay away from schools and playgrounds, I'm fine (no, I'm not legally required to stay away, thank you.) When Cortney R. suggested a visit to Slappy C's this morning, I got a bit of a cough at just the thought of a breakfast place crawling with kids. Like it or not, the siren song of pancakes was too much to resist, so I took a Zyrtec and made for Belmont. Sorry for the back story, but I think context is pretty important when I tell you how much FUN we had at breakfast! Yes, there were kids everywhere, but a mimosa cures all, and we were too busy making blueberry pancakes to care. The menu is way more comprehensive than I planned on, and the decor transported me back to the schlocky 70's pancake houses of my childhood, but without all the linoleum. Everybody's food was awesome. We ordered the chicken fried bacon on a lark, but were a little disappointed in the product. I think somebody got a little overzealous with the smokiness and it covered the taste of pig completely. Finally, this place has the best looking staff in the city. I think they shot the Portland Timbers billboards here one morning before work. Nice work, management. I had a blast, and I'd do it again. Still, I'm not having kids. Ever.
(4)
Scott T.
I really, really, really enjoyed this place. The only downside was the wait for a table. You only need to endure that if you want to cook for yourself. The staff was excellent: charming, quick and informative. It was easy to order, the hotplate in the center of the table was easy to use, the toppings and batter were really, really tasty. Very fun family outing. I would definitely go again.
(4)
Helen Y.
It's a very cute idea. My friend and I came for Slappy Hour during a Saturday after I heard about this place. At first, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about paying that much to "make our own" pancakes at the table... We had tons of fun! When I first arrived the restaurant, it smelled a little oily inside... (unlike Korean BBQ, they don't have well-designed fan system) and I saw them putting alot of oil on the grill before they let the customer to "grill their own" pancakes... But hey, once we started making our own pancakes, we couldn't stop from one bottle (pancake batter) to another...lol.. I wish they have more pancake sides to choose though. I would love to see more fruit options or something, it's just not enough to pick!! It was a lot of fun! The chicken biscuit is okay. They have full breakfast menu and lunch menu if you don't like to cook on your own/ or you'd like to sit at the bar area. That Slappy cake is BIG. And yes, they have Slappy Hour from 2-5pm everyday. This is a fun activity for family and friends to come as a group! Our even a date idea to bring your bf/gf to come chat and make your "heart shape" pancake! I saw some kids at the restaurant, but I am not sure bringing little kids (2-5) is a good idea unless you're sure that they're not going to put their hands on the grill.... The service is pretty good. Fun, fun, fun. I won't come here often because their food is just whatever, but yea, it's fun when you have a friend that's into DIY and lots of time in your hand...
(4)
Gary S.
Had breakfast here this morning and the food was good but not exceptional. One conclusion that my wife and I came to is that Slappy Cakes would be more fun with a group of friends. There are too many different and tasty sounding pancakes on the menu for two people to order at one sitting. My wife had the ginger pancakes with lemon curd and pronounced them "gingery" which was a compliment. I think she ordered the ginger pancakes so that I wouldn't steal bites as I don't much care for ginger. The lemon curd was nice and tart. Cooking pancakes on their grills is no easy task and the grills take up so much room on the table that its hard to read the morning paper. We were the first seating so the grill might not have been hot enough when we made the first batch of pancakes as the second batch didn't stick nearly as bad as the first batch. My wife also ordered the savory bread pudding. She liked it and thought it has a good flavor but was surprised by the whole garlic cloves. Most were small but one was fairly good sized. They were all cooked to the point that they were nice and sweet but it was still a little off-putting to find whole cloves in the bread pudding. I ordered the trucker breakfast which is your standard breakfast with biscuits and gravy added. I had the sausage gravy. The gravy was tasty but the biscuit was average at best. Neither the biscuit nor the gravy was as good as Byways Cafe in the Pearl or Screen Door a mile or so away on Burnside. They had two house made syrups. We tried the raspberry combo and it was nice and tart with a good consistency for syrup but bad for jam. (I poured it on my English muffin and got it all over my hand but it was worth it.) I had the homemade English muffin with my breakfast and it was far superior to the biscuit. I'd order the muffin again. They throw it on the flat top to crisp one side and warm it through. Tasty. I ordered my eggs over easy and they came sunny side up but they had cooked them enough that the whites weren't runny so they were OK. The biggest disappointment was the bacon. We ordered the daily special, candied bacon, and I had bacon with my breakfast. We like our bacon crisp and ordered it crisp on both dishes. While the bacon we were served wasn't limp it wasn't exactly crisp either. My wife said it probably was because they "candied" the bacon and I pointed out that we had had candied bacon at Screen Door and they managed to get it crisp. If your looking for a breakfast joint with sickly sweet syrup and jams Slappy Cakes isn't your place. The lemon curd and both house made syrups are on the tart side which we loved as too many places make their sweets too sweet. Though I guess you could add sugar at the table if you wanted your syrup sickly sweet. Service was friendly and efficient. The wait person kept my wife's coffee cup full and the food was served quickly. So its only a few little things that kept me from adding another star to my review. If you have a large family or want a fun place to go for breakfast with some other couples Slappy Cakes would be a good choice. Would I go back? Probably not but I live in the Aloha area and Slappy Cakes in in Southeast so I have to drive by a lot of good restaurants to get there. But I would still suggest it to someone looking for breakfast in inner southeast.
(3)
Mishya J.
Visited Slappy Cakes on the last day of vacation and I was surprised at how good it was. I though that since I saw it on the cooking channel that people were paid to make it seem good, but it actually was. I got the peanut butter batter and R got the buttermilk one, and we got an assortment of toppings. This visit was made even more wonderful since R actually made my pancakes for me. I sat on the end, so there was no way for me to get near the burner for me to cook. The peanut butter batter combined with fresh blueberries, choco chips, and pecans made it my absolute favorite type of pancake. I'm normally not a pancake person, but this was divine. Being on the mainland I had to try the biscuits and gravy. I've tried them all over and the sausage gravy was the best that I've had in a while. I was in absolute heaven. Hawaii doesn't have any good biscuits and gravy, so if you want it, you better know how to make it yourself. Bathrooms were clean, however, it was really weird. It reminded me of being in a nightclub, with the purplish pink lights. Other than that it was okay. The only reason why I won't give it the 5th star is because of the long wait time, and because the table and floor was a little bit dirty. If you had a child sitting at the table right before you, don't put your purse on the floor, You may end up with food on it. Other than that awesome experience.
Went to Slappy Cakes on a Friday, but it was during Christmas vacation, so I knew to get there early. I arrived at 8:45, and there was no wait for my group of 5 people. We got pancakes and some other food, but the pancakes were the best. We got buttermilk and whole what with lots of toppings. Yum Yum and very fresh. The other food was OK. We got shirred eggs, and they were a bit overcooked. The service was very good, which bumped this up to 4 stars. If I had gotten there at 10, the wait would have been an hour. I don't know if I would have been as happy there, but that's what you get at a popular breakfast place in Portland.
(4)
browse n.
I feel compelled to update my review of Slappy Cakes. I re-visited this breakfast spot last weekend, and I'm pleased to report that the opening week jitters have all faded. The restaurant was busy, but we were still seated within 10 minutes. Service was fast, and we got our bottle of pancake batter very quickly, so we could start making flapjacks while we waited for the rest of the food to arrive. Yet another star to add to Portland's constellation of fabulous breakfast destinations.
(4)
Mariah M.
My cousins suggested that we have brunch here while I was visiting Portland. I have to admit that I was a little torn by the reviews. Isn't it funny how you can totally trust a 4-star location, but when it's down to 3.5 stars, you're not so sure? Well, here's my opinion. Those two- and one-star reviewers are just haters. Yes, there's a wait. It's freaking trendy, people. It's the place to be. But that's not because it's gimmicky. It's because it's GOOD. Good for kids (let's make our own pancakes!), good for adults (let's have a pitcher of Bloody Marys!). We waited at the bar for a long time, and we drank. That's what you do when you go to a trendy place that doesn't take reservations. Once we sat down, we were immediately attended to by a lovely, be-bloomered, vegan waitress. She was extremely helpful and friendly. She explained our options to us, recommended her favorites, and oiled down our table-griddles. If all that Slappy Cakes had going for it was its gimmick, I would not have been impressed. I probably would have allotted it a 3-star review, because who can't like pancakes... but it would not have received my five, red, hallowed stars. But damn, those pancakes were good. Those pancakes made me want to go home and make my own goat cheese, mushroom, scallion-filled pancakes. it INSPIRED me. So, if you want to have fun, hang out with friends, have a few brunchy drinks, and make the kids happy, it's Slappy Cakes for the win.
(5)
Joanna Y.
This place is the perfect example of how dumb-Americans love to fall for and pay for novelty and have no actual ability to make sound judgements or think for themselves. Yeah, what a novel idea to create a restaurant around the idea of making your own pancakes on a griddle that is built-in to the table! (It's like those Benihana restaurants - but at least they do the cooking.) Unless you have kids (the only creatures in the world allowed to blindly follow and enjoy such "fun" as paying to cook your own food,) you have no business being here in the first place. And if you have kids, you WILL spend the entire time fretting and worrying and making sure these spastic little wonders don't BURN themselves. Sure, the pancakes were fine. Batter was batter, interesting things to put in the pancakes, and with a well-greased griddle, they are pretty easy to cook. You'd have to be an idiot to really mess this up. However, at the time of my visit, there were no blueberries to use in the pancakes. And there were huge paintings of blueberries spilling into pancakes. Weird. But let's say you want to have something other than pancakes because pancakes are the most boring and overrated breakfast food? Well, I wouldn't advise over-paying for breakfast entrees (a least $2-3 more than all of the wonderful brunch places that dot this great brunch city). i had the Slappy Benedict, poached eggs over English muffins with spinach, prosciotto and sun-dried tomatoes. Those ingredients should have amounted to much more flavor. Served with COLD potatoes. No excuse for that. All that said, whoever designed the place did a spectacular job. Clean lines, good colors, fixtures, etc. Alas, a lovely interior will not have me returning to this scam of a restaurant.
(1)
Tammy W.
So fun for the whole family! There are some quirky ingredients for the adventurous. The kids had a blast drawing on the hot surface in the middle of the table with the batter. Will definately go back! Drawback for me was the wait...
(4)
Julie W.
The food, concept, and atmosphere are great here, but we really found the service to be lacking, if not plain rude at times. We went for brunch on a Saturday morning around 9, and the wait was 45 minutes, which was fine and not bad considering the wait time others have posted. One member of our party, who was not present when we initially put our name on the list, went in to inquire about the wait time, and the person rudely told him that they already told us it was 45 minutes and it's only been 10 minutes since then. This seemed rather uncalled for. As we were waiting for a table, we noticed that there were actually a lot of empty tables, and that for whatever reason, the restaurant is really slow at refilling tables after people leave. Once we got seated, we were ready to order (because we'd been looking at the menu for the past 45 minutes), but the server wasn't ready to take our order. We did really enjoy the food and had fun making our pancakes. Some of the items seem a bit of a stretch for the price (scallions for $1?), but the concept of being able to mix and make your own flavor of pancakes is great, and they even have some delicious-sounding combinations suggested on their menu. We really enjoyed the sweet potato batter, and I also loved using goatcheese on both sweet and savory pancakes. At the beginning of the meal, the server put oil on the griddle and spread it around with a brush. Then he set both oil and brush on a ledge behind us between our table and the next. He specifically pointed out that when we add toppings to our pancakes, we should add more batter before we flip it -- presumably so that it doesn't stick to the griddle. So when we ran out of oil after our first batch, we picked up the oil and brush behind us to add more and left it on our table. Moments later the server came by to reprimand us, saying no oil and brush on the table and set it back on the ledge. But a few minutes later, when we needed to add more for our next batch of pancakes, we noticed it was gone completely and we didn't spot it the tables around us either. We were considering asking for it, but since we didn't spot anyone around and since we also felt like they might not be willing to give it to us or might come back with another snappy remark, we just started using the butter, which we were given to spread on top of our pancakes but we ended up mostly using to grease up the griddle. Near the end of the meal, we felt a bit like we were being rushed out. Now, I understand that lots of people are waiting, and we had been waiting for a while too, but I didn't see the need for us to feel unwelcome. We'd been at our table for less than an hour, so I didn't think we were overstaying either. Even though we had a little bit of food left on one of our plates, the server came by and asked if he could remove it, one of us hesitantly said ok, but we didn't get a chance to ask others whether they would like the rest of it or not. Shortly after that, the server brought our check, even though we had not asked for it. Even though our plates were mostly empty at that point, it seems to me that it is always polite to ask whether there's anything else we want to order or at least whether we're ready for our check, rather than just plopping it down on the table. Furthermore, when we looked at the check, there was an automatic 18% gratuity added. This seemed to be the final kicker that will lead me not to return to this restaurant. I'm not sure whether the 18% gratuity is automatic for larger parties (we had 5 adults and 1 toddler), but any kind of automatic gratuity seems absurd to me for a DIY restaurant where we are cooking most of our own food! And especially when the service is this lackluster and some of the staff have a bit of an attitude, I really think automatic gratuity is not appropriate. I would have liked coming again and recommending the place to others for the food, but considering the wait and the poor service, I will be doing neither.
(3)
Caity K.
Okay, admit it. A griddle in the middle of the table is fun. It's fun to squeeze out heaps of pancake batter and fill them with whatever goodies you choose. We usually split a pancake batter and one of the regular plates with sausage, eggs, potatoes, etc. Because really, who can eat ONLY pancakes? Not me. I've also had the huevos rancheros here and they have their own spin on it but they were good. They used braised pinto beans which gives it a unique smokey flavor But, I don't like being charged $6 for $.75 worth of plain old buttermilk batter, plus 1-3 for each topping. It's a novelty restaurant. Don't expect to come out cheap even after making your own food. Go at least once to experience it.
(2)
Scott T.
I went here with a group of friends this morning, based on the suggestion of another friend who was not in attendance (and whose future recommendations will be taken with a large grain of salt). There was a bit of a line when we showed up, and we were told it was a 30-40 minute wait. No problem, it was a nice day, we'll just hang out. 30 minutes pass. Then 40, 45, and 60. We ask for an update, and the response is "we can drop the checks, but we can't make people leave". After some pressing, they say we're next on the list. Another 15 minutes pass, and we check for another update. Now there's only 4 people ahead of us. Wait...15 minutes ago we were next on the list....WTF? They explain that it's easier to seat small groups. There were only 5 of us, but apparently at this place, that isn't a small group. And also, based on that explanation, small groups get preference. Being the age of the smartphone, at this point some of us start searching for other options nearby, but there isn't a lot, especially if what you want is breakfast. Apparently a group of angry people huddled around their I-phones got the attention of the staff, and soon we were called in....after a 90 minute wait. They place us in a corner table for 4. Yes...there were 5 of us, and we got a table for 4. They put a chair and setting at the end opposite the wall, and I sat there, turned half sideways because of the solid table leg in front of me, with my back against the adjoining table. Comfy. Then there's my second complaint about the table. In the interests of speeding up the process, we had abandoned the idea of grilling our own pancakes, and just told them to give us whatever was available first. Our table did have a grill in it, but they put a wooden cover over it. That would be fine, except that the grill took up most of the table anyway. There was just barely enough room for a plate between the grill and the table edge, and there was not room for the typical setup, with your drink above the top of the plate. It would have been possible to put things on the grill cover, except it had one leg that was shorter than the others, so every time someone put something on it or bumped it, the whole thing rocked. And, since we had an extra person at the table, there really wasn't much room. OK, so...crappy greeting and hosting, crappy table. Strikes one and two. Our server was pleasant, and our food was delivered 12 minutes after ordering (yes, we timed it, expecting the worst). So at least the cooks are quick. Problem was that the food was below average. Four of us had dishes with eggs, 3 of them were not prepared as ordered. The fourth had them scrambled, so no points for getting that right. Biscuits & gravy was a very dry biscuit and thick gravy that really appeared to be right out of the package - except that it was visibly congealing on the plate by the time it was placed on the table. The chicken fried steak kind of looked like a knarled cinder, required a knife to cut, and had the texture of leather. The buttermilk pancakes were standard issue, out of the package flavor, which you can get anywhere - including at home. The potatoes are probably Ore-Ida, and were overcooked and dry anyway. The toast was crunchy, and served dry. We used the butter that was provided for pancakes. There was no jam or anything. Now onto the server again. While she was pleasant, she didn't split our check, or offer to do so. Everything came on one ticket. Three of us paid with cards, and two (a couple) with cash. Instead of re-running it, she just marked the receipt with which items belonged to who. Then, for those paying in cash, she did not bring back change, apparently electing to tip herself generously (40%) instead. Bottom line - the wait is very long, and the time estimates are not reliable. They apparently have preferential seating for smaller groups, so if you've got more than 2-3 people, you're going to watch people who got there after you get seated first. Kids may kind of like the idea of cooking their own food, but I can't imagine too many kids handling a 1-2 hour wait. The service is mediocre at best. And the important part - the food - isn't that good. Honest assessment - go to Denny's. You don't get to cook your own food, but you'll get the same quality food, and you'll get it faster. This place is not worth the effort.
(1)
Kirsten K.
Pork belly benedict is so flavorful and tasty!! The slaw on it is crisp and distinctive. Don't go for the pancakes. You can make those at home. Try something new!
(5)
Darren L.
Would give it five but they're still working out some kinks. Great potential though. Anyplace that specializes in pancakes and serves breakfast until 5pm is a winner in my book. We had a nice late afternoon breakfast. The chicken fried bacon was delicious, until I bit into a chunck of rubbery fat which made me gag. They need to cook it crispier before deep frying. Other than that it was fantastic. Pros: Great pancakes, nice location, good parking, nice servers, great decor, cool neighborhood atmosphere yet not pretentious, nice Stumptown coffee, the option to make it yourself or have the kitchen do it is a good one. We opted to let the cook do the cooking. Cons: greasy slickness on everything from the floor to the condiment bottles, no WIFI, could be open much later, a little bit bigger coffee cups and less having to ask for refills would be better and they might offer a little more butter in the tiny cups so you don't have to ask for more.
(4)
Adam D.
Great joint to take your kids to, and the food is pretty good too. Friendly staff, but often quite the wait. They have burners on a good amount of the tables and you can cook your own hotcakes on the table: }
(4)
Stephanie R.
This was so much fun! I took my 13 year old brother here, and he loved it too. I got the vegan batter which was surprisingly tasty with bacon and blueberries....weird, so what. We got there a little before 9 and got seated right away, we looked up 10 minutes later and there was a line out the door. When we left around 10, there were at least 30 people waiting, so I would recommend getting there early.
(4)
Bekah V.
Get there early, it fills up quick! I didn't mind that it was loud, the atmosphere is fun and makes you feel like a kid again. The pancakes and the eggs benedict were both amazing. Yummy :)
(5)
Joe W.
Great second visit to Slappy Cakes with the kids (aside from the 45 minute wait)! The free coffee in the entry way helped as did the staff's attitude, despite some the grumpy patrons. Once seated the wait staff was very friendly and attentive, always keeping drinks full without making us feel like we were being rushed. The only bad timing was the pancake batter arriving well before the other prepared breakfast dishes. While the combinations of batter and toppings/ingredients is completely up to you, I can say the peanut butter batter was excellent (even with my daughter's choice of butterscotch chips). The stone cut oatmeal with milk, brown sugar and bananas was excellent. It didn't stay warm very long (assuming that was the milk), but the consistency was still good and flavor was excellent even for someone who's not typically an oatmeal fan. I had the Slappy Benedict, which may be the best eggs benedict I've ever had!! The eggs were poached to perfection, served on english muffin and spinach, and the hollandaise was just the right amount of rich. But what really sold me was the prosciutto... it added a great saltiness to the dish, was much flavorful than and easier to manage then canadian bacon. It was served with a side of fried potatoes and extra bacon, both of which were done extremely well. All and all a great place for kids and mom/dad!
(5)
Becky C.
I love this place. It's such a great idea! I wish we had one in DC. I went with the whole wheat (vegan) batter. And even if I hadn't put any toppings on it, they would have been some of the best pancakes I've ever had. I went *crazy* and gave some savory toppings a shot - I got the roasted mushrooms and vegan sausage. Throw in some vegan butter and maple syrup and it was one delicious meal. I ordered a side of the potatoes (in case I wasn't already getting enough carbs), but I would skip that next time - they were pretty boring and couldn't compare to my flavorful pancakes. My breakfast companions did the whole wheat pancakes with blueberries/bananas and one of the benedicts (I forget which one) and we were all so happy with our meal. I docked one star for our 1 hr 15 min wait. Yikes. Granted, it was a holiday (MLK Day), but that's ridic. And the waiting area is tiny, so there's really nowhere to stand except outside - and with all the rain I experienced while in Portland, that's not always an option. I hope this idea catches on, though. I love the idea of making my own pancakes right at my table! Would be super fun for kids, too!
(4)
Cambria C.
pancakes tasted like bisquick but whatever. We were going more for the experience I think. It was fun. I made all kinds of neat pancake-shapes and while I can just as easily do this at home and pay maybe 1/8th of the price its fun to squirt pancake batter on your table. Boyfriend had crab benedict that he ate. It's always hard to tell if he actually likes things.
(3)
Frenny J.
1. Who came up with this idea?! 2. Can I open a Slappy Cakes in my home town? 3. Lavendar Honey + Berries + Nuts + Squeezy bottle full of pancake mix = DELICIOUSFUN Get there early before the rush P.S. They serve cocktails =D
(5)
Jacob M.
We bit the bullet, and went in middle of the rush on a Sunday. And I have to say, it was worth the hour wait for a table. I'm not quite so sure I'd be as excited if we were seated at the long table, where you were inches away from the horde of waiting patrons. We got a great table, though, with an excellent waitress who took the time to listen and suggest and, well, be personable! Even in that throng of chaos. Food was exquisite- the Slappy benedict was incredible, especially the proscuitto, and before we finished eating, we were trying to figure out when to come back. It would be a five-star rating, except for the wait, and because I am waiting for the next step in their evolution- when they offer a vegan gluten free pancake batter- so I can join in on the pancake eating!
(4)
William P.
While I'm definitely over the food-as-theater thing, Slappy Cakes has enough pancake panache that I found myself thoroughly enjoying the DIY flapjack premise. It helps that the ingredients provided are first-rate: I was especially impressed with the clearly house-made applesauce, plump dried cherries, and savory mushrooms. The vibe is both family-friendly and hip -- but thankfully not too hipster, an important distinction in our fair Portlandia. Go early if you want to get in without a wait.
(4)
Ron M.
Great concept for groups average food. Would not recommend unless you are looking for experience not food.
(3)
erin b.
Such a great twist on breakfast... make it yourself! ha! Well it's fun and the batter is fantastic! You make your pancakes on the griddle in the middle of your table. Fun! And Yum! I think I enjoyed it more than the kiddo... You can also order regular bfasts cooked and served up traditional style if you want. Try the slappy eggs benedict ... tasty twist on the typical!
(5)
Meghan C.
Slappy cakes is a great place to eat (if you can get in.) The first time I went it was during the week, and we were seated immediately. The second/third time I went it was a Saturday morning and it took 2 hours to get in. (The second time I was too hungry to wait, so no Slappy Cakes for me. :( ) The cook your own pancakes are a blast, and the toppings they provide are fresh though a bit small. Order two toppings to make it through the pancake batter they give you. You'll be full by the end, and have a fun time getting there. In particular I recommend the blueberries and the lemon cream topping together. I had the ginger mint julip and I couldn't stop raving about it to my friends for months. It may be non-alcoholic, but it was super delicious. Service was generally friendly but rushed to deal with the number of people there.
(4)
Zooey I.
Meh. The novelty of being able to make my own pancakes wears off when I realize that it's much tastier when someone else with pancake making experience makes them for me.
(3)
Charles M.
Eleven O'clock on Sunday morning is not a good time to go if you want to be seated quickly. We weren't in a hurry and had friends from out of town so we signed up and waited about 45 minutes to be seated. Two out of the four of us got pancake batter to make on the griddle. I tasted the vegan batter with the vegan sausage which was OK, not great. I ordered the vegan sweet potato casserole, not feeling in the mood to have to make something I can make almost as easily at home. It was actually quite good. It was made with coconut milk, vegan sausage, and kale. Our server forgot our coffees (this is Portland, shouldn't the servers just assume we want coffee by default?) and then tried to charge us for them. It was extremely busy, though. I suppose it's understandable. Overall, I was unimpressed. I suppose it would be a good place to take an 8 or 10 year old kid, and there were certainly a ton of kids there. But, the hot griddle is rather uncomfortable to eat right next to, and while the space was large and pleasant enough, it was packed. My casserole was quite good, but the pancakes taste like anything you can make at home and it just doesn't seem worth it. If I were to go back, I'd probably sit at the bar where there are no griddles and less wait, but then why would I go back? I'm not interested in the novelty of cooking my own pancakes and that, really, is the only draw.
(2)
Sheena D.
It was a highlight of my trip to Portland and I would go again but only if I had good company to chat with for a long wait. The variety of toppings both sweet and savory were fun and I loved the sweet potato batter. The whole wheat was good but I wish I had gone with a more indulgent one. The other items on the menu looked delicous and I hope to go back again. So much fun to make fancy pancakes, we had a 2 year old with us so we got creative with multi colored pancakes from the batter. It ended up tasting even better that way. The waitress gave us some tips on how to make the hot table work for the 2 year old (very valuable info) and was friendly but in her haste forgot some of what we ordered. We were having so much fun it was hardly a blip but when she finally brought it out the batter was almost gone.
(4)
Elijah C.
For starters, the wait was awful. Granted, we had a pretty big group and it was a Saturday morning, but spending the better part of an hour waiting outside (I think it might've been raining a bit) wasn't a good start to the meal. The place itself is pretty nice, but it was super crowded and loud. Again, not surprising, considering how long it took us to get a table. I guess the whole DIY pancake thing is a nice gimmick, but it gets old kinda fast. Especially when you start to realize that you just overpaid to make your own breakfast. On top of that all, the pancakes are really not very good. I'm a pancake minimalist and I'm usually perfectly content to eat them with just a dusting a sugar, but these were almost inedible without a generous helping of chocolate chips. Maybe the whole DIY approach is just so that you can't blame them when your pancakes suck...
(2)
Hillary R.
I really wanted to hate this place. i think the name is either the worst name i have ever heard or my eventual porn name once i succeed in my plan to gain 30 pounds in three months. I hate gimmicky restaurants, and this one is a couple blocks from my house, in an eye herpes of a building whose construction pissed me off for several months years back. while i didnt hate it, i would not go back unless my friend's daughter insists on it, as she did yesterday. thankfully the child is a genius and proceeded to take her top off and perform various dances while entertaining neighboring tables. without her fine work, this would have been a 2 star. little hazel has bumped it up to three. onto the food: i went with the slappy benedict. i had not seen prosciutto on a benney and feel that all forms of pork are must-haves in the morn. still, it was not that great- the prosciutto was dry, and even by drowning in the less than stellar sauce it did not thrill me. i enjoyed it, but was not blown away. side of bacon- this is a must do for any meal if available. yes, excessive pork consumption you say? i respond by saying i have been a proud member of "jews for bacon" since my brother's briss. and he is older than me. TWO pieces appeared with the bacon side.. it was ok bacon, not bad, not great, at least she brought it crispy. and i really expect minimum three big pieces if not four on a side order. the pancakes- i did not order these, the genius child and my brother did-. i have little to say about them. i dont cook and im sure as fuck not going to pay to cook. they were fine- service/structure issues: these were bad and semi-major. first, our waitress. she may have been what my mother would call "slow". i'm not really sure- there was a slight "deer in headlights" aura to her, the combo of those two were not good. it seems obvious she had no idea what she was doing- would come to move a plate but not notice two empty glasses of water, and would take away one plate but not others that were more blatantly in our way. there was only one waitress/manager type person who seemed to visibly be doing much of anything- i had to flag her down for water when none of the other 6 people working there looked up (and when we were there it was not full, maybe 7 tables of customers). they really need to train their servers- i cannot imagine how horrible it is when it is crowded and employ a busser. structure- ok, i know you need that hot area (i really don't cook) to cook the pancakes on, but the ratio it takes up compared to non-hot area is simple poorly planned. there was just no room for the three items we ordered off the menu due to excessive hot area. i also think if you are gonna make a place fun so people bring their kids, you need to think of something a bit more safe to block the hot area from the kids than a tiny half a shelfy thing. maybe some kind of safety thing- fuck if i know but it made me a little nervous having a topless, dancing 2 year old around. given, she was more aware than i to stay away from the hot area. over all- this place is a "3 star" definition- but i really plan on not going back unless tiny dancer drags me
(3)
Siobhan D.
Who knew what an amazing gourmet breakfast we were in for at what we thought was a silly rainy day after church distraction. I'd heard about the "make your own pancake" tables and thought this would be a good way to have breakfast while turning my rain-induced frown upside down. This was our first visit and I was not expecting such a diverse, interesting and even gourmet menu. The line was impressive so we opted to skip directly to the bar as our stomachs were howling. I immediately laughed when they asked us what we wanted to drink and if we were also going to be eating. Not only is this a place to take the kids, but apparently people just come in and drink bloody Marys -- talk about a diverse crowd. I opted for the Veggie scramble with eggs, caramelized onions, butternut squash and just enough to be decadent divine blue cheese. It came with a side of incredibly fresh romaine and purple cabbage mixture with a light but vibrant vinaigrette. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the greens were room temperature which made a perfect pairing. I opted for the $2 pancake-for-toast substitution, choosing a plain gluten-free pancake. The MASSIVE pancake was perfect for sharing and light and fluffy with a great texture for a GF option. DELISH! My man Dan had the butternut squash, vegan sausage, coconut milk stew which was creamy goodness and very satisfying. The portion looked small but it was hearty and rich. He's a tall one so he was very appreciative to be able to share my mega pancake too. Kudos to the servers who were running around like crazy and still managed to be friendly and efficient. The staff really appeared to be enjoying themselves -- I appreciate when our Portland stereotypical tattooed hipsters, actually act like polite, enthusiastic and professional service people - nicely done Slappy Staff! Next time we'll come back when it's not as busy to try out the pancake making tables however we'll be back anyways just to enjoy the non-pancake offerings.
(5)
Windy S.
For two weeks my poor husband had to listen to me whine about craving pancakes! Finally, a trip to Slappy Cakes! A GREAT place for a pancake craving. Pick your flavor of batter and choose from a wide variety of toppings. Awesome! Wish we would have had more people with us so we could try all the different batters and toppings! We just stuck with the buttermilk batter for this trip and chose chocolate chips, blueberries and lemon curd for our toppings. Chocolate chip is a Must and the blueberries mixed with lemon curd was also great! Next time we'll try some savory... bacon? goat cheese? I'll definitely be back!
(4)
Paula K.
Exceptional! The food and service were absolutely perfect. Very busy, but only had to wait about 10 minutes to seat a party of 7. They accommodated special requests without question, gave the perfect amount of attention and even made a special birthday dessert. Thank you... love slappy cakes!
(5)
Daisy G.
If you don't like children and lots of background noise then this place is not for you. If you do like to be creative with food then you will love this place! My kids love to make all sorts of shapes and sizes of pancakes with different kinds of unusual toppings. Favorites include peanut butter pancake batter with chocolate chips or vegan batter with lemon sauce and raspberries. A must do in Portland at least once.
(4)
Richard H.
Silly Rabbit, Tricks are for Kids! Thats right, all you grownups reviewing Slappy Cakes critically should have to go back to bed and get up on the Right Side. This place is just the most perfect place for kids to create their most wonderful pancakes, ever! At coffee with my neighbor, he suggested Slappy Cakes across town. The place sound like the Hungarian barbecue places in Japan where you pick your food and cook it at the table. When I got home me Bella (6 and 3/4 years old) was up, dressed, and eager to start the day. But Marci is having nothing to do with anything this morning. So Bell and I took off across town. I normally don't like to go into town but it is early Saturday morning (TIP - Go Early) and traffic is way down. We park and walk into the place. There was no one waiting but all the grills were busy. We could sit at the counter or at a grill less table. Where's the fun in that? 5 mins latter we were seated. Of course Bella's most favorite food in the whole world is.... yep that's right....., PANCAKES. And this place is all the more special because she gets to make them. "This Place is Just Awesome!", she exclaimed. She made Mickey Mouse pancakes first. They were just tasty. At the same time she made some micro pancakes. Those are the single drops of batter that fall off the squeeze bottle when designing your creations. They cook fast. She also made an elephant, a snail (a what?), a dog, and some other weird creatures. The chocolate chips make for great spots on a dog. This is a fun place for kids to learn how to make pancakes. Its very inexpensive, fun, and safe. If your the type of parent that is afraid of everything your kid does will hurt them, or the type that lets your kids get away with anything..... don't go. You other critical peoples...., loosen up and have some fun for a change!!!!!
(4)
Andra H.
The food is amazing! The staff is fun particularly Mr Neal behind the bar. Great environment and a great place to take out of towners.
(5)
Rob P.
I do think the infamous Chicken Fried Bacon is worth the trip alone. That said, the pancakes ARE among the most delicious (and large) I've ever had, and after watching the kitchen crew work on two consecutive mornings via the two seats right of the counter (left of the counter is illegal with a minor - some Oregon thing), I can say they do a great job on all of their dishes. The oatmeal, for example, was delicious, as was my two eggs fried into a thick cut piece of sourbread toast. Next visit I will come early and prepared to wait the 45 minutes for a table with our own grill. Pretty awesome.
(4)
Katie R.
EXCELLENT all around. Don't let the pancake business steer you away from this bfast joint, the regular menu items are to die for! Fantastic Eggs Benedict (probably the best in town), and beautifully toasted potatoes to compliment. GREAT coffee (they serve Stumptown coffee, and they do it right!) And best of all.... damn, the service! Holy moley, I feel like the staff must be getting paid well, or they just love their jobs. It sure shows, and it makes a huge difference. I love eating here, I love the experience, the food, and everything I feel after I leave. The only downside is the place is crazy popular so to get a seat, you must probably show up earlier than 10a on a weekend day. That's it- check it out, and enjoy!
(5)
A B.
I took my two nieces (aged 3 & 6) here for breakfast and they loved it! The server was really friendly and helpful and the food was delicious! I had the whole grain batter with fresh strawberries and my nieces had buttermilk batter with apples and white chocolate chips. We also ordered some bacon and vegan sausage and I have to say- the food was delicious and we had a great time! It really caters to kids and grown-ups at the same time. They had a toy drawer for the kids and stumptown for me. After reading all the reviews I wish I'd ordered a Bloody Mary! The kids made square pancakes, smily faces, kitties and hearts. The squeeze bottles are really easy for the kids to use. I would totally go back! We got here at 9:30 on a Saturday morning and by the time we left there was a long wait so Id suggest getting there early!
(4)
Rob D.
Winter break was upon us. Keeping the kids happy was like running an intense marathon but thankfully I stayed true to my word and went back for the pancakes... Slappy Cakes was a total winner with my 6 year old daughter (and with me). She is skilled in the ways of the kitchen and in cooking things in general because we make some wicked creations together. I thought that even the unskilled griddle peeps would also have just as much fun here as long as the kiddos were mindful that the center of the griddle can actually burn you. Here is how easy it is: 1. You order your batter choice 2. You decide whether you want to toss stuff in the pancakes (chocolate chips, bacon, etc.) 3. They oil the griddle and make sure it's hot 4. You get your batter in a squeeze bottle and are armed with a spatula. 5. Squeeze the bottle, cook the cakes, top it with butter and your choice of syrup. 6. EAT them, repeat step 5 until bottle is empty Look folks, it's not rocket science. It cost me something like $5 for the bottle which was plenty and some ridiculously high price for juice and coffee (but everyone charges a stupidly high price on such things). I am not normally one to turn to other Yelpers to address their anger and frustrations but I am reading through newly posted ads and seeing a lot of pissed off people. I have a friend in the neighborhood who has told me that there were long lines that have kept him away recently. Seems like some of the anger is churning from how busy it is here... Has word gotten out? Apparently. Is there a lot of hype? Perhaps Are they worthy of the hype? IMHO... yes. Why? I am a pain in the ass and one crotchety curmudgeon in the morning during the vital coffee intake. I am harsh, critical, and downright dickly... This can be managed however with a dose of good coffee (which they serve), hard working employees (which they have placed right out in the open for everyone to see how much ass they are busting), and polite table service (which has happened on both visits, two very different weekdays with different staff members). Why anyone would wait more than 30 minutes before being served and not walking up to the counter to let them know that its a problem sooner is beyond me... I care not how the staff looks as long as they do a good job. Breakfast joints are pricey (or perhaps some folks just don't get out much?) and its just gonna sting anywhere. I hope that business evens out a bit and the 'rushes' and long lines are kept to a nice calm rolling boil. On the other hand, I am a pragmatic man who thinks that booming business now is a good thing. Plenty of my faves and treasured finds have become popular. Everything that is truly good will eventually have their 15 minutes of fame. Lets hope this doesn't spell disaster...
(5)
Ben K.
Congrats to Slappy Cakes for taking over the crown for most overrated restaurant in Portland. Waited for almost 90 minutes. Normally, I would associate this type of wait time with a large crowd, which there was. However, the horrendous wait time was due more to the wait staff being completely inept than it was anything else. Unfortunately typical of SE Portland, the owners seemed to have been more concerned with hiring a staff more for their hipster look than any actual talent or experience in service. For example, our server had a perfectly placed nose-ring, vintage cardigan, and tiny pig tails, but couldn't be bothered to get our drink order correct or provide anything close to prompt service. While the breakfast cocktails were very good (once they finally arrived), everything else was absolutely average, at best. The pancake batter tasted out-of-the-box, the ingredients were Safeway-esque and, the griddle was so luke warm that it took almost 10 minutes to cook each pancake. We ordered the pork belly Benedict and it was disappointing. White bread English muffin, with bland Hollandaise and a pinky-finger sized piece of pork. Fairly certain the potatoes were straight from the freezer. If you look at my reviews, I'm fairly generous with my compliments. However this place just has "GIMMICK" written all over it and does NOT deserve the praise shown here. If you're going to wait this long for food on Belmont, head down to Pine Street Biscuits, where the crowd and reputation for greatness is richly deserved. I simply cannot reward any points for a restaurant with no originality and terrible service of this magnitude.
(1)
Morris B.
Despite the wait due to the kids being out for the holidays, slappy cakes was worth the wait. While the pancakes were good (little bit kitschy if u ask me), the other breakfast choices were totally awesome. In NYC, I'd never had a toad in a hole let alone two toads in a hole but what a fantastic idea! Eggs cooked right into my bread? You can't beat that for breakfast. Did I mention i came hungry? I needed to load up before my cross country schlep back to my hometown New York. So I ordered the pancakes which were decent, nothing special except you make them yourself on the griddle built in to the table (I suspect this is a kids favorite). The third item I ordered because it was something you don't see back east, was the biscuit and gravy which was so tasty. The biscuit, smothered in sausage gravy (veggie gravy available),remained perfectly toasty underneath and combined really well with the heart attack sauce on top. All in all this place made for a great breakfast. Not sure if it's any better than portland's other breakfast spots but it's a sweet option.
(3)
Michael R.
Let me start with the positive, if you've never had chicken fried bacon, go for that experience alone. Now for the negatives; from the time I arrived to the time I left with my family, the service was horrid. We arrived at 8:00, waited to be seated (with one person stepping in front of me to get her name on the list) and after being seated, waited for quite a while before anyone came by to even inquire if we wanted coffee. Once we managed to put our order in, the little bottles of batter and fixings came. Unfortunately, there was a wait for spatulas (to turn the pancakes) and plates. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, but from prior reviews I've read, I expected better. The pancake making thing is novel, but once you've done it, why go back to essentially fix your own overpriced breakfast?
(2)
Bryce E.
My wife and I ate at Slappycakes this weekend, and were pleased by our ability to skip the whole "group breakfast" experience by simply bellying up to the bar, where there were ample seats available, and a nice direct connection with the bartender, who made the most DELICIOUS bloody mary! We had the Trucker Breakfast, which came with eggs, bacon, a huge pancake (of course), homefries, and coffee. It was fun to watch people make their pancakes on their tables, and the list of toppings one can put into the mix is pretty well thought out. I like the fact that they can open up their big garage door on nice days, and let the breeze in, since it could get pretty warm in there. all in all, a very good meal was had, and the price was reasonable. I will be doing this again with more friends! B
(4)
Olivia T.
I kept telling people that I went to SLAPPY JACKS and they were like HUH? Well, forgive me people, it supposed to be SLAPPY CAKES. It's a new place in Portland that will let you to cook your own pancakes on their table griddles. My friend and I went there on Saturday about 11 ish and it was packed. We waited about forty five minutes and thankfully they have unlimited coffee refills. Our host was super nice and friendly. He kept checking on us and let us know how long we had left until our table will be ready. Now, let's talk about the pancakes. $4 will get you batter in the bottle that you need to squeeze on to your griddle. You can choose from four different flavors and they have vegan option as well. I chose the Buttermilk. Then you choose your toppings. It's 75 cents per topping. I chose sausage, chocolate chip. strawberry rosewater compote, and walnuts. I swear to God that our server told us that the best area to cook on is near the edges not the middle because the middle will be too hot and burn your pancakes. Somehow, we did that and he came back and told us that we supposed to cook our pancakes towards the middle because towards the edge will take a long time. Grrrr no wonder my first pancake took like 15 minutes to get bubbly. Overall, flavor was excellent. Service was good. Our total bill comes to $10 per person and that's including coffee and tips. I ate more than five medium size pancakes and I was stuffed. I found out that Chocolate Chip pancake was too sweet for me in the morning. I also found out that they serve a pretty bad ass Bloody Mary with a HUGE piece of bacon in it along with the celery stick. I should get that next time I come here, so I won't be jealous of the guy whom sat at the next table. Welcome to Portland, Slappy Cakes. I wish you all the best and may you stay for a long time. Cheers!
(4)
Charlie J.
Awesome atmosphere, it's a spot to go to! Nothing better than playing with your food.
(5)
Janet M.
So, It's Christmas Break and I planned a fun day in our old neighborhood for us. Problem was, well, I think everyone else had the same idea. The wait here at 11am was reported to be an hour when we checked in. We spent the first 15 minutes in the cold arguing about whether we'd stay or not. I was informed that waiting was not fun, and that this was somehow my fault. Sigh. I wanted to stay. We drove a long time to get here, and I wanted to make pancakes at my table, come on! Hubby and princess went into the lobby of the place next door ( yoga studio, some kind of health food store, etc.) to warm up, while I waited outside. I'm glad I did, the hostess came out, told me that several parties on the list ahead of us had left, double checked where we were on the list (now only two tables ahead of us, cool) and it wasn't long before we were seated. Once seated, the service was great, our table was clean, and when pancake batter and toppings arrived, everyone became happier. Oh, it helped that they had espresso, too. We chose two bottles of buttermilk batter with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, bacon ( 2 of these), apples, cheddar cheese, whipped cream, maple syrup... what else? oh, chocolate syrup. Pancake making was fun. Princess lightened up. All was well. This is a good experience. I can see what was holding up the flow though, big families camped out at their tables like FOREVER once they got one. It also requires some skill to cook the next pancake while you're eating the previous one. We got it down. Hubby pointed out that the place has quite a racket getting people to cook their own food and pay for it. I pointed out we hadn't had to assemble anything and wouldn't be cleaning up. Oh, ok, he said. I would recommend going when kids are at school, if possible. They also have other breakfast items that look delicious, so you could connceivably skip pancake making ( I know, what's the point) and sit at the bar, watching the cooks make yummy eggs bennie or grits or chicken fried bacon. Fun times. Delicious food. $38 for three of us with beverages.
(4)
Toni S.
Very cool spot for breakfast, sit at the bar if you can and don't want to cook your own pancakes. Fun for kids, casual, try the blueberry short stack w/ lemon curd and a very generous portion indeed. Nikki took care of us, she was great, go and ask for her!
(5)
Rob C.
I have mixed feelings about Slappy Cakes. They have a great concept, the food is actually quite tasty, but the service is just SO lacking. We've been here 3 or 4 times, weekends and weekdays, and it's pretty much consistently good food and mediocre-to-bad service. I know they are a "hot" place to go for now, but that kind of trendiness fades. Most recently, we really enjoyed the sweet potato batter with banana, bacon, and pecans. YUM. The coffee is pretty decent, as are the bar drinks. However... speaking of bar drinks, I'm not sure their employee drink policy is strictly legal. They seem to allow their employees to "sample" bloody marys and even make their own alcoholic drinks to go. One time, I witnessed a server finishing off the remainder of a bloody mary from the mixing glass, and another time an (I assume) employee came in from outside, made herself something with vodka in it, and left with it. WTF? Hello, OLCC? In all, I have to give Slappy 4 stars for food and 2 stars for service. It's a fun place to go if you are not in a hurry or expecting refills for your coffee.
(3)
Melissa W.
My boyfriend and I went here for breakfast. It was my first time and wow! The atmosphere is fantastic! Our waiter was great! The food YES! I love that you can cook your own pancakes on the hot griddle at your table or you can order your cakes made in the kitchen.
(5)
Davey H.
Lots of fun but can get pricey easily with all the toppings available. Great for families.
(3)
KJ J.
Great breakfast! Ask for the Egg Princess! She makes thee most amazing eggs. The turkey bacon was made to perfection too!
(4)
Jennie C.
This place has really gone downhill in the last few years. I used to come here with my son all the time, he loved it of course. I thought it was amusing to watch him try to make his own pancakes as I sipped my bloody mary. Went there today for my daughter's 2nd birthday. It was so sad! The prices have gone up, and are absolutely ridiculous for what you get. We paid $2.00 for a side of pure maple syrup. I looked in the container it came in, and it was filled up about 1/6 full. We asked the waitress why there was hardly any syrup in there and why we were paying $2.00 for it. She was nice about it, and explained that pure maple syrup is really expensive so they have to charge that much. Still too much, in my opinion. We paid $2.50 for roughly 12 blueberries. I mean...really? The griddle was so luke warm that it took forever to cook our food, which led to a cranky 2 year old. The service was pretty good, I've never had a complaint about that. There was no wait at all, in fact, it was pretty empty. It's basically a gimmicky rip-off. Avoid.
(2)
Meg S.
This place is pretty great! The kids have so much fun making their own pancakes and the grownups do too! I like adding mushrooms and goat cheese to my pancakes while my kids like blueberries and chocolate chips. Had a pretty decent bloody mary and my husband had something call whiskey for breakfast I think. It came with a raw egg in it. He loved it. To each his own, I guess. Both times we have been we have gotten the same server and he was great both times. Food is delicious, coffee is good and hot. My only complaint would be it's pretty expensive which prevents us from going more often. And the wait can get pretty long but I don't mind that too much.
(4)
Taylor W.
I love when restaurant's do something unique and they have definitely done that. They have other menu items but why would you order them when you can have the pancakes. You can choose from a few different batters as well as several different toppings. I did the peanut butter batter with bananas and bacon. Yummy! It was fun to make different shapes too with the batter and there were several more combinations that I would like to try next time. I can't wait til my son is a little older so I can take him here with me.
(4)
Tiffany M.
I am not the ideal demographic for Slappy Cakes. I am neither a parent nor a person under the age of ten; had I been either of these I am sure this place would have gotten a solid 5 stars. I was meeting some family and luckily we got there early enough (9 am) so as to avoid the hour wait the hostess was quoting on our way out. The positives: The service was stellar, and that is what bumped this place up to an A-OK; the coffee was refilled frequently, the "pancake making process" was explained thoroughly, plates were cleared quickly, and the server was overall sweet as pie. I didn't partake in the pancake delight but I did enjoy watching others at the table make theirs, and the options for batter and toppings were really great. They are also very vegan/gluten-free/veg friendly which I totally dig. The negatives: Lots of kids (I know, I know. I'm a jerk) if you're not into that kind of thing, although none were really misbehaving horribly while we were there. I ordered the migas (scramble with peppers, onions, queso fresco, tortilla strips) that came with potatoes and a homemade english muffin. I was really surprised at how flavorless both the scramble and the overdone potatoes were. Sad times. The muffin was really good with their house jam. My man got the eggs in a hole and he liked it just fine. It's all about perspective. I won't be back, but if I had kids I'm sure I'd be at this place all the time. If you do go, go early.
(3)
Kyle E.
A major disappointment. Self-serve pancakes is a fun idea, and yes the pancakes are tasty. The service was horrendous. I was there for Sunday Brunch and our server could have cared less. I know it's getting a lot of national buzz, having appeared on the Food Network, but for them to ride their hype will only take them so far.
(2)
Paula W.
I didn't go in with high expectations as our monthly brunch group gathered here. Good thing because we discovered that they won't seat your group until every last member has arrived. C'mon now! If 90% of your party is present, why not seat the rest? There weren't nearly as many children present as I thought and for that I was thankful. One of the highlights of the morning though was when a mother asked loudly who would like to sing Happy Birthday to a 13-year old and the entire restaurant broke out in song. Besides pancake batter, toppings, and various accoutrements, they had a decent list of various breakfast options. I shared the pork belly benedict and was disappointed in the amount of fat mine had compared to the other one. I was also disappointed in the pancake making experience. One of the group order apples and we received diced raw apples with skins on. Who would want that in a pancake. Instead we threw the apples on the grill and attempted to at least try to carmelize them. We learned quickly that unless you poured the batter pretty much right in the center of the griddle, the cakes didn't really cook....this was a real problem with 5 of us trying to cook our pancakes on the same grill. We also discovered that the oil put on the grill at the start quickly dissipated so we ended up using up our butter supply to keep things from sticking. All in all, even more disappointing than I expected. The only redeeming items? The waitstaff was very friendly. Oh and the candied bacon!
(2)
Monikka M.
Okay. I love this place. My only regrets are 1) I don't live closer and 2) I didn't eat here sooner. I was inbetween jobs and decided to make the trek around noon one weekday to Slappy Cakes. I had tried coming here several times before but the traffic discouraged me on the drive in from the Couve. Luck was on my side. Not only was I able to find a parking space, the wait for a table with grill was less than 10 minutes. I did feel weird having a tabletop griddle just for one. I sat down and perused the menu. It was different from the one they had online. It would be super if the online and in house menus were consistant. I realized the difference because I had seen (and was planning to order) the Banana Spanish Coffee on the online menu and it was not on the in house menu. This was no problem as the Bartender was more than happy to make the Banana Spanish Coffee for me anyway. On to the food. My server (Miriam) recommended the Chicken Fried Bacon. At almost $6 for three slices (IIRC), I was wondering if that was a good deal but I was intrigued so I went for it. I also ordered the buttermilk pancake batter with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and scallions to make at the table. OMG! That Bacon with the caramel sauce was AMAZING!! The Red syrup with my savory pancake creations were to die for and the drink was just perfect. I cannot wait to bring the family back to Slappy Cakes again. It's inspiring me to try my hand at making pancakes more often at home. Slappy Cakes -- the best meal I ever mostly cooked for myself at a restaurant!
(5)
Ainsley D.
Slappy Cakes offers a totally unique and fun way of going out for breakfast. Aside from having a full service breakfast menu, they have griddles built into each table where you make your own pancakes right at your seat! Basically you choose your made-from-scratch batter (multiple choices including gluten-free and vegan), any sweet or savory add-ins from their lengthy list of fixins and all sorts of toppings/syrups. Not only was customizing so much fun, it was an awesome experience getting to make your cakes. Each bottle of batter makes 6-8 pancakes, so my friend and I shared a batch. We chose the whole grain batter (this one's vegan!), chocolate chips, walnuts and bacon for the fixins and LAVENDER HONEY (yes, you read that right) and lemon curd as toppings. I will admit that it is a bit pricey, but worth it for the experience. Also, I would never bring my children here as the griddles are VERY HOT and pretty much built to the extent of the tabletop, however I saw tons of kids while I was there--so a fair warning, be careful!
(4)
Abigail W.
Our waitress was super friendly, and of course the food was delish! We added the leman curd to our art-ful pancakes, as well as berries. DIY food is always fun, also great to bring kids, as long as you watch their hands around the griddle! They have a great variety of music playing in the background as well.
(4)
Joyce H.
Slappy Cakes is a fun place for breakfast. I had wheat toast ($1.75), two egg whites scrambled ($3) sand turkey bacon ($2.50). I thought the toast was great because they did not put butter on it. The egg whites were cooked well. They were not runny. The turkey bacon was not that great. I'd pass on those in the future. Our table bought some "wheat" pancake batter ($6) with some blueberries to share. The wheat pancakes were surprisingly delicious. It was really fun to draw on the grill and make our own pancakes. This is a great place to take kids. Just watch those little hands. The staff is very nice, polite and helpful. The downside is the wait. It was about a 45 minute wait and the restaurant was very busy. Speaking as a person with asthma, the restaurant's air is a bit thick with heat and oil. It made it a little hard to breathe for me but for the general public, I am sure it is fine.
(3)
Peter T.
If you haven't hit Slappy Cakes in SE Portland, because you think it's just for kids, you've missed one of the best breakfasts in town. Although children of all ages will enjoy the concept of making their own pancakes right at the table - choose from a type of batter and a wide selection of both sweet and savory toppings, the full-service menu offers hidden breakfast gems the quality of which are rare on the Portland breakfast scene. We ventured over on Wednesday morning (because we hear it can be a madhouse on weekends), with visiting nephew in tow, and he delighted in squeezing buttermilk pancake batter (out of a ketchup style condiment bottle) onto the griddle and tossing in chocolate chips and raisins. The batter and griddle are perfect for cooking up a batch of virtually no fail flapjacks, and the buttermilk cakes are great just on their own. But delve into the full service menu offerings (adult beverages as well), and you'll find great finds like chicken fried bacon with a caramel sauce; country fried steak with potatoes, crispy on the outside, pillowy soft inside, reminiscent of New Orleans famous "Brabant style" potatoes. Cover all that with sausage gravy. Man oh man. Mrs. Burgerdogboy went with the Huevos Rancheros, and offered me a smidgen of a taste as she scarfed up her plate. I have to say, it was delicious. The concoction rests on a pile of 'secretly-seasonsed' beans which are to die for. Other interesting choices include congee, pork belly benedict, and an interesting sounding mushroom scramble. Yes, veggie offerings as well.Slappy Cakes, where have you been my entire breakfast life? I am in love!
(4)
Heidi Y.
What's not to love?!!! The pancakes are great (obviously since we made them) and the Slappy Benedict is really good too. Good to get and share since so rich. My 8 year old says "Best place ever. Period. "
(5)
Renee C.
This place is fantastic! I love that they have gluten free pancakes, nitrate free bacon, and mimosas! The people were great and it's not just for kids!
(5)
Anna L.
Best part: EXPERIENCE! If you are a fan of the Melting Pot fondue restaurant, well, Slappy Cakes is the "Melting Pot" of the breakfast world. By this, I mean that it is so much fun to create your own pancake creations on the table in front of you. Do not come here if you're feeling lazy and just want to be fed. Yes, Slappycakes has a large menu of options that are served to you, however, it is not worth the wait (in my opinion) to come here for a normal breakfast. This restaurant is always busy, busy, busy and pretty crowded. The wait & the chaos is worth it IF you are coming to create-your-own pancakes. Slappy Cakes is great for vegetarians & vegans, as well as meat eaters. They have options for everyone. I love to get the buttermilk pancake batter, a variety of berries and nuts, and some vegetarian "chorizo" as well, to mix up my pancakes between being sweet and savory. I also love ordering a side of apple sauce or peanut butter for my pancakes - a fun and tasty addition! This is a great place to go for a fun breakfast adventure with your girls, a great ice-breaker for a first date, etc. Make-your-own pancakes is a fun activity as well as being oh so tasty. The waitresses here are always extremely busy, so I have had experiences with it being hard to snag their attention, which is not a huge problem, but watch out for it. If you're stuck with a long wait, head over to the food carts right next door for some coffee or a smoothie. It's also a great place to sit and hang out (on a clear day, at least).
(4)
Diana N.
I have never been so disappointed in a dining experience as I was after leaving slappy cakes. I came with a large group WITH kids. This place advertises at how kid-friendly it is and yet the service we received was far from it. The wait staff was there to flaunt how hipster and edgy they were instead of accommodate customers. They kept on glaring at our group's kids as if they had horns growing out of their heads. Along with having to feel totally unwelcome, they messed up our order about 5 times. They brought out the wrong batter, forgot my sons food altogether, and then make rude remarks when told they screwed up. The food was sub par. If you are going to subject yourself so such an atrocious dining experience, stick to the pancakes. It all came out at different times with one side of the table finishing their dishes while the other stared at the hipster staff rolling their eyes. I am also confused as to why there is such a shortage of oil for the pancakes..? After awhile the surface gets dry and the pancakes turn into mush so why isn't there a bottle of oil handy for use? If they are charging to make your own pancakes then why are we having to wait 15 minutes for the waiter to come squirt a dot of oil on the surface? If it wasn't for the included gratuity, I wouldn't have tipped at all. That says a lot to the quality of this joint because I am a waitress and an excellent tipper. I am absolutely never returning to this place. If I could rate with half a star I would.
(1)
Snow M.
This morning was my second time going and it was just as I remember it. There are some tips and tricks you should know. For instance, go on a weekday if you can. The weekends are jammed packed and stupidy loud. Save yourself the nightmare and go on a Friday morning. Also, do the make your own pancakes once, just so you can say you did it. I do recommend the buttermilk batter topped with chocolate chips, hazelnuts and goat cheese. Do splurge and get the real maple syrup, don't use the maple flavored sugar syrup provided on the table. Do get one order of the chicken fried bacon, don't worry about how bad it is for you as you will most likely never eat it again. It is a fun experience though you really only need to go once. No need for a repeat visit. The novelty lasts the one visit.
(3)
Steve M.
From what I can see there's a few things that make the Slappy Cakes experience if you're bringing little people (which as typically rolling with my seven year gangsta homie, I was). GET THERE EARLY. I don't mean like 9:00, I seriously mean like 15 min before 8:00 am when the joint opens. HIT THE COFFEE POT ON THE WAY IN THE DOOR. Service was fantastic and our waitress checked on us several times, but dude seriously? It's 8am on a Sunday, and your kid is gonna be spun out on pancake crack once the initial 'Ooooh daddy, I ate too many pancakes' wears off. Do yourself a favor and drink all the coffee you can (aka: Parenting pro tip). KNOW YOUR LIMITS. So the suggested serving size per adult is one pitcher of batter per person, seriously? That is A LOT of pancakes, and if your little person has decided to roll with a different batter style? You're gonna be weeping when your kid says "NO PANCAKE LEFT BEHIND, DADDY" (two pitchers equals a lot of f***ing pancakes) DON'T LET YOUR KID BE AN A**HOLE. I'm very fortunate that Boogie is pretty well behaved as the little people go but I kid you not, I saw a woman stand by and let her child pour almost an entire bottle of syrup onto the griddle. Our waitress was really cool and smiled with the look of mute terror in her eyes that anyone who's been on the other side of the table knows all too well. BE LIKE THE HONEY BADGER. Look man, I don't care if you give a f*** or not. But seriously, if you go here and don't order the lavender honey? Your taste in food will be suspect and chicks (or chicos) will no longer flock to you like geese. I went with one of their suggested combos: Granola, Green Apple, and Lavender Honey (because I'm a big hippie), and I strongly rate it in my list of fantastic life decisions (which granted, is a pretty short list so this one's really close to the top). I don't even like honey as a regular rule but figured I'd give it a shot. The only bummer was it was so f***ing good I didn't get around to trying the syrup. NUTELLA NEEDS AN ENVELOPE. My bestie in the Northwestie was with us and ordered their homemade nutella as a toping option, if you're going to put it in your batter (heh, heh that sounds dirty) make sure to put a little extra batter on top so it doesn't stick to the griddle (otherwise you're going to be like the syrup-griddle kid and chicks will no longer flock to you like...well you get the idea) DON'T BRING A BOOK. Our waitress was really nice and didn't make us feel rushed at all, but there's no denying the silent pressure that a line of waiting diners outside can provide. HAVE A FUN TIME. Seriously man, it's a pancake breakfast with your little person that you don't have to clean up after.The options are way fun, little people dig it, and if you're really lucky, you may score on... PANCAKE INDUCED NAP TIME. (a five star experience by itself).
(5)
Kim T.
My boyfriend and I went here for breakfast on valentines day because mothers bistro was closed. It wasn't super busy which was nice but we didn't have enough time to male our own pancakes which I was fine with. We ordered chocolate chip and banana pancakes and then a spinach scramble with goat cheese and THAT was amazing!!! Pancakes were nothing new but the scramble was awesome. Service was not good. My boyfriend had to go to the bar area to get anything extra we needed. We had to get up to ask to get our waters filled everytime. And three minutes into sitting down, two moms and there babies were seated right next to us at the long booth area section. I totally get that when our busy things can get crazy but I was sorely dissappointed by the service. Also, when the restaurant is half empty, must two screaming babies sit right next to us??
(3)
Gary R.
Looking for a great place to grab your kids' attention and still have a great meal? Well, there's a "Slap" for that! For parents with high energy kids like me, this is a fantastic experience for the whole family. It is tucked in a beautiful community just east of downtown Portland called Sunnyside. Get here early because a long line forms most days of the week. However, the sidewalk is free game for young kids to freelance their artistic side with side walk chalk provided. The concept is really cool, and frankly I am surprised it isn't more popular across the country. You sit at tables similar to an Asian hibachi style grill, but instead you pick your pancake batter type, all the fixin's to go inside or on top and you cook your own Slappy Cake! Bacon and other items are cooked in the kitchen and provided. The ingredients are mostly fresh, organic and tasty! Oh, and there is another great food cart scene adjacent to the restaurant. So one could theoretically put their name on the wait list and explore the cart scene to kill time. Just make sure you leave room for Slappy Cakes, because they put the "appy" in Happy!
(5)
Larry W.
Save your money and time. There are many restaurants who will feed you well and care about you a whole lot more. The proprietor was blatantly obvious in wanting us to hurry up and make space for others. We thought we were getting through our breakfast pretty fast as it was, but she reminded me of a boot camp mess sergeant with her thinly veiled urging to get going. The wait person was very careless and caught up in the frenzied and impersonal treadmill. She had no chance to really care whether our needs were met. We tried to have fun making our hotcakes and getting into the spirit of the place, but the cavalier treatment left us all cold. The food is sub-par, cheap and not to be savored. KG SE Portland
(1)
Bryan A.
I'm a huge fan of this place and have been more times than I can count. Good food, friendly staff, worth the wait if there is one.
(5)
Maria R.
The hostess was not welcoming at all. She got menus and walked away, I didn't know whether to follow her or not. I waited til she returned and she walked us to our table where I told her it was our first time there. She said pick a batter and toppings and our waitress will take our order. When our waitress arrived she was sooooo much nicer at explaining the menu. Food was delicious. We waited for our waitress maybe it was too busy ,that i had to ask another waitress for my check. But my kids had a blast making pancakes!
(3)
Anna B.
I want to love it, I really do. It's a fun idea, and a fun environment... it's kind of like eating in an Ikea kitchen display, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. The service is very friendly, but you might be cranky after waiting that long. The only cure for that, though, clearly- is a breakfast cocktail. And they have plenty of good ones. The food, though, was not amazing by any means. For starters, I refused to pay to cook my own food, so I passed on the whole 'make yer own' cakes thing. I did enjoy, however, providing commentary about all of the surrounding tables' pancake disasters, pointing out how everyone was doing it wrong. That part was fun. My eggs benedict was pretty meh. The house-made english muffin was pretty good but not toasted. English muffins need to be toasted, always, end of story. The hollandaise was a'ight, but the accompanying potatoes were sad, sad, sad. A star for an ok meal, it wasn't bad but it just wasn't very good, a star for good service, and a star for the bar offerings. Maybe I had an 'off' plate. If I didn't have a major aversion to waiting for breakfast, I might just try it again. But it's gonna take a minimum of three breakfast cocktails to get me to mess around with that hot griddle in the middle.
(3)
Elio G.
the good: it's fun to make your own pancakes! they've got lots of options to choose from on batter, fixins and toppings. you can get some really good mixtures and a variety of tastes depending on the combination you try. the lavendar honey was delicious! the bad: the wait. we waited over 1 1/2 hours on sunday morning, so be prepared! we were visiting from out of town, so it wasn't that big of a deal cause we just ended up going to get bloody mary's at a bar first, then came back to eat. even after a drink at a bar, we still had to wait, so we got a snack at a couple of the food stands in the parking lot next to slappy's. so if you get a long wait time, i recommend getting a snack before your meal, as strange as that sounds! pancakes: they weren't the best pancakes i've ever had, but maybe that was just my pancake-making skills. either way, i think you come here more for the experience making the pancakes and trying different combinations.
(3)
H M.
Making your own pancakes is really fun. The flavored syrups were so good!! The cocktails are also good. I totally come here with my friends even though we don't have kids.
(4)
Jaben C.
I've been here twice; once at the bar and once at a table. I have to say that the table where you can cook your own stuff is vastly superior. I didn't realize how fun and silly it was to make my own shaped pancakes. Woohoo! We tried tha standard buttermilk and the whole grain pancake mixes. And when we managed to plug one of the bottles they fixed it without any issues. How do you clog it I thought, but I couldn't unclog it myself either. My only real negative is that the orange juice is quite over-priced it seems.
(4)
Hannah J.
I thought the pancakes were delicious and the concept is fun! Great for a date or family time! Definitely repeating!
(5)
E G.
Went here with a friend because she wanted to go and I expect it's because she likes to play with her food. Anyway, it was a weekday so no wait. If I'm going out to breakfast, I want someone to make it for me, fresh, and hot, not have to make it myself. But since I was humoring my friend, I went along with it. She ordered the gluten-free pancakes and I the pork belly benedict. There was then the presentation of the griddle be the server and a five-second how-to. It took half the bottle to get a cake that wasn't either burned, raw, or stuck to the griddle. Use more oil they said. Use a different part of the griddle they said. Ugh, what a waste! My benedict was mediocre. The hollandaise was drab off-white color and had no taste. The poached eggs were obviously made ahead of time and reheated which is okay I guess except that the yolks were no longer runny. The pork belly had little crispy bark to it. Then there's the problem with the hot griddle sitting there between us making it very uncomfortable to have a conversation and finish our coffees without needing a cold towel. I get the attraction for families and kids but for a good grown-up breakfast, beat feet somewhere else.
(1)
Cheyenne C.
I'm seriously considering moving to Portland just so I can eat here all the time. where to star.... the guy who took us to our seat was the nicest guy and made us instantly happy. such a fun environment, and the pancakes..... oh the pancakes. I make vegan pancakes all the time and have ordered them many places and these were the best ones I have ever eatin. hands down. everyone needs to eat here. everyone.
(5)
Brian J.
The most fun, unique, and delicious breakfast I've ever had! I had some friends visiting me from out-of-state, so I took them to Slappy Cakes. We had a blast making a variety of creating and unusual pancakes (yes, you make your own!). We made some with nuts and fruits, some with bacon and mushroom (mmm) and the kids enjoyed making some with chocolate some kind of nut butter topping. I was blown away by this experience. This is a must-see if you haven't been there yet. But plan on a LONG wait. It's well-worth it though.
(5)
Sarah K.
Want brunch in Portland? You're going to have to prepare for a wait wherever you go. Slappy Cakes, fortunately, has a first-come first-served bar, so if the grumpy hungries are making you intolerable and you are with a small party, you can usually find a seat quickly. However, at the bar you miss the best part of this restaurant - the griddles at every table. Most people come with their friends, order a few types of batter and some toppings, and make crazy pancakes in creative shapes. I've enjoyed the other breakfast options, coffee, and cocktails as well (mmm.... bacon in my Bloody Mary). I may be an adult, but this establishment makes me giddy.
(5)
Ashley C.
THE BEST PANCAKES EVER!! I love the concept of making your own pancakes, the people are friendly, and it is great for families. The toppings are delicious too :))
(5)
Jess S.
I dig the Slappycakes, though I have only been one time so far. Along the lines of some of the other reviews, I would certainly never go when the place is extremely busy, so late morning on a weekday (when I went) seems to be best. We had to wait quite awhile for our drinks and batter bottles. The pancakes, however, were great. All three of us had the vegan batter, and the waitress correctly assumed we would want vegan butter, which she brought before our batter without us having to ask. She also didn't think it was strange that I wanted cow milk for my coffee even though everything else was vegan. The syrups on the table were very good, but the apple syrup stood out to all of us- it was delicious. They also serve Stumptown coffee and the waitress was always quick in offering me refills. One of my dining partners had OJ, which was something like $3 and only about 8 ounces. We did however receive ice water immediately upon seeing our waitress, which is a nice touch. We also had a side of potatoes to share, and they were fantastic. The only food complaints I have, other than the slightly longer than seemingly necessary wait, was they have no vegan chocolate chips, no white chocolate chips, and the toppings are a little expensive. For $1 (on top of your $5 batter), you get a small gravy boat of berries, banana, etc. One dollar for *maybe* half a banana or a palm-full of blueberries. I am inclined to say one topping should be included with the batter, then the $1 for additional would be quite reasonable. I'll go back for sure, but a little tweaking needs to occur to continue success. I hope it happens.
(4)
Antonious M.
this ain't ihop folks ! this is a food boutique . slighlty upscale yet very down home . it's a very popular place in the morning so patience is a virtue . feel free to draw on the sidewalks with provided chalk and have a cup of joe while you are waiting . everyone here is friendly and work hard . i have had the bartender come from behind the bar to help wait on me . if they are really busy and you are a small party sit at the counter and chat up the chefs . there is so much more than pancakes here but cooking your own pancakes with friends is fun and tasty . the food is very bistro . biscuits and gravy have a kick , the scrambles are savory , chicken fried bacon in indulgent and a guilty pleasure , the bloody marys are served with bacon , and there is burgers , etc on the lunch menu .the high color pancake themed art , interesting music selection . high ceilings give this place a very different feel that i enjoy . they grow there own herbs , make their own pickles , etc . each meal will be unique and an experience . for me these guys have embraced me and shown me great hospitality and good food . this is my happy place to relax even when it is uber busy . smile when you come through the door and keep an open mind . remember good food is slow food and these guys are as local as it gets and refect the hipster laid back style that is portland . if you want an experience and not a cookie cutter corporate meal this is your joint :)
(5)
Mike M.
Such a good menu needs to be seen and tasted by all breakfast lovers. I chose the veggie benedict and was more pleased than I could've ever expected. Meat lovers: get your hands on the bacon fat hollandaise. Creamy and rich, simply delicious. Chef has specials that are cheap and great to accompany the menu items. To top it all off they have a full drink menu and stay open 'til five. I already know when I'm going back; just have to choose the next item to devour.
(5)
Sterling R.
There's just something about a place that serves a drink called "whiskey for breakfast." Also, making pancakes on the benihana style grill in the center of your table is pretty fun. Surprisingly more fun than you'd expect. The savory stuff was excellent. Totally worth checking out.
(5)
K P.
Went with my 13 year old son today and we really enjoyed ourselves! The food was delicious, I had a potato and vegan sausage dish and my son made pancakes. It was very entertaining to watch his batter become a star, snowman, penny size pancakes and various other shapes with some added sides of bacon and chocolate chips. Portions are VERY generous - we will be back with friends and siblings this weekend. Great atmosphere, good service and good food.
(4)
Stephen C.
This place rocks! I may have had doubts, but today I have laid them completely to rest. Amazing flavors everywhere we turned, from the buttermilk cakes with blueberries and lemon curd to the forest mushroom scramble. Cool vibe inside and fairly fun experience flipping slappy cakes. I say go for it, in a town now boasting many good breakfast spots, Slappy Cakes is standing tall among them. Do it!
(5)
Darby S.
So disappointing! The tables were sticky, and leave hardly any room for eating because of the large built-in grills. I was a nervous wreck the whole time, afraid my kids would burn themselves. The maple syrup dispensers were sticky and our waitress hardly came by, so I had to eat half of my meal with sticky fingers, along with my two kids. The batter was grossly over-priced, and each $6.00 container only made about 4 small pancakes. My kids left hungry, and I spent over $30.00 between two orders of pancakes, some sides for the pancakes (1/4 of a brown banana cut up into a little dish costs $1.50), and breakfast for my partner, and two coffees. My kids drank water. So overpriced I couldn't swallow my pancakes. Our waitress gave me the impression that because she was sporting some cool tattoos that she didn't have to provide good service, and she didn't. The pancake batter tasted like cheap mix. I agree with another reviewer that it's I-HOP quality, except they get to charge outrageous prices because they're on Belmont and have hipster staff. I'm so sick of paying for shitty service & food in SE Portland. I would not recommend this place to anyone, and we didn't even have to wait in line. My partner's breakfast was cold & the toast was burned. The butter wouldn't even melt on his toast & then his potatoes were cold, too. Sucky experience & I had to pay top dollar. Left exhausted, sticky, and stressed.
(1)
Mike R.
Fantastic idea and so much fun. Great colors, open area, and the pancakes you make are limited to you imagination. For two people we got a regular breakfast and 12 oz of batter and toppings. Perfect amount.
(5)
April C.
having knocked off work before noon christmas eve, my BFF and i were desperate for something fun, maybe a little indulgent, and typically, wacky. the fact that you can get 'whiskey for breakfast' and a pile of pancakes at a nearby establishment seemed ideal. and for the most part, it was. why the 3 stars? the place was a disaster. when we walked in there was a bit of a wait (nothing at all compared to any given brunch hotspot on a saturday, however) and what seemed like a fairly full staff was buzzing about in all directions while tables sat empty, many full of dirty dishes. we thought, maybe, pre-holiday, it wasn't such a full staff, so patiently waited. we were seated in decent time, and our server was perfectly attentive despite the surrounding madness (though not incredibly knowledgeable about anything on the menu involving carnage so we gather, very vegetarian). the atmosphere was just completely chaotic and our first impression - a trashed table overflowing with used dishes right by the entry - was not encouraging. add to that the smokey 'heavy' hair as teresa noted, it was somewhat uncomfortable. as a designer i have to say the place, aesthetically, is quite cute. orange and white and wood and some nice pancake-related paintings...very cute. the point is the pancakes however, right? well, the pancakes themselves were awesome, that needs to be said. (we only tried the buttermilk variety) and while the list of things you can purchase to add to your pancakes as you cook them was interesting and somewhat extensive, you get very, very little for the $1 or $1.50 or whatever it was. i mean, what might have been a half a banana, for $1? really? and back to the whiskey... my cocktail ('whiskey for breakfast') was fair enough, but as with the banana phenomenon noted above, a barely decent portion for the bar price. my friends drink, however, the toddy (i forget the cute name) was completely overwhelmed by the heavy-handed spices added. some spice is nice but if it seems like you're sucking on a cinnamon stick, not so much... she had to ask them to water it down. that said, we later realized, those were some damn strong drinks. that or the pancakes were as intoxicating. so, in summary - cute concept, very yummy pancakes, decent design, but chaotic management. room for improvement, for sure, but not to be written off just yet. i mean, i've yet to try an afternoon 'slappy hour', right?! [major cute marketing points]
(3)
Jav V.
I like the idea of this place a lot and I really like the way it looks, but in the end, it wasn't all I'd hoped for. First of all, my husband and I both smashed our legs on the sharp corner of the table getting in. It hurt real bad. I guess that is design flaw #1. Design flaw #2 is that the griddle takes up almost the entire table, leaving you with pretty limited space to maneuver dishes/condiments/utensils/drinks/etc, especially if there is more than on person on each side. Now, on to the drinks. They are awesome. Well, I only had one, but they all sound awesome. The Slappy Red bloody mary is so good, especially with a strip of bacon in it. The food, on the other hand, is just OK. On my first visit, I had the corned beef hash. It was kind of dry and bland. The potatoes were good though. On my second visit, I had pancakes, a taco, and fries. The fries are pretty good. The taco was not great. I probably wouldn't get it again. I thought the pancakes should stand out, since that is the main theme. They didn't. I have had many better pancakes in my life. Yes, cooking them yourself at your table and eating them immediately after is fun and all, but I still want them to be good. Also, you smell like oil upon leaving. I'll go back for more drinks and cause it's kinda fun, but I hope I will find something on the menu to love.
(3)
Lauren M.
We went here with friends when we were visiting and its a really fun idea.My biggest issue is the wait and the fact they don't take reservations. With 2 small kids, it's difficult to keep them occupied and obviously a place like this is geared toward families. We arrived around 10:45 on a Sunday and were told that it would be about an hour. Once our friends arrived, we took a long walk after we had checked in on the timing again, and still, by the time we got back, I think all in all we waited about an hour 20 minutes. This is ridiculous for a casual breakfast place. The food, the pancakes (self-made) were good, although i think the batter is a bit overpriced. My husband and I split 1 bottle and then each got a breakfast as well, which was good. Service was fine. Overall, it can be a fun experience, but the wait is just so long -- at least 15 minutes longer than they say it will be, which after an hour, really starts to get bad. Parking is pretty easy around here and there is a food truck park right next door where you can get smoothies, coffee, etc.
(3)
Lucia C.
Walking to this place was exciting. It almost like waiting in line to get into disneyland. During my 45 min wait at 11 am on a Sunday (You would expect more people to be at church!), I inconspicuously glanced over at all the various ways people were handling their tubes of pancake batter. By the end of the wait, I was completely ready to make an elephant-shaped pancake. My friends and I ordered a tube of the buttermilk pancake mix and the pumpkin pancake mix with hazelnut, cranberries, and satsuma ginger marmalade. (I highly recommend the marmalade- it's like a fancy version of orange jam) We also split the pork belly benedict, which the menu describes as a "confit of pork belly with pickle carrot ribbons on an english muffin with two eggs & a bacon fat hollandaise". basically blood clotting greasy goodness conveniently package with an english muffin. The whole experience was really entertaining. I dig the idea of using pancakes as a creative outlet. My elephant pancake ended up looking obscene, but my triangular shaped pancake deserved admiration. In the end, I think this is one of those "once is enough" kind of places. Although the food was fun to make, everything tasted excessively sweet and oily. Sadly, the pork belly benedict left me feeling disgusted, and I only had two bites. p.s for the adventurous they have a "slappy hour" hahahaha
(3)
Shawn W.
We finally made it to Slappy Cakes! Fun place for the kids. (4.5yrs, 1.5yrs) And, no burned fingers on the table top griddle! We went basic on the pancake choice: Straight up buttermilk with maple syrup. Flavor was good, but no loft to the pancake. I suspect it might have been day 2 on the batter or just watered down. My wife had a seasonal vegetable Benedict that she loved. I had Toad in the Hole: 2 eggs fried in holes cut out of sourdough toast with potatoes on the side and 2 pieces of delicious, perfectly cooked bacon. Incidentally, this is the first time I have seen eggs prepared like this outside of my kitchen or the old "Jamie's Great Hamburgers!" restaurant that I cooked breakfast at years ago. I called them "Moonstruck eggs" because Cher made them for Nicolas Cage in the movie, Moonstruck.....Toad in the Hole was delicious! We went on a quiet, Thursday AM....I couldn't imagine attempting to go on a weekend with the crowds! Service was good...Our server gave us a good beginner explanation on how things worked. All in all, great place! However, it brought a few line cook flashbacks to me!
(4)
Gary V.
The prices were fairly high for what we were given: two small, plastic beakers of goop, one small side of vegan sausage, one side of mushrooms, one side of "mountain berries" (uh... what? just name the f**king berries for pete's sake) and one side of apple slices- which were browning before they hit the table. The vegan batter was atrocious. It would not cook right no matter how many different methods I tried, no matter what part of the cooking area I placed the batter in. Aside from it not preparing anywhere as good as the vegan batter I make at home, Slappy Cake's vegan batter did not taste good at all. The buttermilk batter was significantly better, however. Firmed up nicely and browned correctly- like a pancake should. The servers and staff were friendly enough, but I wouldn't recommend Slappy cakes to anyone I know and like. Good effort on the creative dining though!
(2)
L S.
We visited today and were first time visitors. Our group of seven arrived about 9:45AM on a Sunday morning after running the Shamrock run, so we were hungry! The good, we enjoyed tasty bloody mary's as we waited, the bad, not a lot of room to wait, which was a full hour wait, we felt like we were always in the wait staffs way where we found a spot to stand. The good, the atmosphere has great energy, the bad, the "male hostess" with long hair and glasses (name unknown, not a human being we would ever want to know), was incredibly impatient and short with our group when we asked the always normal question of "how soon will our table be ready?" To the management of the restaurant: this gentleman is NOT who you want up front representing your establishment. Our excitement to dine here fizzled after he sniped at our group multiple times. Our server though, she was AMAZING. She really worked hard to make our visit a good one. Good recovery!!! The cakes were great, the variety is fun, the service (except for the crabby hostess at the door) was superb!!! We'll be back again and we'll work around the unprofessional crab at the door.
(3)
Liz R.
When I was a kid, I had an unhealthy obsession with those hibachi grill Japanese restaurants. They cook the food in front of you and make a volcano out of onions for goodness' sake! Slappy Cakes is Benihana all grown up and, while the food wasn't the best I had, it was definitely a lot of fun to try and come up with increasingly ridiculous shapes for our DIY pancakes. Plus, the real breakfast food we got to go with them wasn't half bad and everyone that worked there was incredibly nice. If you go, get only one bottle of batter for two people unless pancakes are the only things you're going to eat and steer clear of the novelty syrups because they taste like vinegar (the maple one tastes fine).
(4)
Leslie F.
So I have to update my review. Even though we initially really liked this place it just became a huge hassle and disappointment. It's great for families and groups, especially if you have a ton of time to wait, but our experience just declined overtime to the point where my husband refuses to go back... even after wanting to go there every time we went out for brunch. They had a rewards program to get free food but every time we tried to use the rewards it became a huge ordeal and often times wouldn't get our credit applied, which was a lure of returning over other great places in Portland. That being said, the food is pretty good, when you have someone there that doesn't burn it.
(3)
Christina T.
Last time we went to Slappy Cakes they had the oven baked pancake with lemon curd and rhubarb, which was amazing! I was so bummed they didn't have it this time. BUT, the cheddar bacon biscuits (I think called bacon pops) were good, as was the bacon jam to spread on it. I always enjoy sitting at the bar where you can watch them cook all the food and ponder what meal to order next.
(4)
Joel W.
Yep, the cook your own pancakes thing is a little gimmicky, something you'd think Kosmo Kramer came up with. BUT, keep in mind that you don't have to make your own. I didn't make my own, but the pancake was really good. I got just a basic buttermilk, it was tender and moist, good stuff. Also like that they have a variety of syrups available. I also had some tasty pork sausage & I appreciate any breakfast joint with good sausage (that's what she said). The french toast brioche with apples is really good & CHEAP. Also have a good looking cinnamon roll. Slappy Cakes also has some amazing looking morning adult beverages. I had a taste of the Whiskey in the morning & it was good. And if you like bloody marys, their's looked amazing - came with a stick of bacon in it. You may have to wait awhile if you want a table with a griddle, but we sat right down @ the bar.
(4)
kelly s.
So I love this idea, and it was really fun. Batter could have been more unique, however we all all know how hard it is to make pancakes right from home, and these come out perfectly every time, so I'm theorizing it's in the batter that they get a good consistency. A little pricey if you go for all the extras (not bad though), but I really love the concept and the space, food is a 3.5 (scrambled eggs are sometimes super awesome, other times were nearly burnt, otherwise would have given more points) - All in all, a kick ass place to go with friends, wish it was 24 hrs
(4)
Traci W.
My husband and I brought our two daughters ages 4 and 8 for breakfast on President's Day. We arrived at 9:00 and were told it would be a 45 min wait. We had read other reviews and had been prepared to wait over an hour so this wasn't a bother. We put our phone # in and took a stroll around the neighborhood. 45 min later we got a text message saying our table was ready. We checked back in and within 5 minutes we were seated at our table. The atmosphere was bright and fun and our server was very welcoming. There are several different batters, toppings and fixins to pick from. The 8 oz bottles of batter are $6.50 each and the toppings range from $1-$3. They offer vegan and gluten free batters. We got 2 buttermilk bottles, blueberries, chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and whipped cream. We also ordered some items from their brunch menu. The forest mushroom scramble($10) was delicious. The biscuits and gravy($4) portion was smaller than anticipated, but tasty. We also ordered a side of Bacon($3). My girls thought this place was absolutely magical. They had so much fun making and dressing their own pancakes. We found that the smaller, thinner pancakes cooked better. We made letters, flowers and bears without problems but big round pancakes loaded with toppings tended to stick and they took forever to cook. Our server, Stephanie S., was fantastic! She did a great job of explaining everything to us and she was very attentive. The pancakes were good, but they were just pancakes. You go for the experience here and it's a great one. A must if you have kiddos! As we left around 11:15 we overheard the host tell a family it would be a 1 1/2 hour wait, so get there early if you go. I've heard that 8:00 and 2:00 are the best times to go on the weekends. I only give 4 stars because of the wait time, but they handled it really well. If we went again we would probably stick to just pancakes and experiment with a bunch of different toppings. Our total for this trip was $47 before tip. This included what is listed above and 4 beverages. I would definitely recommend.
(4)
Marcela M.
Definitely a popular place--luckily was content with getting a single pancake (they're HUGE!) so could sit at the bar, avoiding the 40 min wait. Got the one with peanut butter batter which was yummy. Not sure if making my own pancakes is such an attraction so nice to have the options of getting a short stack made for you--very speedy service.
(5)
Teresa J.
I'm giving two stars, which means "I've experienced better," even though I've never been to a make-your-own-pancakes place before. We took three boys, ages 7, 6 and 1.5, to Slappycakes on the day after Christmas. A friend told us about it and she wanted to treat. We arrived at 1:30 to find the restaurant about 1/3 full. Smoke from the griddles and cooked bacon was heavy in the air. With 5 adults and 3 kids in our party we sat at the long table and shared two cooking surfaces ("Don't touch! Very hot! Be careful!"). The experienced member of our crew ordered 3 bottles of buttermilk batter, 1 bottle of pumpkin. I opted for the vegan plate, and my man asked for a classic breakfast. I don't remember what everyone else ordered, but ultimately there was confusion. We wound up with a duplicate of one order and another order was missed. I had a bad feeling from the start, when nearly everyone ordered coffee but the waitress had to ask the one who ordered soda what she had asked for. Anyway, the boys dug it. After chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup they were chasing around like weasels. This bothered the staff not at all. My vegan plate (polenta cakes atop sauteed mixed veggies with a red wine sauce) was really quite yummy, and my man liked his eggs, potatoes, bacon and rye toast. As for the main attraction, I took one bite of a pumpkin pancake and didn't want more. I like that Slappycakes uses local, organic ingredients. According to the menu, they also have a garden out back, and they compost. So, yays for that. Boos for the air quality, the over-oiled griddles (fried pancakes?), the random service, the freakin' ORANGE color scheme, and the too-loud music. I won't be in a hurry to go back.
(2)
Kevin V.
Kinda fun to eat here with children. Although, that's also what I don't like about this place. It's crawling with little children, sticky everything, tantrums, and their unabashed stares while you're trying to eat. I've been twice, and the servers both times seem very unhappy to be there... might have something to do with the screaming kids I'd have to assume.
(2)
Alec C.
Just had a cheap, delicious and FUN breakfast over at Slappy Cakes. Make-your-own-pancakes right on the table! I went for the classic buttermilk batter, fruit, and jelly and it was all very tasty. They pre-oil your table-griddle and the server told us we wouldn't need any more oil for the second batch, but we learned otherwise. They will re-oil you at request. The only drawback to this place is my clothes smelling like I worked a shift in a greasy spoon.
(5)
Brad L.
My wife, daughter and I planned a trip to Portland to eat at places we had seen on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. One stop was Slappy Cakes. We sat at the counter and the cook thoroughly entertained our 8 year old. The breakfast was great and the show was even better. I loved the parsnip batter!!!!
(4)
Ryan D.
After a great may years living in PortlandI have become jaded to certain neighborhoods and their restaurants. Last year I was persuaded by my awesome children to make the long drive from North Portland to Slappy Cakes. I half went into it thinking it was going to be a combo of some weird gimmick and be entrenched in that weird SE/NE Portland hipster arrogance and bad service. I couldn't have been more wrong. Slappy Cakes has delicious food and great friendly service. Obviously the star of the show is the pancakes and the griddle..and my kids and myself equally have a great time making fun shapes and filling them with a great assortment of toppings and experimenting with flavors. It's actually a healthy fun family activity.But the under appreciated items may be the actual menu itself. From options like creamy grits to eggs with larodons I was throughly impressed. They sell high end down home comfort food. It's delicious and prepared with obvious dedication. I strongly recommend it. I was also wrong about the service. Attentive,friendly and genuine. In the one instance where an item was left out of my girlfriends dish..they moved quickly and were genuinely sorry and a cook brought to our table and apologized personally. Uhh.wow. I've never experienced another mistake there..but the way they dealt with it shows why they make so few. I love going here and we make it there as much as we can. I have even been known to go there without the kids (shhhh..:) ). And I'm glad they proved me wrong.
(4)
Laura M.
I didn't cook my own pancakes. so maybe I missed the whole point of coming here, but my two cents: decent omelette: good, quality mushrooms, but the eggs were a little soggy, really peppy server, really, sticky-eww-why-did-I-rest-my-elbows-here" table.
(3)
Beth P.
Tepid grills don't make great pancakes, or maybe I don't make great pancakes, I don't know. Added an extra star for tasty Lemon Curd! One more star for how happy it made my boy!
(3)
Karen M.
IF YOU HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES - you may want to call ahead. They have GF pancakes, and vegan whole wheat pancakes, but not GF/Vegan pancakes. This is a big oversite and the server we asked about getting this option was not friendly about it - not even slightly. Making your own pancakes was fun, but the server's attitude will probably keep us from going back.
(1)
Emily P.
What a fun experience!!! It's fun to make your own pancakes on the griddle at your table, but surprisingly, the pancake mix is super good too!!! They say the for $6 you get a tube of pancake mix that makes about 4-5 pancakes, but it made soo much more then that!!! My husband, our friend and I got a tube of pancakes and split another meal and it was plenty. And it was ALL fabulous!!! They also serve Stump Town coffee, which I am a sucker for. Highly recommend this place, but it is a little pricey for breakfast.
(4)
May T.
Do you like to 'cook' your own food at restaurants? I do! And that's why i was so happy to hear about Slappy Cakes. Every table/booth has a built in griddle. A 5 oz bottle of batter cost $5 and additional toppings $1. I got bananas (probably only half of a medium banana) with my Vegan Whole wheat pancake batter. I entertained myself by making stars and hearts w/ my batter. Lot's 'o fun!! Cooked fast and fluffy. 4 syrups: 2 unlabeled, the other two marked: C and B; (kinda lame.) Their menu, minus the pancakes, is small but creative. I stop by around 1p and there were 8 customers there. (open 8am-5p) Waitress was super nice and very helpful. Because the griddle takes up 50% of the table, I couldn't spread out my newspaper; Small children and idiots should to monitored. Slappy Cakes wasn't listed under restaurants in my GPS so i had to drive really slow up Belmont to find it. (should have been smart and written down the address: duh!) It's on the same block as Movie Madness in a shiny new building. Good eats, will go again to show it off to friends and out of towners, nice gimmick. There are better pancakes out there in town,and that's why i scored it w just 3 stars.
(3)
Kate R.
So much fun. I love coming here with friends. It's awesome to be able to make our pancakes, with tons of different topping options, and fun bottles to make shapes and designs on the griddles. Only downsides are yes, the wait can be awhile. The pancakes themselves are good, but nothing extraordinary. Tip! Sign up for their free rewards programs. I get lots of e-mails for weekly/monthly freebies. Love it!
(4)
Frances M.
Okay this place is still in it's 1st week so I don't want to be too much of a downer. I gave Slappy Cakes 3 stars as more of a hope for a better future because as it stood when I was there on Saturday, it was a hot mess. The service was s-l-o-w. We waited an hour before eating and this was after being seated. Note that if there are open spots at the bar it's 1st come 1st serve & you may be able to order sooner, as we did. Ordering from the bar means they will cook pancakes for you but know you may have a longer wait on your hands after ordering. Also if you order ANYTHING other than make-your-own-pancakes you'll be in for quite a wait as well. Items we ordered included pigs 'n' a blanket, a gluten free pancake, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon & potatoes. My eggs were -filled- with shells. It wasn't just a little bit of shell. It was full on crunchy & I was horrified to say the least. Also my spouses pigs 'n' a blanket were raw in the middle. Not once but twice! And this was after an hour of waiting. Now for the good. The staff were incredibly apologetic. Not only did they comp our meals but the lovely bartender made us free drinks with her yummy house made lemongrass/ginger syrup. We were also given gift cards for a future visit. Seriously the staff really came through because if the service had been bad... we would have been pissed. Instead the kind folks made it clear they want feedback & hope to work out the glaring inconsistencies. As far as the other items we ordered the turkey bacon was hearty. The gluten free pancake & syrup options were divine. The potatoes were crisp flavorful but too peppery. Give this place another few weeks & my guess & my hope is they will shine. For now there is still some hard work to do.
(3)
Jacob G.
Make my own pancakes? The heck? We I took my parents here since my mom's a pancake fiend and, well, it turned out good for us. We each got a bottle of batter and some toppings. Dad got bacon, eggs, and biscuits and gravy (he cooks all the time at home so didn't want to make his own pancakes). I admit it was fun making my own pancakes. This sort of thing lends to wanting to experiment so I made a bacon chocolate chip pancake that didn't exactly work out. However, the banana chocolate was good. I found a place that both of my parents liked so that was good enough for this visit. However, I'd go back again and try out some more pancake experiments.
(4)
Melisa V.
went back for brunch today with my husband and three other friends. we had to wait about 15 minutes, which wasn't too bad. we fit perfectly around a table, but with all of our food and drinks it got pretty congested. this time, we decided to get pancakes as a starter though one person ordered them for his meal. I had the mushroom scramble, which was also filled with spinach, goat cheese and bacon. it was delicious. my husband was craving the country fried steak and could only eat half of it. I tried a bite and it was okay. definitely liked mine better. one of my friends ordered the huevos rancheros and that looked pretty good. our pancakes arrived with the rest of our meal, which was a bit annoying because we really didn't have a lot of space to put our pancakes anywhere after we made them. they were pretty tasty though. (with banana, blueberry & chocolate chips) plus, we couldn't fault our server because we didn't ask her to bring them early. the portions are a great size to share an entree and a bottle of pancake batter. definitely come prepared to share and you'll have a much better experience! also had a slappy red, minus the vodka (still hungover from the previous night). the vodka wasn't missed and I loved the mix of veggies that accompanied it. I was pretty envious of my friend's pink lady (sparkling wine + blood OJ).
(4)
Liz K.
best pancakes ever! light & fluffy - just perfect pancakes. I've had a lot of pancakes, & these are the best. Their biscuits & gravy are just awesome too! It's our new every Sunday joint :) Thank you Slappy Cakes!
(5)
Andrea B.
Very long wait with not much seating while you're waiting. The hostess doesn't stay put so its hard to find out how long the wait is, etc. We finally decided to sit at the bar so we didn't have to wait any longer. I got a sweet potato pancake which was amazing! I do wish that they had a bigger menu that included things like omlettes and french toast.
(4)
Benja F.
Some points for concept. It's clever and nicely done. Some more points for decent standards (ie: egg based breakfast dishes) that were tasty. Minus bigtime points for charging me $1.75 for milk to fill up a baby bottle for my kid. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I'm going to have to deduct a few points temporarily as this place is currently a bit too popular and will have annoying lines on a weekend. That's not their fault.
(3)
Laura S.
Went on a Saturday, my mistake. Wait time was over an hour. There were four in our group, 2 of us being larger folks. The boths are ridiculous and very uncomfortable. The hot plates at the table are basically right in your face and you are literally sweating at the table. I doubt I'd give this place a second shout out or try.
(2)
Emily H.
I will go back just because the service was so good and it is easy walking distance from my house. Last Saturday morning we sat at the bar on the tail end of the entire restaurant having just been sat. I knew the food would take awhile, but it took A REALLY LONG TIME (close to 45 min in the end). The situation was saved because not only our server, but another server, kept checking on us, filling my coffee, apologizing for the delay and generally being very pleasant even though everyone working had that look of petrified gloom that overtakes a place when everybody knows they are hopelessly "in the weeds" for the next four hours solid. They could have been surly and ignored us. Instead they comped our entire meal without us complaining once, and asked for honest feedback, which we gave. They really want to do better, which gives me hope for the future. Sitting at the counter afforded us an inside view. The grill is way too small for the volume of business, as is the area for plating and organizing orders. Until they get a bigger grill, the food times are likely to be LONG when the place is busy. I think they underestimated how many people wouldn't order the "cook it yourself" pancakes. I had the corned beef hash, which I wouldn't order again. There was nothing wrong with it really, it just doesn't hold a candle to the hash at Zells, Bijou or the sadly defunct Henry's Cafe ( SE Clinton). The husband had the pigs in a blanket, and the bite I had was delicious. He declared them the best pancakes he has had in 20 years. I wouldn't go that far, but I will give Slappy Cakes another try in a couple of months to give them time to iron out the wrinkles.
The novelty of paying for the privilege to make my own pancakes has worn off. However, the food is good otherwise. Don't go on weekends and you will be happier. Nice staff.
(3)
Jeremy S.
Love the idea. I'm not the biggest pancake fan, but this place is fun.
(4)
bekah S.
Loved the service, loved the atmosphere, and loved the pancakes! It was a fun experience and will go back all the time now!
(5)
Ahlam S.
3 1/2 love the uniqueness. saw this place featured on Unique Eats and was dying to check it out. Staff is super friendly. atmosphere is very laid back and easy going. Great place for families, big groups or even a unique first date. Went in a group of 4 and one toddler. We played it safe and ordered the whole wheat and buttermilk batters. Pancakes were great and fluffy. The whole wheat had a great nutty sweetness to it. Delicious! Best part- you go at your own pace! Every bite is warm and perfect. No soggy cold pancakes at Slappy Cakes!
(4)
Dana S.
Forgive me if the following makes no sense, as I just hit my head on a tree...hard. Srsly! BF and I went to Slappy Cakes at 2 p.m. on a Sunday and were seated immediately! Sleeping til noon has its perks. We started with buttermilk pancakes ($5) presented in a squeeze bottle, and ordered chocolate chips for extra $1. I'm a bit amazed that no children (or drunk assholes) have been burned yet. The griddle is pretty darn big, and there is just enough room on each side of the table for a plate. So yeah...squeeze...add chocolate chips...wait...flip...wait. There's not much more to say about the pancakes except they were delicious and fluffy and fun. One bottle between two people is enough if you plan to order entrees. If you're just looking for a pancake meal, go for a second bottle, maybe choose a different batter (pumpkin, perhaps?). Oh, I liked the variety of syrups at the table: classic, raspberry and apple! You can order real maple syrup for $2, but I actually prefer the cheap stuff... So the pancakes acted as our appetizer, I suppose. Breakfast is served all day (thankfully, because I'd like to continue waking up at noon, thanks) The BF ordered the veggie eggs benedict and I ordered the country stack. Mine was basically potatoes, vegan sausage and various veggies like peppers, onions and something I can't put my finger on but it was damn good, all smothered in cheese. It came with a side of toast, and in my case, sourdough. My one complaint is the lack of vegan sausage. It is cut into small pieces and it was hard to even come across any. Oh, also, maybe the potatoes should be seasoned a bit more. Other than that, the dish was the perfect accompaniment to pancakes, which of course are pretty heavy even if it IS the appetizer. BF enjoyed his meal as well, but I couldn't give you specifics on it. Overall this was definitely a fun place. It doesn't have to rely on a gimmick because the food is great. It'd be cool if the "Slappy Hour" menu had at least one vegetarian option, though. Oh also, when I picked up my bag to leave, it literally peeled off the seat in slow motion. This place is kind of covered in syrup. Expected? Not really, because it should be cleaned a little better after each customer.
(4)
Chelsea P.
In response to Kou C. : I am so sorry about your experience at Slappy Cakes today. Unfortunately, there must have been a communication breakdown, because when you came in this morning I had JUST had coffee explode all over my shirt/chest/face and was in the middle of trying to get it all cleaned up. It was very unexpected, and the server who helped you was checking to see if I was ok. I'm very sorry if we ever gave you the impression that we were not sincere or ready to serve you, that is most assuredly not the case for either of us. I just wanted to apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you, but I honestly was caught up in a mess and was not able to come greet you at the door in a timely manner. I hope you come back another time and have a much better experience!
(4)
Turner M.
This place is pretty grand. Who doesn't love make-your-own pancakes? Slappy Cakes is great for kids - most of the fun I had there was watching kids make their own pancakes. You kind of turn into a kid yourself. Although, if you're one of those nervous parents (the kind that puts your kids on a leash), than I wouldn't come here - but, the again, I'm one of those people who believe every kid should burn their hand on a hot griddle at least once - how else are they supposed to learn?? The downside is the fact I wasn't super psyched with the staff. I was a few pancakes in before I had to remind them about my drink order. And then they kind of messed up our tab. But let's face it, hipsters don't make the best wait staff.....
(3)
Alex W.
My wife & I went to Slappy Cakes today and had a great time. We went at noon and waited for a good 45 minutes for a table, but it was worth it. (and they have coffee while you wait!) They have great cocktails and making the pancakes is a lot of fun. I was surprised at how much I liked the savory pancakes. We ordered mushrooms, blue cheese and scallions, as well as some blueberries and orange marmalade for pancake toppings. The traditional breakfast items were good, although the potatoes were pretty weak. The hostess didn't seem like she knew what she was doing, but those things work themselves out. I would definitely give it a try, quite an experience!
(3)
Samantha G.
Slappycakes hasn't been open long, but I've been there twice and bought a gift certificate. I feel that I look good here. The decor is amazing. Whiskey for Breakfast will make your spit thick, you may hock a loogey-- but the gin gimlet and nonalcoholic creamsicle drinks are A+! Watch out for communal spatulas during flu season. Also, go on a weekday, or in the afternoon, for best results.
(3)
Dyanne G.
Slappycakes is a short walk from our house and I had read about it in the SE Examiner so I had been wanting to check it out. My hubby and I had late brunch there on Saturday and \we enjoyed it very much. The decor was light and airy and I liked the touches of orange used in the stools and decorations. Tables all have grills to fix your pancakes on. I think this is a fun idea, but parents may want to rethink if you have young children. Although they can cover the grill for you. We decided we wanted a bit more then the pancakes so I got the Slappy Benedict, poached eggs on spinach and prosciutto over english muffins,served with breakfast potatoes. I very much enjoyed the Benedict, the hollandaise sauce was nice and light, but the potatoes could have been a bit spicier. My husband got the chicken fried steak with eggs and potatoes. This was a hardy looking breakfast and he said that it was very good. We will partake of the main attraction, Pancakes, on our next go round. Prices are in line with most of the independent breakfast places in Portland, our dishes were $8-11, 8 oz of Pancake Batter is only 5.00 + any extra fixings. So in a group of people you could get a bunch of different batter ( pumpkin, buckwheat) and fixings and put together a nice mix of pancakes. Service is a bit sketchy. I did have to wait about 15-20 for my Latte, which came with the meal. Seemed the bartender does all the specialty drinks and there was a large party that had come in before us. But all new restaurants have to go through a bit of a start phase before they get the rhythm going. I will say that the meal was served right a way and was nice and hot. The bathroom was clean. We will most definitely try it again. They also service Lunch ( breakfast all day) and a "slappy"hour.
(3)
Carmen O.
FUN! This is the place you bring your friends and have a really great time. A total morning PARTY!
(5)
Steve J.
Took my daughter here for breakfast, had a really nice experience. The service was really excellent. Very friendly and accommodating. The biscuit and veggie gravy was surprisingly good. The leek was a nice touch , with a good richness to it.
(4)
Catrina M.
Good idea but there are better breakfast places in portland. Server Kathryn was pretty terrible
(2)
David H.
Been to this place twice in other words gave them 2 chances. Last time was the kicker. Watch my food sit up on counter for 10 minutes before the waitress had the presence of mind to grab it and bring it to me. I had the huevos rancheros and if you can imagine it pretty much tasted like shit after sitting at the counter for 10 minutes. In short slappy cakes is overpriced and gimmicky with sub par service.
(1)
Heather G.
It's a great concept and the pancakes are good, but nothing can make up for the horrible service. I came here with my friend last month and got the worst service of our lives. Our server started off by being really inappropriate and calling us "sugar mamas". Then someone dropped our batter and toppings, but no one oiled the griddle or came to explain how to make the pancakes. We waited ten minutes and finally just decided to try making one on the unoiled griddle. Of course everything got stuck and made a huge mess. Finally our server comes and tells us we should have been more patient, refuses to bring more toppings, and doesn't clean up the griddle, just throws oil around the areas we hadn't used. I told him I didn't want to eat my gross burnt pancake and needed a new plate. He said "please and thank you would be nice. Yeah, I'm talking to you, frog lady." I would've just left were I not totally starving. We told another server what happened and she gave us new stuff and fixed the griddle, but we were still charged for our meal. Will never go back again.
(1)
Betsy K.
Worst experience ever! Don't do it! You will wait for 2 hours only to be told " oh just 10 more minutes" While people all around you who put their name in after you get seated. There are open tables all around and waiting to be cleared. Food is fine, but NOT worth the 2 hour wait. Go next store to the foodcarts
(1)
Glenn L.
Sounded interesting but wasn't worth it. First bottle of cakes stuck to the grill because the idiot waitress didn't have the grill turned on. She gave us attitude like it was our fault and completely ignored us from then on. Now our kids are really hungry. Waitress was no where to be found so we had to ask a different waitress for a replacement bottle of batter and we had to re-oil the grill ourself. In the end it took us almost two hours to get through breakfast and the cakes weren't anything special. The kids didn't even have fun. Do yourself and your kids a favor - buy some batter and cook some at home. You'll have a much better experience, your cakes will be just as good if not better, and you'll save some money.
(1)
jim s.
I've never been one for eating pancakes at a restaurant. I figure that's one thing I can make at home for 1/100th the cost. I finally gave this place a try though as it's in my neighborhood and people seem to like it judging by the crowds and numerous clueless patrons blocking the sidewalk out front. My verdict: not worth the hassle. The food is middling, the service is glacial, the presentation is gimmicky, and the overall atmosphere is ~terrible~ unless you like screaming toddlers and moms talking on their cell phones while their kids go berserk. If you're not a soccer mom, I'd recommend checking out the food cart pod next door instead, paradox cafe down the street, cup and saucer on hawthorne. So many places to choose from in this area, I can't imagine choosing this place.
(1)
Stuart P.
Let's get down to it -- you're cooking your own pancakes. Once you get past that, Slappy Cakes is kind of fun, even for a more - ahem - mature adult. I'll admit my pancakes didn't have funny shapes, but they did have bacon in them. The batter is quite good, as are the ingredients--good, quality mix-ins make it worth the wait (and yes, on a weekend, you WILL wait).
(3)
Jesse J.
A good friend of mine was visiting from Nevada and I had heard about Slappy Cakes from a friend so we decided this was the place to go for breakfast. I must say we were not disappointed. Pancakes were wonderful and it was so much fun making them at our table. I have to eat gluten free and often GF pancake batter is, well, not the best. Theirs was fantastic. Some of the best I have had. My friend raved about the chicken fried bacon and the mimosas were very tasty. Service was prompt, friendly and engaging. The atmosphere is very cool as well. Two thumbs up!
(5)
Karina A.
I definately would come back to this place ONLY for the eye candy. Holy god~ it seems that in order to work there you must be very good- looking. Other than that, the vegan pancake batter was alright and toppings were very minimal. Sorry, but if I'm going to pay 1.50 for two strawberries, I'll stay home. Very fun to make the pancakes and at least it was a nice breakfast with the girls.
(3)
Raechel S.
The pancakes were very very thin...very oily. Tasted like fried donuts. Service was horrible, I shared a small plate and fork with my boyfriend. They never checked on us and couldn't ask for another fork and plate until we went Looking for someone after almost being done. We'll not be going back or recommending to anyone.
(1)
Claire C.
My 12 year old and I love Slappy Cakes. She gets the $5 batter and the added choc chips and bacon and goes crazy making itty bitty cakes, while I slurp on my Slappy Red (spicy bloody mary) and eat my "wilted salad." Good coffee, friendly service. We haven't tried to go during the breakfast rush, but my daughter eats pancakes around the clock and I really love that salad! Try it!
(4)
Brandon R.
We tried to squeeze in a 4th bar chair up to the counter, but an employee put a stop to it. She said that she needed to keep the serving area clear for completed orders... Understandable. About 3 minutes later another group of 4 has the same idea and is left alone. Seeing this, I was a little upset so I asked to speak with the manager. To my surprise it was the employee who gave us the boot in the first place. After she proceeded to argue with me, another employee intervened and provided an alternate solution. Long story short, line staff was very accommodating, but the restaurant needs to reevaluate it's leadership.
(2)
Tiffany B.
How fun would it be to bring my little one here and make pancakes at our own table for breakfast, I thought... hmmm Well we arrived after 10ish on a Sunday morning, put our name on the list and patiently, but anxiously, waited for our table. We spotted the free coffee while you wait... but no cups. Plenty of tables opened up, the line was out the door, and the staff was hanging around the bar/kitchen BS with each other...not a good sign I thought, but we continued our wait. It took them a good 15 mins or so to clean those tables and get people seated. Our total wait was 45 mins... OK, by now, the over 21 kids needed Bloody Marys... and those were some damn good Marys!!! We were excited to see they offered Gluten Free pancake mix too! So we ordered the mix, some sweet and some savory toppings, and dove in as little pancake chefs! My daughter had a blast as we did too. I think the price is a little steep and the service could use some improvements, not sure if I'll be back, but it was a cool experience.
(3)
Ashley G.
I've had the same thing every time I've been here (which is about 4 or 5) times: vegan pancakes with banana and a side of the real maple syrup. Slappy Cakes is always jam packed on weekends, so expect a LONG wait if you have a party bigger than two. I've almost always gone alone and can usually find a spot at the bar to sit at so I don't have to wait. This option does not allow you to make your own pancakes at one of the built in table griddles, but you can request that they make them on the grill. Two ginormous pancakes with no add ins will cost you $6.75. I'm pretty sure they recently raised their prices. I think their vegan batter is pretty good. They have several other types too, including a gluten free batter. You can pick from any number of sweet and savory add ins for your pancakes. There's an extensive non-pancake menu as well. I like the decor and concept of this restaurant. When I went last weekend, I was seated directly in front of the food prep/ grill area. Those guys do a great job keeping the food coming out in an extremely fast-paced environment. Sometimes though I think it's best not to watch food preparation... I saw one of the chefs reach into his pocket, check his texts and then resume food handling without washing his hands.
(3)
Sarah H.
Are you effing kidding me? This place is such a ridiculous gimicky Mongolian-grill-meets-IHOP joke, and the service is even worse than most places in Portland, which if you think about it is pretty hard to do. Please, out of town guest to Portland, do not beg your friends to take you here.
(1)
Sam N.
Novel concept. Delicious food. Well worth the 1 hr Sunday morning wait.
(5)
Kiley G.
I came and sat right by the cooks. Christopher and Rick are great super funny and bomb cooks. The place was packed for a Monday morning and everyone seemed really pleased. Our waitress nikki suggested the ambrosia drinks and they kicked our butts in an awesome way. They definitely know how to "do it right"!!!
(5)
J K.
VERY VERY busy on weekends, so be prepared for a long line and a wait. It is a great place for kids since you can order the batter and cook them at your table. You can squeeze the bottle out to draw different shapes, and you get your choice of different toppings as well. For those who do not want pancakes, they have other breakfasts (egg plate options, oatmeal, etc.) to order as well. Kind of on the pricey side, but worth it for the creativity and fun.
(4)
Mandy K.
My husband and I saw slappy cakes on the foodnetwork, so we knew it had to be a stop on our foodcation to Portland. I loved the vibe there, laid back and relaxed, but with a funky (orange) decor. I will admit, part of me thought " why am I paying to cook my own food?" but that thought quickly disappeared when we entered the restaurant. This place truly brings out your inner child! I loved the concept... choose your batter ( we had buttermilk and whole grain), then your mixins (apples and bacon) then your toppings (lavender honey and lemon curd). They bring the batter in squeeze bottles and the fun begins with the griddle on your table. We loved making hearts, happy faces, writing words, etc. Not only was it a blast, but the food was delicious! My only complaint is that the whole grain batter is really sticky and hard to flip. So if you are looking to release your inner five year old, visit slappy cakes. And if you are feeling really adventurous, try the chicken fried bacon!!!
(4)
Gab G.
Great brunch spot. Been here a several times with kids and they love it. The lavender drink is yummy! The food is good. The atmosphere is great and the music they play is fun! I would give them a 5 BUT the heat from the flat grill makes it a bit warm during the spring and summer months making it a bit uncomfortable in there while dining.
(4)
Guy K.
This is the only restaurant in Portland my kids don't bother me for their DS games.... need I say more?
(4)
chrissy S.
Love it ! You get to create pancakes at your table. Choose the batter, toppings, we did chocolate chips and banannas. The grill is on the table so keep that in find for the little ones. My 4 year did great ! We will back:) check their website for hours not open for dinner.
(5)
maya g.
YUM. Breakfast lover? Get the Truck Stop and delight. Homemade fruit syrups, crazy good pancakes, crispy turkey bacon, etc. Wish I still lived near by...
(5)
Allison P.
Simply fantastic. I had PB pancakes with blueberries and pecans. MM! Next time I want to try the wheat ones. And although its kinda hard to mess up a fried egg, it totally hit the spot. I'm not sure what it was but it was dang good. The coffee was bottomless and fresh. The staff were very friendly and right on top of our needs. Loved the decor. I would recommend arriving early if you have a party of 4+. It was hopping on a Sunday morning.
(5)
Tyler B.
I'm willing to try anything once and with that I will not be returning. We over paid for mediocre pancakes that we had to cook ourselves. I realize now that the reason I eat out is to avoid cooking. Then our daughter burned her hand on the griddle while we focused on the pancake cooking.. Finally the juevos rancheros we ordered from the kitchen was super bland and they barely fit on the table. The whole place is just awkward. We also left reeking of "kitchen", which is common at breakfast, but was overwhelming.
(1)
Michael J.
I doubt I will go back. Pancakes were OK, but the menu is too complicated and they didn't offer what I was hoping to eat: oatmeal pancakes. Our server had to go back to the kitchen 4 times to answer our questions. Prices were definitely more than what I expected for a simple breakfast.
(2)
Theresa S.
I was really excited to try Slappy Cakes. I had a really good visit and will probably visit again, though not in regular rotation. Let's talk food and drink, shall we? Both of my meal companions got chicken-fried steak. They both say that the breading could have used more defined seasoning. The meat, however, was fresh, probably a hand-pounded sirloin. They also said that the gravy was not seasoned to their liking. Fried potatoes came with the chicken-fried steak. They were uniform, piping hot and terrifically golden brown. Eggs: My chicken tinga came with sunny-side up, which were perfect. Medium eggs with one chicken fried steak were perfect. Over hard came to the table completely overdone, crusty on the outside. Chicken Tinga was a chicken, salsa, and cheese dish topped with two eggs sunny-side up and layered on a handmade sope. The sope was excellent! The chicken was locally sourced and arrived at the table piping hot. I would get this again and probably ask for an extra sope. Pancakes: The buttermilk pancake batter was delicious, and probably the best part of our meal. My dinner mates tried all three syrups, preferring the house-blended apple over the other two. We used two orders of batter to make about 3 thin pancakes for each of us. A bonus is that our waiter gave us very clear and helpful instruction about the griddle. Red Slappy: The house's version of a Bloody Mary. ($1 more for a crispy strip of bacon floating in the spicy mix.) The drink list boasts a lot of Oregon liquors, New Deal vodka in this instance. I liked the spiciness of the Bloody Mary mix because who wants a boring Bloody Mary, but I enjoyed it even more when my waiter brought me extra tomato juice. The drink was $7. Extras: Beautiful, clean decor, a four-panel triptych of pancakes, really good service--attentive and thoughtful. Certainly the food is high-quality. Increased affordability would be a plus. Great coffee!
(3)
Bert B.
Breakfast was great. I've been a few times and the pancakes on the table is fun and different. If you have time to kill go ahead and try and eat here because its a wait. If you have fewer friends the bar is easier to get to and quicker, the waitstaff however seem to be overwhelmed most of the time.
(3)
Jason P.
Not worthy of my business, we waited an hour for a squeeze tube. Not worth it. I can honestly say I hated it.
(1)
Cyd L.
What a fun place to eat! Not only did the kids have fun, but it was also enjoyable for the adults. Pancakes are the main attraction, where you order different types of batter and toppings. The griddle is built-in to the table just like a tepanyaki grill. The kids had fun adding various toppings and flipping the pancakes. It could get a little messy, but it was delicious! There are other breakfast items on the menu and even lunch entrees. There are also lots of sides like bacon and turkey bacon. Quite a fun experience. We'll definitely be back!
(4)
Aaron V.
A bit of a contradiction in common sense. Piping hot griddle in the middle of a table thats surrounded by your small impulsive children. The place was asses-to-elbows with families wanting to make their own pancakes. They also make food for you, which if you want to get seated in under an hour, will be your only option when you grab an open seat at the bar.
(3)
Chris S.
Had a good time, super long wait, pancakes were average but fun to make. Service wasn't all that great. The help didn't seem to really want to help. They have a great idea with a pretty cool atmosphere, but they get 3 starts from me for the lack of service.
(3)
Nathan C.
Melt chili butter. Mix with pancake batter. Make chili pancakes. Amazing!
(5)
Jennifer F.
Totally awesome!!! Husband surprised me took me here for breakfast! =) We cooked our own pancakes, yum peanut butter batter with fresh cut bananas. Was fun and totally worth the stop.
(5)
D D.
We got there late on a Saturday (approx 1 pm) so didn't have a wait. Initially, I was a little skeptical - go to a place where you can make your own pancakes? How different is that from doing it at home? But it's fun - and there are more flavor combinations for the pancakes than would likely be available at home (pancake batter flavor and ingredients to put in the pancake). We had a to-die-for sweet potato coconut milk bake. Tried to get the recipe but it's a secret. I highly recommend you try it. It's different from a traditional breakfast item but oh, so good. Took my 2 kids and they really enjoyed it. Just be careful with the hot griddle but the restaurant was very accomodating and put the wood block next to my son so he couldn't reach the griddle. Coffee and drinks were good too.
(4)
Whitney A.
Great for the kids, make your own pancakes and pick your own toppings, right at your table! I order eggs Benedict with spinach, prosciutto, and sundried tomatoes, one buttermilk batter for my children ( 3yr and 10mo.) feeds everyone to the point where we are stuffed, all for under 20$. Would recommend to anyone with children who love pancakes.
(3)
Taylor P.
This place was super fun! We went on a Monday afternoon so there was no wait - the place was pretty dead since it was within an hour of closing time. I saw Slappy Cakes on Unique Eats and bookmarked on Yelp for the next time I was in Portland. I could see where the griddle could get very hot at your table but we went on a cold day so it was fine. The service was decent. There were so many choices on the topping for pancakes it was hard to decide! We also read so many great reviews about the huevos rancheros we ordered those, the chicken fried bacon, and made our own pancakes. The pancakes we made were the best item. I was not in the love with the bacon - it was definitely made earlier in the day and slightly reheated which was not good so maybe if you came at a time it is fresh it would taste better? I will still give "a-ok" 3 stars for this place. It's a cute idea. I would feel nervous bringing a child but if they are still around this must not be a problem. Again, really cute idea! I would take someone from out of town. Oh and they had several delicious sounding grown up drinks!
(3)
Lara J.
Not just a fun novelty, the pancakes you make are actually quite delicious, as are the menu-items! The wait is a little daunting, but worthwhile. If, like me, you're in your 20s and child-less, this may seem like a strange choice for brunch, but it's actually really fun for people of all ages.
(4)
Demian A.
Excellent breakfast spot, nice ambiance and fun place where you can cook your own pancakes on your table, their benedicts are also very good. My only complaint was the service, I was tempted to not leave a tip, though I could tell it was only our server who sucked. Overall highly recommended
(4)
Ricky R.
Fun Portland atmosphere. Servers are fun and nice. Food was food. Candied bacon is to die for. Had buttermilk pancakes which were good but with tons of options and do it yourself made the great. A friend had the Multigrain. The are harder to male but were awesome.
(4)
Shirley W.
I had high expectations for this place but for adults you're better off going to the Screen door or Broder cafe. I waited close to an hr to get a table with a griddle to make pancakes. When we got the table,I realized it was a bad idea since I was with my friend and her 18 mos son who liked to touch everything in sight. This place is all about making your own pancakes but to the lazy people like me, it was too much work after the first 2 pancakes made. The other food there was average and a bit pricey, $11-12 for eggs benedict. If you have children between the ages of 5-10 then it's a fun place to take them.
(3)
Brian G.
Very tasty combination of kid-friendly food and adult food. Sweet and savory choices. The morning cocktails are terrific as well. We had a large group but called ahead...thank goodness. Great fun for all.
(4)
Devon D.
The most enjoyable way to make pancakes. Slappy's is tasty and hassle free, and allows one to sample ingredients out of the plain/blueberry/chocolate chip pancake comfort zone (though you can have those too). Go savory with goat cheese and mushrooms topped with maple syrup or stay sweet with butterscotch chips and apples!! yummm.
(4)
Duane C.
Ok, yes there was a wait, but it was Sunday and on the weekends in Portland, BRUNCH IS KING, so of course there was going to be a wait. Here is what I knew before we left the house: they supply the batter, miscellaneous tidbits to add to your pancakes and YOU cook them on a flat top built in to your table. Yes, I said YOU cook them. The idea of cook your own meal is not new and of course sitting around the cooking surface is not either, but here is the secret to the success of Slappy Cakes. Whether you are age 3 or 103, the kid in all of us loves it when our creativity can go bonkers in the kitchen without someone telling us what you can or can't have on your plate. We like the idea of pancake batter, mix ins as basic as berries and nuts, savory gems like crumbled bacon and bleu cheese, and a hot greased flat top at your disposable to make your Frankenstein. Mom cannot stop you from putting bacon, bananas, and cheddar cheese all at once in your hot cakes, unless of course she is paying. Even then, I would implore all of you culinary Picasso's to sweet talk dear old Mom into ordering a squeeze bottle of batter for herself so she can cook up plain pancakes to her heart's content. Have faith kids, dear old Mom may still come around before the end of the experience and let a bacon bit or two accidentally make its way into one of her flap jacks. I recommend trying the peanut butter batter. It is nom-tastic especially with bacon. I would love to try bleu cheese and bacon next time. Yes, there will be a next time. The rest of the menu looks good too. The Slappy Benedict looked tasty, but just reading the description of the Pork Belly Benedict makes my mouth quiver with wanton lust for bacon fat hollandaise. The side of biscuits of gravy came in a healthy sized bowl, very nice. I tried the savory bread pudding with leek gravy. I love garlic, I love mushrooms, and I love bread pudding so it was no surprise that I enjoyed it. The gravy was an especially nice touch. Obviously you don't have to cook your own breakie here, but if you don't then this place will have just as much or as little charm as the place down the street. Get a regular breakfast if you must but bring a friend so the two of you can share it AND a bottle of batter. If you are a glutton, leave your friend at home and OINK IT UP! Lastly...GO NUTS...IT IS OK AND FUN!!! A very special MAHALO to Sarah's fam for treating us to such a fun morning at Slappy Cakes, the next time we are all there it is my treat. I promise. A HUI HOU!
(4)
Adam A.
The pancake batter is delicious. I realize you could stay home and make pancakes, but its fun to be out and doing something different. Plus, using a squeeze bottle gives you way more control so you can make pancake dinosuars and unicorns like you never dreamed of. Everything else I have ever eaten here has been great. The cocktails are pricey, but worth it, and I have never hit the bottom of a cup of coffee without it being refilled. My one complaint is that I always overeat when I come here.
(5)
Julianne M.
Loved this place. Super fun to come with friends and they even have a liquor license. Just thought I would throw that in. I had the chicken fried steak and it was cooked perfectly. Gravy was a tad bland. Im a stickler on eggs and mine were just right. Not too crisp but still fully cooked with a little ooze. Yum! Only complaint is the soda choices. Diet Rite? Give me a break.
(4)
Julia S.
Conceptually this place nails it so directly on the head it's a wonder there isn't a sharp edge sticking out the other end...or is there? The fun of making your own pancakes is pretty hard to resist. Though there is something just a little disconcerting about this place, and I'm not referring to the long wait (but what breakfast joint in Portland doesn't?), tart syrups (however advised so by our helpful waitress), and tepid tabletop griddles (coated in canola). The feeling I get reminds me of the scene from Labyrinth where Jennifer Connolly's character, drugged and disoriented from being thrown off her search, finds herself escorted into the familiar safety of her bedroom. Just as she starts to let go and fall into the comfort of all her favorite objects, she realizes that it's not really her bedroom, it's just made to resemble it and only distract her further. If you saw the film you know that moment of realization, and it makes you feel tricked because you fell for it too despite knowing in in the pit of your stomach that it was too good to be true. Well, Slappy Cakes is like that. You walk in & it's big! You wait because though the list is long, the large, open atmosphere begs you to stay. Its brightly accented with skylights so us sun-starved Northwesterns don't fall into further despair. The whole place is so Portland with its rustic modern seating, cutely patterned with a punchy Sixties print enclosed by blocky wooden booths and tables. Enameled orange on the surrounding decor pokes its retro-optimism out at you. The menu beckons you to your ol' brunch standby, a Bloody Mary, but, wait, this one comes with bacon! Get out of my head already, Slappy Cakes!! Don't get me wrong, I love the decor, I love the concept and that is also exactly what makes me feel dirty. Like I was suckered in by slick surroundings that feel so spot-on I'm left to wonder if a focus group was involved. Go and ignite your griddle along with your creativity as you experiment with fixins made to order, just don't be surprised if you feel a little violated once you get home. The pancakes might not have been the best, but you only have yourself to blame since you were the one to make them! Anyone else smell a franchise wafting through the air?
(3)
Lee M.
Great spot to make your own pancakes. They have batter in bottles depending on how many pancakes you want to make and all the sides and toppings you like. I actually had the country fried steak which was probably the best i've had from anywhere. All of the workers were nice and the vibe was great.
(4)
Nathan G.
Had an excellent experience this morning. Service was quick, knowledgable and friendly. Food was incredible. Definitely gonna go back.
(5)
Alfred K.
Fun fun fun! I'm a sucker for DIY restaurants and Slappy Cakes is no exception. It took a bit of practice before my pancakes stopped looking phallic, but hey it's all part of the fun. The vegan batter was quite tasty, but the buttermilk batter definitely makes fluffier pancakes. Too bad the lemon curds were not vegan - it looked more like lemon custard but I liked it nonetheless. The warm mushroom and root veggies salad could have used more dressing but overall it was very tasty as well. I wish they would open a tad earlier... 8am is kinda late for breakfast. And why aren't there blueberries on the fixins menu? The painting with blueberries being dropped into pancakes is a pure tease!
(4)
Suzanne F.
Slappycakes is an easy walk from our house and there were 3 certain individuals who had been bugging me forever to try this place some time. Given that our household comes to a complete standstill if there's no bread (hmmm...fresh chicken AND duck eggs, plenty of oatmeal, lotsa flour, yet no one can fathom a morning without toast!) we headed over EARLY to Slappycakes. We were quickly seated at a large table (opt for another table if you go - there will not be room for several people to comfortably make pancakes). The decor is cute - modern, lots of orange chairs, long benches, artwork. They were blasting some James Brown, which is A-Okay in my book. We were served quickly, and given the scoop on how things work - most of us opted for the buttermilk pancake batter, which comes in an 8 oz. squeeze bottle. It was very good - you have many choices for mix-ins. Desmond opted for bacon crumbles (a boy after my own heart!). Owen chose the pancake batter with pumpkin - I tried it & it was good - not too spicy, but with a decent kick. The Big Man & I chose some buttermilk batter with an add on of satsuma ginger marmalade - it was unusually good! We also split a Classic Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, some fried potatoes (not great) and what is possibly the world's smallest English muffin - picture the tiny 'silver-dollar-sized pancakes', now transform that to a hocky puck-sized English muffin. As The Big Man said, "LA sized portions?? In Portland??!" So the English muffin left something to be desired. Everything else was good. It became very crowded, with our server buzzing around, asking if we were finished (3 times). It was time to go, yet I don't think we were lingering - just wanted to finish what was on our plates. Would I return?? Well, let me just say that this is NOT a Pancake Breakfast. This is more like pancake tapas . If I want pancakes, there are many options in PDX. If I want tapas, I would go elsewhere. It is pretty unlikely I will be ordering tiny pancakes and liquor in the same meal. Worth checking out if you simply must have pancakes & you like to make 'em yourself...but not in your own kitchen, and you don't like to clean up the mess and you want the option of mixed drinks at 8:00 a.m. Go...see for yourselves. It might be your cup of tea. It's just that with 3 boys, I can't afford $40.00 pancake breakfasts when people are still hungry.
(3)
Chris S.
I would actually give it 3.5 stars if I could. Real fun and interactive experience (cooking your own pancakes). Different batters to choose from and things to put into your pancakes (blueberries, chocolate chips). Peanut butter batter was yummy. A bit expensive for what you get and more than I usually want to spend at breakfast. Service was very average and a bit slow overall. Will go back because it was so fun and my 4 year old daughter loved it.
(3)
E Z.
Hooray for slappy cakes! It was fun to make our own pancakes, and very affordable. There's a bit of a discrepancy between the $5 for the pancake batter and the $10 for any other place on the menu, but everything was excellent quality and tasted fresh. The atmosphere was spacious, sunny, and welcoming. We were also excited to walk around back and see the garden in which many of the ingredients were grown. We'll be back!
(4)
Chris S.
Such fun!
(4)
sue t.
I'm surprised that we could walk out of this place and didn't have to be rolled out. Julie decided that for her birthday she wanted to try Slappy Cakes so she, Chris, Joe and I met there at 2:00 for late hangover brunch. We waited for no more than 10 minutes or so before sitting down at a booth with a griddle in the middle of the table. The first thing we decided on was to split a pitcher of Bloody Marys (which for an extra buck, Chris got a strip of bacon in his) for $15 which were absolutely spicy and delicious. Fast forward an hour and another pitcher came our way. Chris and I each got the biscuits and gravy (vegetarian option for your truly) plus one bottle of pancake batter each, Jules got two different types of batter and Joe got one. Along with the ton of add-ins we got, our table was overflowing with gluttony! Chris made mammoth meat and cheese pancakes, Julie switched between savory and sweet pancakes, Joe made dessert pancakes and I made tiny fruit and nut pancakes. We tried all of the batters (buttermilk, vegan whole grain, peanut butter, and ginger) but I think that my decision with the ginger batter was the best. It was not overwhelmingly ginger-y but just enough to compliment the blueberries and pecans I had in my pancakes. We all decided that we would be back but swore that we would focus only on pancakes and 5 bottles of batter for 4 people was WAY too much. Besides the food, our waitress was superb. She was quick, attentive, and encouraged our pancake shape making contest. Super fun birthday celebration breakfast.
(5)
christopher s.
I enjoy any type of establishment that is also an experience. Some foods, like pho, inherently provide an experience.other times with other foods that are normally served as is, like pancakes, you have to add a little something special to make it an experience. Slappy cakes did a good job with it. I felt sorry for them, because it must be really really annoying to clean up those table griddles. Especially with someone as bad at making pancakes as me. My sizes were all off, though, I wasn't going for perfection, much to my server's dismay. My batter was great, and I went with a more savory direction with cheeze and chorizo. I also tried some of another plate that another person at our table had gotten, which was also good. This place is obviously doing something right, cause it was packed(if you are coming on a sunday afternoon, expect to wait for at least ten min, so skip out on sunday brunch if you happen to be an entitled bastard or in a hurry.) I would go there again, but I think next time I'll order food the old fashion style, less messy.
(4)
P G.
I love the concept of this place and my kids ate a lot of pancakes. Their entree's aren't that bad either. We ordered the Fried Chicken Steak and it was pretty tasty. Recommend going early, like when they open, to avoid waiting. They open at 8 and we got there at 7:50. and by 9am, that place was packed with a line out the door. Not fun when you have little ones with you. Would definitely try this place again. The kids enjoyed putting their own toppings on the pancakes. As did I.
(3)
ToniAnn M.
Well color me Slappy! A solid three star rating with potential. Proceed with caution, and reasonable expectations. The place has barely been open 2 weeks, & they are still ironing out the kinks. Here's the scoop. A family friendly place for sure. I almost felt like I should have borrowed someone's kid to fit in a little better. However, we were there, 4 of us adults, sans kiddos, & we had an excellent time! The wait is tolerable, & the food is pretty much on point. My suggestion would be to do this: Order the do-it-yourself pancake thing as a little pre-breakfast appetizer. At $4, really, you can't go wrong. Split it with a friend/spouse/kid/whatever...... & then take advantage of one of the delightful dishes on the full service menu. This works out nicely because the food did take a little while to come out, & the pancake batter was brought right away..... so you have something to do, something to snack on, & if applicable, something to entertain & feed the kids! Don't forget the little fixin's for your cakes! A little crispy bacon & some chocolate chips perhaps? Anyway, we hooked up with the Huevos Rancheros, Hash, & Crabcakes Benedict. All very nicely done. Good flavors, appetizing presentation, & portion size was perfect. Not too small, & not overwhelming...... a nice change from the "we'll put so much breakfast food on your plate you'll puke & not want to eat breakfast again for 2 weeks! & the beverages. A decent cup of coffee, nothing to get all jazzed over, the other typicals.... milk, juice, soda....... & the cocktails. Thanks be to the Baby Jesus........... is that a strip of Bacon in my Bloody Mary? (aka the Slappy Red) Yes, it is bacon! Right next to the celery, monster green olive, & lime wedge. Everyone knows a salad bar in your drink it awesome........ & bacon in anything is even better!! The hubs ordered the Slappy Screw..... a nice little twist on a ScrewDriver...... a little Cinnamon/Sugar around the rim..... niiiiiiiiiiiiice! Service is friendly & efficient, the place is bright, clean, & fun. yes, maybe bordering a little over the top with the color scheme.... but it works. Go check it out...... have fun! Tell 'em Slappy sent ya!!
(3)
Addie B.
I wonder how people can complain about waiting, lol ?! You're the one waiting, you don't have to, I would go home. If it's that busy it must be worth trying. They have great coffee, wait staff, yummy vegan sausage and what a fabulous idea to let us make our own slappy cakes! I love the art they have on the walls and you should see the huge ceiling fan they have, it's kinda large : ) Who doesn't want to flip their own pancakes?!
(4)
Susan C.
Great fun spot, crazy lines on the weekend. Bring the kids, but the younger ones may not be safe to make their own pancakes on the hot grill. Thought the pancake idea was a bit overrated, but the tofu scramble was heavenly.
(3)
Samuel H.
Slappy Cakes has you cook your own food BECAUSE THEY CAN'T COOK. I was looking forward to trying this "cook your own pancake" place but then I had their food. It was AWFUL. If you can't cook a basic two egg breakfast you shouldn't offer one. The potatoes were hard and tasteless, the english muffin tasted like a rubber tire. Horrible. The saving grace of this place is the gimmick. It was fun cooking my own pancake. It tasted GREAT but of course, I cooked it myself. Bottom line: great location, space and gimmick but revamp your menu and train the cooks to make simple basic breakfast fare. It's not that hard people.
(2)
CaLiLu H.
Slappy Cakes is definitely kid-friendly! I love the concept of making your own pancakes and my nephew had lots of fun here when I took him there this weekend. He had fun decorating his pancakes with strawberries, bananas, and chocolate chips! One bottle of buttermilk batter was more than enough for him, my husband, and me. We also ordered the chicken fried steak and the traditional breakfast to share. Overall, the food is pretty good. The only downside has been the service. Although the servers are friendly enough, the food from the kitchen takes forever to arrive and on more than one occasion they have forgotten some things we ordered. Slappy Cakes is a great place to try out if you're in the mood to get creative with your pancakes, but for serious breakfast food (without the screaming babies) it wouldn't be my first choice.
(4)
Lisa S.
My charming dining companion and I were a little apprehensive about Slappy Cakes, since there are no 5-star reviews on Yelp, but after a bun-busting hike up Mt. Tabor and back, we decided to have a couple of pancakes for dinner tonight. And what a great experience it is to cook your own, at a griddle right in the middle of your table! I love dollar pancakes, and as far as I know, there is nowhere else to get them in P-town. But now, I can make my own little tiny crispy pancakes. I also hate under-done pancakes, but here I can grill them as long as I want to! And add my own toppings? Stellar! We started with a bottle of buttermilk batter (shared between us), a lovely wine-tarragon apple sauce and walnuts for the toppings. The table was already stocked with 4 different syrups and butter. After that was gone we were hooked, so we ordered a bottle of pumpkin batter, and chocolate chips as the add-in. The griddle stayed hot but not too hot to smoke the oil or burn us. I liked being able to wait a couple of minutes between pancakes. It forced us to eat slowly and really savor the food. After that bottle of batter was gone we ordered the savory bread pudding, which was an amazing concoction of veggies cooked in the bread, and sausage gravy to pour over it. I wanted about 4 more plates of that. The whole entire bill for two people? $15. And we were stuffed. And there was so much more we wanted to try - the "Slappy Hour" menu includes a $3 grilled cheese, a $4 Slappy Joe, and the aforementioned savory bread pudding for only $2. Inventive drinks, great service, fun music, cool decor, wonderful looking food on all the menus (check out my photos)....the best part? Slappy Cakes stole one of the pastry chefs from a very upscale local restaurant. She makes the bread pudding, the brioche for the burger and countless other nummy things. Need vegan or gluten-free? They have those options too. They have an herb garden in the back. They source everything locally. They grind their own beef. They choose everything seasonal, fresh and delicious. They are working on structuring their own composting. They rock!! We were nervous about the lack of people there tonight. The manager was very honest and shared with us that they did make some mistakes on the menu when they first opened. Those kinks seemed to be ironed out now, and they have in place the right kitchen staff. I can't wait to go back here for a Bloody Mary and more Slappy Cakes goodness!
(5)
Nathanial G.
I really liked Slappy Cakes and would go back. I went with some friends and loved the mountain-lodge-like feeling of the restaurant. It was warm and cozy, would would be a nice place to visit in the dark heart of winter. I ordered the maple bacon pancakes with the peanut butter batter. I expected the PB batter to be gimmicky and weird. It was not. I want a recipe for it. The maple bacon was a nice flavor - much more delicious than I expected. A friend got the huevos rancheros, and those were good. My other friend got a bunch of random sweet toppings for her pancakes. those too were good. So everything I have tasted at Slappy Cakes was delicious. The service was middle-of-the-road. Not outstanding, not wretched. Everything happened in a timely manner, my water was refilled regularly, and I was happy. I left Slappy Cakes feeling like a delighted child, and wanting to return.
(4)
Bree G.
I really like the idea of making your own pancakes at the table! It's a fun restaurant with great food. The first time I was there I ordered the do it yourself pancakes with peanut butter batter they were awesome. The second time I got huevos ranchero which was equally as good. Oh and the chicken fried bacon?? Yea do yourself a favor try it..it won't disappoint.
(4)
Kit P.
The tables have a griddle in the center! Okay. Now we're over that. The pancake batter is good. $6 a bottle good. The handmade sodas and cocktails are quite fantastic. And that's about it. The staff here has no idea how to earn a tip. They serve you cold coffee, and forget half your order, then if you pay in cash, they don't bring your change. We sat and waited for the $17 owed back for an hour. No one came back to the table, no one paid attention when we tried to call someone over. It finally wasn't worth it waiting around anymore. Good pancakes with a fun diy aspect, but not worth being stolen from.
(3)
Maile K.
The atmosphere made me feel like a kid again, but it was a little crowded. The sweet potato pancakes with some sausage was really good!
(3)
Karli K.
This is my daughters favorite restaurant. We had a bad experiment here once with a griddle that didn't work, but the manager went out of her way to make it up to us. The pork confit is sooooooo good. We go there for our birthday breakfasts as a tradition now. There is a wait on weekend mornings.
(5)
Lauren K.
Although this isn't one of the most highly rated breakfast places around, it's definitely a cool concept, thus making is note worthy. I went on a Friday and showed up around 11am. There was a short wait but you can't expect anything less in Portland. The above average places are popular and there's always excess demand. The wait could be anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours; pick your battles or just go somewhere else that's less tasty and subsequently less popular. Or go for the gold and prepare to wait! On that note, we had a 20-30 minute wait for a table. There were a number of families with kids there but none that were obnoxious, loud, or generally off putting. In fact, the families there seemed like regulars - one of the kids went straight for a hidden toy basket right below the welcome counter. Not gonna lie - I was impressed. While we waited for a table, I noticed that the entire back row of the restaurant was empty. I'm assuming they were a bit understaffed and couldn't clear the tables any faster but that's just bad business. I have no problem waiting if the place is full but I can't STAND waiting when there are at least 4 empty tables piled high with dirty dishes for more than 10 minutes. Maybe Slappy Cakes should assume the "bus your own table" model to help with turnover. It wouldn't be that unusual in Portland. As for the food, the pancake batter is really excellent. We took the waitresses suggestion and made smaller pancakes, dousing them with chocolate chips and shaved almonds. We then poured a little more batter on top to really seal em in there. When we pulled them off the griddle, they were fluffy, delicious and perfect. Definitely some of the best pancakes I've ever had (though that may be due to the fact that I got to choose how MUCH of a topping I wanted instead of receiving a mass of chocolate with a little bit of pancake). We also ordered eggs, sausage, and some biscuits with sausage gravy. The savory stuff was tasty enough but nothing to write home about. One thing that was a bit gross - the gravy had the most gigantic hunk of sausage meat hidden under its gravy goodness. It was a pale pink color...you know, like an undercooked piece of pork? After seeing that hunk, we pushed it aside and continued with everything but the biscuit. Am I glad I went? Yes. Was it satisfying? Yes Did it rock my world? No. Would I recommend it? If you have exhausted the other Portland staples, definitely.
(3)
Frank H.
I hate this place. It's fun as a gimmick maybe once or twice but after a few times the fun wears off. Unless you come very early or very late, the wait to get a table is pretty interminable. Part of that is probably due to the popularity of the place but a great deal has to do with the inefficiency of the staff. First of why does it take forever for the staff to clear a table so that the next party can eat? Are there not enough financial incentives to get more seatings in? I saw a manager-type, walk in and surveyed the scene, and quickly walk out again despite the fact there were tables needing to be cleared. The front of house people, other than telling you your wait time and displaying post-modern ennui, seem to have no other purpose. Thank goodness there is a pod of food carts nearby so you can sate your hunger while you wait. Secondly, yes there are menu items, but most people are here to do the DIY pancake thing. Why does it take forever for the waitress to first take your order and then to bring your bottles of pancake batter? Are they growing the wheat in their back yard, harvesting it, milling it and then mixing it with the eggs they have to get from their own free-range chickens roaming on the roof and the milk they get from their GMO-free cows in their barn every time you order a bottle of batter? And what is this controlling attitude with the oil? After a few pancakes, the griddle is sticky and crusted. But the bottles of oil are nowhere to be found. And of course it takes another eternity to flag down a server to squirt some more oil on the griddle. Most of the attraction of this place is for the kids. There are a *lot* of small children at this place. But if you really think about it, would you really let your small children stand by an open stove at home flipping pancake? You probably wouldn't let them close to the range. So why is it OK to subject them to the same risks and pay someone else to do so? My hat off to the owners though. I mean what a great business model when you can pack a restaurant, make your customers do most of the work, and and then have them pay you a premium for the privilege of doing so.
(1)
Jenny K.
So much fun! 5 stars for fun! You order your choice of batter, savory or sweet toppings, and make pancakes on the griddle at your table. Whoever invented this deserves a high-five. I ordered the sweet potato pancake batter with scallions, mushrooms and bacon with a spicy bloody mary. The bloody mary was really good! Had just the right amount of spicy kick! And I loved my sweet potato batter. I made just sweet potato pancakes and had them with butter & maple syrup. Then made pancakes with all of the fixings and enjoyed them without butter or syrup. Prices are decent, it's located a few short miles from downtown and service is prompt and friendly. They close at 2pm during the week and 3pm during the weekend, so plan accordingly!
(5)
Brandi M.
Been here, done that. Fun concept (my kids loved it) but then again, they weren't paying the bill (I'm embarrassed to say how much it was). Beware, the toppings and options; let's just say that we could have eaten brunch at some of the best places in town and spent less.
(3)
Jenn A.
Hello toddler magnet! I usually avoid these places like the plague because I am allergic to unsupervised children, but the fine print on the menu reminds parents that kids are not allowed to run around or misbehave because of the hot skillets, etc. When we were there at 9am on a Saturday morning, there were lots of kids but none of them were running around or being rowdy. We still had to wait for a table, although we got one sooner than expected because we didn't want to make our own pancakes. My banana bread french toast was incredibly tasty, the chicken fried bacon was too rich for my blood, and the bites of goat cheese and blueberry pancakes stolen from my husband were quite delicious. While the food and service were good, the overwhelming number of children paired with cost and wait time makes it unlikely that we will be back any time soon.
(3)
Amanda Y.
Oh sweet baby Jesus I love Slappy Cakes. SCs is my best friend and my go-to breakfast/brunch joint when I am in Portland (where she lives.) We've been here a few times, and we're always very satisfied with our food and our service. We don't like the long lines and waiting, so if we can snag a seat at the bar (21+) and just let them cook our 'cakes for us, we do that. The mochas are amazingly delicious, but I wish they had multiple types of milk (no non-fat!) Whole wheat pancakes are soft, fluffy and hearty. We like to share one pancake, they are pretty big, and order a few side-orders of eggs/sausage individually. Will continue to go back time and again!
(5)
Carly M.
I read about this place in a magazine and when we moved closer we knew we had to go here! The wait was 45 minutes when we came on a Saturday in late July but that was expected with a place this famous. We waited and we are so glad that we did! The whole atmosphere is just cool, I loved being able to make my own pancakes and just enjoy breakfast with my family! Being able to pick your batter, topping, and mix-ins was really nice, it makes it very personal and you get what you want! We got the buttermilk batter and chocolate chips and blueberries(which my daughter ate before we could use them in a pancakes but oh well) with the real maple syrup and peanut butter as toppings. I also got a side of bacon and let me say I would eat their bacon everyday forever, it was cooked to perfection! Making our own shapes and just enjoying time as a family made this place totally worth the wait! We would probably try and come when it may not be as busy but I would wait the 45 minutes again to eat here again for the fun experience it is!
(4)
Roanna L.
Nothing special in terms of pancakes, but the experience of creating your own pancakes is truly unique and fun if you're in the company of friends or kids. The fixers and toppings are classic, but do not look over the housemade nutella and lavender honey! Griddle was a little too low power, and the gluten free batter burned and stuck without the aid of much butter. Pancakes aside, they prepared a flavoursome Eggs Benedict, so will visit again for the other cooked breakfast dishes on the menu.
(3)
Leslie C.
FUN PLACE FOR KIDS - although the wait can be rather excruciating (for the kids). Especially when you can peer into the place and see tons of families and pancakes (or dough) being formed into what many call pancakes! Couple Suggestions- 1- the Wait is long, make sure its not raining when you go, as there is limited indoor waiting area- 2 - if things get a little out of hand, dont worry, everything washes off clothing etc. its a great place for the young ones to come and enjoy them! 3 - Be careful w/ the griddle - as they can be HOT and not very comfortable to the "touch", if you feel my drift as for everything else, its GREAT! Tons of choices on the menu and everything tastes good. We stuck to our guns and got the Chocolate Chip and Peanut mix and it was delicious (well at least the ones I made, the kids were a little more interesting). Interestingly enough, we seemed to enjoy the pancakes here than many other breakfast/brunch places, as the batter seem to cook rather thin! Price- well price is always a sensitive subject for any mom on a budget - with juice and sausage/bacon, and a couple "bottles" of pancake batter, this can run you upwards to $20+ if you dont keep an eye out on your FUN! If you come here occasionally, its definitely worth the wait and the fun - and on the flip side, your kids will see the skill you put in everyday to cook up a great meal ;)))
(4)
Shauna P.
The food is delicious, I only gave it a 4 because of the long line wait and then slightly slow service as they are always so busy on the weekends. I love making my own pancakes with fresh ingredients on the griddle in front of me....I'm a fan of blueberries, bananas and delicious apple sauce.
(4)
Vanessa A.
Best pancakes I've ever had. Have the kitchen make them for you, don't bother with the tabletop griddle. Other breakfast items are also fantastic, like their various eggs benny and the huevos rancheros. Wait is virtually always an hour unless you are a small group that can snag a seat at the bar. However, they will text you when your table is ready so you are free to hit the food carts next door for some coffee or a pre-breakfast snack. Every time someone visits me in Portland, I bring them here, and I have yet to disappoint any of them. I cannot oversell this place. You will never have better pancakes.
(5)
Krysten I.
The wait was about 45 mins for a group of 5 on a saturday morning. I walked around and found a hawaiian food truck in the little food truck lot next door! I was so excited! And then I saw that there was almost nothing on the menu that was hawaiian. Oh well, I wasn't on planning on eating there anyways.... I am not a huge fan of pancakes, but I can def cook pancakes. :) I ordered the pork belly benedict and the bf ordered the prosciutto benedict. Everyone else ordered pancakes. The pancakes were def fun to cook, although the server gave us our toppings and pancake mix without spatulas. The pork belly benedict was really good, better than the prosciutto one for sure. It comes with this yummy cabbage slaw thing. For some reason both the bf's and my eggs were poached hard.....maybe we let them sit for too long? the potatoes that come with the benedict are pretty bad by themselves. After you dump some salt, pepper, ketchup and hot sauce on them, they taste okay.
(4)
Jody h.
My son and I went there yesterday for Spring Break. The wait was about 45 minutes. Like others said, the food and especially the pancake batter is amazing. They also make their own English Muffins that are so, so good. If you like English Muffins, you need to get one. Staff was super professional and friendly and it was probably the cleanest restaurant I have been to in Portland. If I didn't have my six year old son that liked to make the pancakes I would come here more often because it looked like there was no wait for the tables w/out the griddles or the counter, you could just walk right in. Our bill was $23 dollars for a kids breakfast and a full adult breakfast (eggs,bacon, toast and potatoes.) That also included coffee, juice and an extra order of bacon. So the prices was really good. Go there now and get a pancake! Thank you.
(5)
Don B.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Slappy Cakes isn't just for kids. I thought it was, which is why it took me so long to try it out, but I've come to find out that it can be enjoyable for adults as well, if you do it right. Step 1: Make sure everyone in your party is 21+ Step 2: Make sure nobody in your party cares about making their own pancakes (if you're all adults, you know you can easily do that same thing at home - without the wait) Step 3: Pry your way through the loud crowd of families waiting for grill tables and head straight for the bar. Step 4: Sit at the bar and enjoy your meal - generally without a wait (it's a seat-yourself situation). Sure, you don't get to make your own pancakes, but unless you have kids with you, do you really care about that? I go out so I don't have to make my own food at home. And even if you sit at the bar, you can have them make the same pancakes for you in the back - just choose your fixings and go! And yes, they have some interesting pancake fixins (Bacon! Blue cheese!). If you don't want pancakes, the non-pancake section of the menu has a lot of interesting items on it, some of which you don't see often in Portland like chicken Tinga and my all-time favorite toad-in-a-hole. I grew up with toad-in-a-hole (aka egg-in-a-hole aka gas-house eggs) and rarely see it on menus, especially in Portland, so I was super stoked to see it on the Slappy Cakes menu. The food is generally pretty good (nothing mind-blowing) but the prices are also pretty high. Most of the breakfast item prices run around $10-$11, which is a couple of dollars more than most breakfast places in town. So if you want to get your hands on some Tinga, you're going to have to pay for it. For those prices you could go to Country Cat and get "some serious gourmet shit" (as Jules would put it) without much of a wait. If you're willing to brave Montavilla, that is. The one cocktail I sampled was the bloody, which was spicy and stiff but lacking in the depth I usually like to have in my bloody. I'm guessing the scratch mix is primarily tomato juice and hot sauce. I'm a fan of having some other seasonings in there to give it some body. But it's made with New Deal (a favorite vodka of mine) and served with a smile, so I can't complain too much. Some of the other cocktails looked interesting as well. Our service was great when we sat at the bar - prompt and attentive. Our wait was nil (while those waiting for grill tables were still waiting when we left at the end of our meal). Our food was decent. Our bill was a tad steep. For that, I think an A-OK 3 star rating is quite right from the perspective of kidless folk looking for a solid breakfast. If the prices were a couple of dollars less expensive (which would be fitting for the quality of the food), then it would be a 4-star experience.
(3)
Jen K.
An interesting experiment. Notice I didn't say a completely successful one. When I first heard about Slappy Cakes, I jokingly pondered if diners would have to sign a release prior to sitting at a table with a hot griddle. Not surprisingly they have their legal bases covered in fine print on the menu, "Tabletop griddles are hot! Please use carefully at your own risk. For safety reasons, children must stay seated and not reach across griddle." Consider yourself warned. Without any guidance from mom, my boys would be perfectly happy at Shari's, IHOP or Biscuit's for breakfast. And apparently so would some of the writing staff at The Oregonian. But while I am still able to exert some influence, I try to push their boundaries a wee bit and find food they'll like with a little Portland style. My kids love to cook their own food at Korean BBQ restaurants, so I thought this would be a good fit. The oddest part of our visit is that I walked in thinking this was a family restaurant, but left not entirely convinced this is the best choice for kids. I think their happiest customers may be those wanting to have a little childish fun mixed with adult beverages. I hit it at a very good time, mid-week and zero line. I ordered two types of batter: the standard buttermilk and the more interesting peanut butter. They come in easy to use squeeze bottles. Syrup is provided, but everything else is a la cart. So for a dollar or two, you can start adding sweet and savory items to mix in the batter (berries, bacon bits, chocolate chips). These mix-ins come in relatively small portions. The syrup is where things got a little funky. You have your basic 'Aunt Jemima' type maple syrup, then they also offer house made strawberry and blueberry. Two employees warned us in advance that the berry syrups are vinegar based and we may not like them. They were right. And while I appreciated the heads up, I have to wonder why they don't offer something that many of their customers would like? The side order of bacon was two pieces for $2.50. Cooking on the griddle took a little bit of effort, but was mostly successful. Since we stuck with the 'Pancakes at your Table' menu, the price was fine, but it wasn't unique enough that we'll be back anytime soon. Still, better than Shari's.
(3)
Danielle B.
Their vegan batter is delicious! The service was wonderful - everyone so nice and helpful.
(5)
Brendan T.
I can't even imagine the liability insurance on this place! The two stars are for our very nice server and a pretty tasty house Bloody Mary. As for the pancakes and off the menu items we had...nothing special. I'll let others do the cooking while I'm eating out thank you very much!
(2)
Melanie G.
Had a special morning out with our daughter. We had so much fun creating our pancakes. We had good service & the food was great! What a special way to spend the morning together celebrating. Enjoyed the entire experience! Can't wait to go back again.
(4)
Frank O.
I really wanted to love this place!!!!!! I mean it was cute and the service was great!!!! Every one was really nice to us and our kids!! BUT MAN OH MAN WAS THE FOOD BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pan cakes where awful, really awful! we had buttermilk with blueberry and chocolate chip.... If I was hi and had munchies maybe this would have been better but the gluttony involved in no way shape or form was worth the calories. pancake batter did not leaven, they where like bricks, doughy and heavy with no flavor. The chicken fried bacon really tasted of deep fryer and not so much bacon or even good crust. I had pork belly eggs Benedict (pork was excellent!!!) hollondaise was missing acidity and salt which was paramount in cutting some of the flabbiness of the dish. the potatoes where simply deep fried not crispy nor seasoned (BUMMER!!!!!!!) check was huge for the bad experience we had. No way we will go back! Sorry guys! great concept nice place but bad food!!!!
(2)
Skyler I.
Food was good. They tack on an 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more, even though we had four adults, a child and a toddler, and they really didn't have anything to do because all of the food is cooked at the table. It was good, and I'd return
(3)
Rebecca C.
The good: fun way to have breakfast w/family and friends, many different types of batter (we had the multigrain and liked it), various toppings. The bad: our waiter (AA male) slighted us with attitude the moment we were seated. I inquired what the "Harmony Herbal Tea" was made of. His response, "I don't know, its herbal." Me: So, it could be peppermint or chamomile or any number of things. Can we find out?" Him: "I don't know, I don't drink tea." Me: "Right, but you're our waiter." Him: "Let me grab the bottle and you can look at it yourself." That's how our meal started out at 8:30am this morning and it went on from there. He was the best waiter when we didn't have to interact with him. Expect your used dishes, glassware, napkins, etc to pile-up on the table because they don't collect it until you're finished eating. With a hot plate situated on the table, this leaves little room for your plates and glasses, creating a hazard. The hotplate, as you are informed when you are seated, is only heated in the middle. So you'll have to be patient for the pancakes to cook, especially if you're dining with a large group. It's expensive. Our meal rang up around $50 and we're two adults and one toddler.
(3)
Lissy F.
Order the Pork Belly Benedict and thank me later.
(5)
Josie H.
Slappy Cakes has amazing gluten free vegan pancakes. You can cook your pancakes yourself so you can ensure there is no cross contamination. But the price and the wait are not worth it. We had to wait an hour and a half for a table. The gf vegan batter is the same price and the same size as the other batters, but makes half as many pancakes. The toppings are over priced for how much you get, 12 blueberries for $2. Overall the food was good but not worth the wait or price.
(2)
Anj M.
I moved from Portland to Atlanta, and Slappycakes is one of the things I just consistently crave from home. I actually once scheduled a return flight around making sure I had enough time for breakfast at Slappycakes before leaving for the airport - it's that good. The pancake batter is consistently delicious, and making your own silly designs is a lot of fun. I love that they have a good selection of savory toppings as well as sweet, so you can really personalize your breakfast. A part of me feels ashamed every time I order the chicken fried bacon, but I figure they made elastic-waisted pants for a reason, and that reason is so that I can enjoy this bacon. The biscuits and gravy here is HANDS DOWN THE BEST biscuits and gravy I've ever had, and I've been living in the South for a while now. Both the vegetarian and the sausage gravy are the business, and if they only made business casual muumuus, I would eat here every single day that I'm home. *edit* yeah, the wait is sometimes super long, but i'd rather wait for delicious food than be seated immediately for way-less-delicious food elsewhere.
(5)
Marina B.
This place is okay. Typical breakfast food with vegan and gluten-free options. I don't get the whole paying to cook my own food thing, which seems to be the big appeal of this place. Our server was really awesome and friendly. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but wouldn't turn my nose up at it.
(3)
Phuong K.
I came here on my recent trip to Portland. Its a great place to take little kids here since they get to make their own pancakes. So I went here with my cousins and niece/nephew. I think its such a great concept. The kids love it and you can pile on a bunch of different toppings for your pancakes and make it the way you like. Besides the pancakes here you HAVE to get the Pork Belly Eggs Benedict. Its amazing here. I love pork belly and I love Eggs Benedict...and once you combine the two...it equals amazing! if you're not in the mood to make your own pancakes you can order premade pancakes here...but where's the fun in that? This place gets really packed especially on weekends so make sure you come here nice and early to avoid the wait.
(4)
Chris L.
My wife and I loved our visit to Slappy Cakes. The concept is totally unique and the experience was very fun. We got there early in the morning, but not enough to get a table in the first wave. After waiting around for a table to free up (and drinking lots of good coffee), we got seated and began making our pancake creations. We got a couple different kinds of batter and a number of varied toppings, all of which made for interesting and tasty pancakes. We will definitely return, especially if we are entertaining out-of-towners who want to see some unique restaurants in Portland.
(5)
Andrew A.
A pancake fresh off the griddle is like no other. Moreover, when your choice of batter includes buttermilk, peanut butter, vegan, and whole grain, it's hard not to crown Slappy Cakes the best in class. Their expertise in hot cakes is offset by just average menu alternatives. Of the many items I've tried, not one has been stellar, especially the chicken fried steak. Oh well, pancakes is the game here and the only thing I order. Service is cool and hip, lattes and cappuccinos can be hit and miss. Be prepared for a long wait if visiting during the weekend; I usually head straight for the bar seating.
(4)
Julie T.
I am torn on this one. I give it a 3.5 overall. Following is the breakdown: Concept = Five stars Food = Four stars Service = Two stars This is a *great* concept restaurant, and anyone with children must go to this restaurant for the pure joy your kids will experience designing and flipping their own pancakes and adding toppings. A plus is that they also have food for adult palates, which was decent. However, our waiter was unattentive at best. Brought the batter, and then no spatulas? No butter? We found ourselves searching for the waiter on several occasions, and we had to ask for things that a good waiter would have brought without asking. We did also interact with other servers, and they seemed more attentive, so perhaps it's just a new person being broken in?
(3)
Karl W.
Watch those morning wait times, they can get VERY long, sometimes even waiting to sit at the bar. Interesting idea but not enough to hold my attention very long and not enough to make up for the wait times, for me anyway. I've been here twice in the five years I've lived in Portland and I was overwhelmed by the amount of people they cram in and underwhelmed by everything else. Check it out if only to say you did but I'm not promising anything.
(2)
SacTown G.
Five stars for fun for the kids! Food, service and prices are four stars! Really a great experience. We were expecting horrible food but really it was good. Two of us eat gluten free and two of us don't. We just each kept to our kids of the griddle. I ate the GF cakes and they were very good. My wife and son enjoyed the regular batter. Prices are very reasonable. We each got our own thing of batter but we easily could have gotten by with one less. The bacon is THE BEST EVER! I don't even like bacon and I got the candied bacon. WOW! Oh ya, parking is not great but it's a nice neighborhood so a little walk won't kill you. Lastly, I read about long lines but it wasn't bad. We were there at 9:30 Sunday morning and only had a 30 minute wait. Seemed pretty good prime time to me! Well worth the wait!
(4)
Tom M.
I knew that it was going to be busy, it's brunch in Portland. I knew that it was going to be fun, griddles in the table is a great novelty. I DIDN'T know that they had such a great selection or such wonderful service. Not just our waiter, but everybody working seemed to be having fun and that is a wonderful atmosphere, especially for a place with so many kids!
(5)
Jeanette L.
SERIOUSLY? DIY PANCAKES...SERIOUSLY? Portland is so cool. Slappy Cakes was LEGIT. We went for a friend's bday so we got to try a few different batters. I got the gluten-free one and it was just as delicious! (added bananas and chocolate chips...NOM!) The concept is great and it's executed well! Lots of space for making the pancakes and all the extra ingredients and options you could ask for! Super, SUPER fun.
(5)
Jose M.
This is really an awesome way to have a breakfast and play with your food, just don't come here by yourself. Because it's much more fun with friends. We came there in a big group and they're able to accomodate all of us. The place gets really crowded very quickly. So make sure you come early. Of course, since you make your own pancakes, the result may vary. But that's part the fun, and it makes you want to come here over and over again.
(4)
Annie B.
Pork Belly Benedict with apple cider cole slaw and Bacon Fat Hollandaise If that does not turn you on, then how about chicken fried bacon? Slappy Cakes is a great place for all that is good and holy in breakfast. Pros: 1. Lots of combos for pancakes and non pancake options. We did a peanut butter pancake mix with apples, bananas, butterscotch chips. One squeeze bottle of mix made about 8 small pancakes, which was plenty for 2 people, granted we had ordered other stuff too. 2. Get the non alcoholic drinks. I loved the Ginger Mint Julep, it was fresh and not too sweet. 3. Great service. Our server was sweet, helpful, and gracious. For example we ordered the chicken fried bacon, but we were almost done with breakfast and it still hadn't arrived. We asked the server if they had already fired the bacon order then we would take it, but if it hadn't been fired, could we please cancel it. She found out that it hadn't been fired and cancelled the order but later brought us a sample of it to taste. NICE touch. Cons: Be prepared to smell like a short order cook after eating here. They put the oil on the griddle as it heats up so the place smells like fry oil and therefore you smell like fry oil. They only have the stevia sweetener and regular sugar. My husband put some stevia sweetener in his coffee and it was so foul, he got another cup of coffee and put regular sugar in. I wish they had a place like this in my town.
(4)
Chris M.
Boom. Love this place. If you dont have any kids, or idiot friends who act like kids, it'll make no difference, once you're seated at Slappy Cakes, everyone feels young again. This place is fun, unless you're Mr. WIlson from Dennis the Menace. Its not fancy, you're a slob so you'll probably get pancake batter on yourself at some point, and you'll leave smelling like breakfast, but its worth it. Let that creative side your high school art teacher said you lacked, finally come to fruition here at Slappy Cakes, I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet potato pancakes. Aaaaaannnnd, the Shirred Eggs are also uuuuuuuuhhhhhh-mazing (WARNING: yolks not cooked, if that matters to you). BEST of all...the staff. Hostessesesssessess and wait staff were all amazingly friendly and seemed to enjoy their work. They lack hipster disdain, an excellent quality. They were patient while we made choices on batter and toppings, took their time and chatted with us at our table and encouraged us to take our time while we formed various wildlife out of pancake batter. Only tip...go early, it was 15 minute wait, 30 minutes after opening on a Sunday morning. Worth it.
(4)
Marie L.
3 stars for the food. Wait time was crazy long, even for a weekday. 5 stars for the experience and the friendly staff. My fam had a great time making pancakes and adding toppings.
(3)
Samantha R.
This place is so good! Very friendly and helpful. The waiter gave us tips for cooking the pancakes and kept checking in on us. Very busy place, so wait time could be awhile. Great place, and very kid friendly.
(5)
Tom S.
Summary: Overpriced, inedible pancakes. Food: Poor Service: Good Value: Poor We went on a Sunday morning, arrived about 8:45 and had only a half hour wait for a table with a griddle. Hint: I've been told that it's better to arrive around 9 or 9:30 when the first wave of customers is leaving then to be there at 8. Pleasantly crowded, mostly families with young children. The table was sticky when we sat down. Our waitress was pleasant, attentive and helpful. Yea, you get to cook your own pancakes. Oh boy. The batters and ingredients are all fairly expensive. $3 for a few blueberries seems steep. The real problem, both the whole grain (vegan) and buttermilk pancake batters were awful; they tasted like store bought mixes and were too salty. Long after we left we still had a bad aftertaste in our mouths.
(1)
James C.
Amazing food! We arrived at 9:00 AM on a Saturday and we're seated in 5 minutes. Our server was very knowledgeable on the offerings and was upfront when we asked her opinion on one of the batter flavors. We opted for the buttermilk with chocolate chips and peanut butter. The chicken fried bacon was nothing short of AMAZING! Who would have thought that one of the best meats could be made better? Plan on spending more than you would at Denny's but it is well worth the money. The restaurant is considerably loud, but what do you expect when you have alot of people in a small space? All in all it was a great meal!
(5)
Diana R.
3 things: 1. If you're trying to be healthy and get the whole wheat/oat pancake batter.. get more oil on the grill and expect to wait a while for it to cook!! They end up making you starving and are a little sweet to the taste... 2. COUNTRY FRIED BACON. Had a half of one slice of bacon. Nearly died of amazing food coma of heaven. delicious and salty and terrible for those of you with high blood pressure. I on the other hand never eat salt so it was JUST FINE FOR ME! ahahha 3. Adding goat cheese and mushrooms to your pancakes really IS a good idea. The idea of goat cheese sounded disgusting but nope, my sister said it was delicious and YES IT WAS. I only had one little thing of mushrooms though and another huge thing of coconut. Stick to savory tastes! This place is awesome and I can't wait to go back next time I'm in Portland!! Hopefully I won't be too rushed out and can have that amazing pork/ham/eggs benedict plate that was TO DIE FOR. This is the best place if you like food. and lots of it.
(4)
Andrea T.
This is a fun place for sure, but the line is ridiculous...so get there early if you don't want to wait an hour and a half. The atmosphere is great, except I'm not a fan of the community table because the table is big enough that its hard to interact if you're sitting across from your partner, and awkward if you're sitting next to each other. The food is good, but the novelty is what gets you there and brings you back for sure. Don't miss this if you have the time!!
(4)
Kelsey K.
Slappy Cakes? More like Sloppy Cakes. So I've been four times now and I really want to like this place. The first two times were great, my pancakes were fluffy and the service was good. I told everybody the place was awesome. I had fun and thought I found my new breakfast joint. The third time I went the place was swamped so I wasn't upset with sub par service but my vegan pancake batter was so wet that the cakes turned out to be flat, thin and soggy. I ordered the vegan pancakes twice before and they were so fluffy and tasty. I let the server know and she comped them so I figured it must have been a fluke. So I went back today, a Tuesday at 11:30, and the restaurant was not very busy. We ordered our food and I let the server know that last time my batter was too wet and my pancakes were bad, she said that there was a time that the vegan batter wasn't "right" and that it had been fixed. We got our food and my batter was the same; wet and awful. My date needed ketchup, I wanted a refill on my coffee and I hated my food but our server never came back to check on us, I would have ordered something else, oatmeal or fruit or something because I was really hungry. She just walked by but didn't bother to ask us if we needed anything or liked our food. I nabbed ketchup from an empty table nearby. The only time we saw our server after she took our order was to drop our check and say "whenever yr ready". Not a "thank you", or a "how was everything" nothing at all to show that she appreciated us. I ate the sloppy cakes because I was really hungry but I won't go back again.
(2)
Michael F.
Now this was a fun restaurant for my wife and I to visit... I can imagine if we had kids, they would love this place... Who wouldn't want to make their own pancakes right at the table? A lotta fun, and some good memories made here... We ordered the peanut butter pancake batter, and it was sooo delicious... I'd highly recommend this batter.... We ordered banana as a mix in.. I might not do any mix-ins in the future, just because the peanut butter batter is so good I don't want to take away from that flavor.. but the banana chunks mixed it worked out pretty well. Our waitress kept our coffee and water glasses filled to the brim every time she passed by, and she was so plesant at each interaction with us. Bottom line, next time I'm in Portland, I'd go back... and bring friends!
(5)
Joyce L.
The wait for a table was long no matter what time you go during the morning hours. The toppings were a bit pricey but they had a wonderful selection of batters. The experience was okay but the service was good.
(3)
Stefanie D.
Ugh - I had to go to this strange restaurant for a kids sports banquet thing-y...We should have skipped it. Awful - our griddle would not heat properly so it took over an hour for 6 of us to cook 2 small pancakes each and the did not taste very good (we tried every batter except Gluten Free) - the sweet potato batter did not tast any different than the buttermilk batter, just a different color. Our "special" price for the banquet was $10 per person and we each got 2 small pancakes and some juice - needless to say we left hungry, irritated and smelling like burnt cooking oil. YUCK!
(1)
Kirsten G.
This place makes eating pancakes fun! I'm actually not a pancake person, I never crave pancakes. But when we went to check this place out, I found myself actually excited to eat some pancakes. Probably coz you get to make your own. Yes, i know the idea seems dumb, why make your own pancakes if you could go to Denny's and order some already cooked. But that's just the thing here, you go for the fun of it. It's like you get to be a kid again in this place, invent your own shapes, build your own flavors, and just have fun. And the pancake batter they have is really good too, and you can even order different flavored batters. You can order various toppings like nuts, fruits, whipped cream, bacon, cheese, etc. So you can create sweet or savory flavors, according to your preference. I highly recommend this place for families (especially with little kids) to go to. Great atmosphere, and a fun way to eat your breakfast.
(4)
Ollie W.
Loved it! Will definitely be going back again! We came in past breakfast, more towards 12:30-1:00 PM and were prepared for the hour long wait as I had heard was typical for a Sunday especially. No wait time, were seated right away, which was a big plus since we had 3 children in our group. Kids had a blast making their own pancakes as did the adults consuming a few pitchers of their bloody mary's which were awesome! Sweet potato batter was a hit as well and with the amount of toppings they have to offer, what's not to like?!
(5)
Kiley W.
It's a fun experience, but the food wasn't all that great and was way over priced. The staff was friendly, but they seemed really unorganized because they delivered three items we didn't order to our table and when we told we hadn't ordered it they took them to another table. We ordered bacon and it was three dollars for two pieces that were not very good. We were not all that impressed.
(3)
Kelsey H.
Perfect idea for Portland. People aren't rushed or behind due to waiter service, they are able to do it themselves in their own timely manner. Food is delicious; it's not just pancakes! They have scrambles of all sorts and they are large plates. Yes, there are a lot of children around, but get over it or go eat breakfast at your house. Spectacular place for a quiet, relaxed morning breakfast :)
(5)
FE L.
Today was our first visit to Slappy Cakes. I can't think of anything about the experience that we didn't like. I took my sons who are 5 and 7. They loved being able to make their own pancakes. Even if the fun of making your own hadn't been part of it, the cakes themselves were very tasty. I had a side of bacon and it was one of the best I've tasted. Without a doubt we will visit this fun place again.
(4)
Amy S.
Slappy Cakes, oh how I love you. The grill in the middle of the table is a fun way to do breakfast though as someone that can cook I would have loved to have a little more control of the grill and maybe butter instead of oil for the grill. We chose to go for broke and got the chocolate chips and crispy bacon fixin's to go with our buttermilk pancakes and organic maple syrup. Yum. Yum. Yum.
(5)
Ann K.
Date Visited: Sunday 10/17/10 (Lunch) On a Sunday, the restaurant closes at 3 p.m. I've been told it gets pretty crowded on the weekends, so I was hoping we wouldn't have to find another place to eat. We arrived at 2:30 and I guess it's a great time to arrive as the restaurant was about half full. We were seated and given our menus. I was pretty determined to make my own pancakes, to see what that was like. Spazz decided to order off the menu. Someone came by to oil the grill and instructed me to avoid the edge of the grill (as the batter won't cook). I was also given the spatula and my sides of banana and walnuts. Our server showed up with butter (I had asked for Earth Balance and didn't know she had given me regular butter at this point - she came back and replaced it without me asking if it was Earth Balance) and my squeeze bottle of vegan pancake batter. I was told it would take about 5 minutes for this batter to cook thoroughly (the longest of all their batters). She said that when it was ready to be flipped, I would know it because it would sorta hover over the grill and not stick when lifted. Further instruction was that, for the bananas and walnuts, it was important to drown them in the batter. I poured some of the batter and then put on the bananas and walnuts. I then took the batter and covered the toppings with more batter. I was disappointed it only made 2 small pancakes. Impatient me allowed maybe 4 minutes before I started to play with it. It did stick a little, but I kept loosening both pancakes. I eventually flipped the first one and though our server was there to witness it and say it was a good flip, a part of the pancake didn't flip and I had a little bulky side that I was helpless to do anything about. The second one was flipped with some help from Spazz and turned out a lot more even. Again, I was impatient and tried to loosen the pancake before it was time. Some stuck to the grill. Eventually, Spazz got served his sweet potato casserole thing. I didn't finish too long after he was served. I was warned the homemade blueberry and strawberry syrups were tart, so I only tried a small drop of it. Yep....too much for me. I stuck with their pancake syrup instead of splurging $2 for their organic maple. Where's IHOP's Butter Pecan syrup when you need it??! My pancakes, despite my awful culinary skills, were yummy. I don't know about $5 (plus $1 each topping) for what only made 2 small pancakes, but I guess that's actually somewhat normal for restaurant pancakes. I got to have them whichever way I wanted and I just love banana nut bread (which is what they basically tasted like). I couldn't actually finish both pancakes, so Spazz got some. His meal was supposed to have come with vegan sausage, but there was none in his dish. When he inquired about it, he got a side of them and it was reflected as an added side on the bill. They straightened it out in the end, but it was still confusing to know what went wrong. All in all though, we were pleased with our visit. It was a decent neighborhood, next to a bunch of food carts. It's a bit far for us, but then what vegetarian and vegan options aren't far for us? Anyway, we'll go back again in the future. This place seems like an ideal place to go in the winter as the table grills keep the dining area nice and warm.
(3)
Devon H.
After wanting to try this place for a long time, I finally got to go today. We were a group of 8, which worried me because even on a Monday morning it was really packed. To my surprise we were seated within 5 minutes. We sat at a griddle table, because that is the whole point of the place! Our server was perky, cool and attentive enough without being annoying. We ordered the whole grain vegan batter, along with our mix'in's ( banana, hazelnuts, chevre, chorizo.) We did some savory pancakes and some sweet. *The only minor problem is that the vegan batter takes twice as long to cook and tends to stick more, but as long as you have pancake skills in the first place they'll turn out just fine. We also tried the chicken fried bacon, which is even better with extra maple syrup poured over it. Be sure to drink lots of mimosa's or bloody mary's, so the idea of making phallic shaped cakes seems like a good one! I could easily see how on the weekend Slappy Cakes could be a madhouse with a really long wait, but overall I'm down with this place.
(4)
Chip B.
Great concept but not impressed with the service. Great for kids if they are old enough to sit and not put their hands on the heat. My only suggestion is to order plenty of batter so you dont sit waiting for your server. A line doesnt always mean its worthy.
(2)
Cherany O.
Incredibly fun place to bring kids! I'm not sure it would be worth the wait if your party only includes adults, but I came with friends and children, and the kids were the ones who immediately agreed they could wait an hour to sit at one of the tables. When we were finally seated, the waitress was friendly, the food was delicious, and we all had a blast making pancakes. The kids were visiting from another state, and they'll never forget the experience. They were giddy with excitement over it! Reasons I did not give the place 5 stars, despite the wonderful time we had: an hour wait for a table (understandable on a late Sunday morning, but made more bothersome by hearing the hostess tell everyone who was tired of waiting that they were next, when there were actually three or four names ahead of theirs on her list), slippery floors (I nearly fell twice), no napkins at the table, aside from the ones the silverware was wrapped in (big pet peeve of mine in restaurants, especially where sticky/messy foods are served), and having to track down our waitress constantly for more oil (a small bottle left at our table would have been nice). Overall, the fun far outweighed these things, so 4 stars seems appropriate. A helpful thing to know is that the toppings can easily be shared with others at your table; two people at our table ordered the same toppings, and we didn't even use the full amount one person ordered. Next time, we'll all just pick one thing each and share.
(4)
A E.
This place was SO MUCH FUN!! And I DIDN'T bring kids! You wont have to wait if you get there as soon as they open. We were seated immediately. The staff was friendly and helpful. The place was PACKED and not once did we feel rushed. Our food got to us in a timely manner and the prices were very reasonable. To all the pretentious, overly critical people who've been leaving bad reviews because you can't imagine why someone would pay to cook their own meal... loosen up, unbunch your panties... and learn how to have fun. I suppose you don't like fondue either.
(5)
James M.
Good for kids and the pancakes taste good but don't come here with a group of 6 or more because as is customary they will automatically charge an 18% tip and provide poor service. Also only order the country fried steak if the like stringy beef that's harder to chew than is to cut. Did I mention it was chewy? How about bad tasting? Did I mention that if I wasn't allergic to dogs and I had a dog that I wouldn't even feed this steak to my dog? And while we are talking about dogs, if the steak had been made from dog meat it would still not be edible. But it would likely taste better than what showed up on my plate. If it had tasted good I would still be pissed because the size of my steak was half as big as my nephews. Bring the kids for pancakes with butterscotch chips and don't come in the summer as it's too crowded and too hot. If you go don't be a dolt and poor honey on the griddle with the pancake batter. Are you a dolt? Then stay away from hot surfaces altogether. That is all.
(2)
fon z.
If Peewee Herman had a restaurant this would totally be it. We've been coming here for more than a year now, and every time we're here, I just feel like a kid again. To the point where I find myself competing with the kids around me to see who can create the funnest pattern of pancakes. Sometimes I win, other times we tie. This atypical pancake house serves you pancake batter in a squirt bottle. The table has a grill in the middle where you can create your pieces of art that some people call food. They have a few interesting flavors, but we mostly come for the experience.
(4)
Brian M.
So I took my friend here, who was visiting, I was intreaged by hearing about the griddle tbles and the chicken fried bacon. We got seated emeatedly by our chicklet esque waitress, a pycho beach party reference. I always love paying more for a social experience of cooking your own food at a restaurant, i might be a fool but i am a sucker for this type of thing, I ordered the pancakes and of course , a side of the chicken fried bacon. My friend got an egg plate with the basics of sausage and toast and i think their might of been a hash browns too. My batter and fixins, chocolate chips and almonds came fast as our very friendly waitress started up the grill. The pancakes were good, I also ordered a mocha that was brewed from stumptown beans, it was good, but a little too much with the chocolate chip pancake and the mixture of different syrups that I pored over them. My friends order took a bit longer, excluding my chicken fried bacon. but when it eventually came my friend was happy with his meal and actually, for a big guy, could not eat all of it, big portions here. My chicken fried bacon sounds more epic then it really was. It was like eatting a coconut pron, but bacon, a sweet batter, and even though it's about 4 dollars for two pieces of bacon , it was well enough, the bacon was thick but the batter did not have any flavor and just made it more filling, maybe they should fry it a bit longer. But I would try it again, but not too many, it's not worth the heart attack over. The decor is cool, with pop art of pancakes and of the waiters. I would suggest this place, and would come here again, it's a pretty cool experience, I am not sure if it's truly a 4 star or 3.5 stars, but I would recommenced to go and put your two cents in.
(4)
Megan R.
Love this place! Ok, I have to admit, when I told a friend that we were going here, he just told me that if I wanted to make pancakes then I could just go to his house and make pancakes. Some people just don't understand. Its not just about making it yourself. It's the fact that you can choice any type of toppings you want. Some that you wouldn't even think about unless you were there. And yes, making yourself means you can make it as big, little, crazy, however you want. I had fun. My favorite combo was white chocolate chips and granola. YUM, you don't even need the syrup that way. Ok, so here is a few tips. 1. I would say that 2 people could share a tube of batter. However, if you have an eater like my fiance then you may need to order 2 or some extra sides. 2. I read reviews about people complaining about pancakes sticking to the hot plate. This did happen to us, but not till the very end, and at that point, I just threw a little bit of the butter on it that I got from my pancakes, and it worked just fine. 3. Try and get there early. We got there at about 9.3. They said a half an hour wait, but really it only took about 10 min. However, when we were leaving we did notice a huge line. This place can get a little pricey depending on how many toppings you want, so just be careful. If you are on a budget then it can get a bit expensive. I would have to say that this would be great for a group who is splitting the bill. That way each group can get there own sides and they all share. Just a suggestion
(5)
Cortney R.
The Slappy Benedict was fantastic. My friend had the chicken fried steak, which was blissful, and the memosa with a hint of grapefruit was YUMMY! Service was truly special and on the was out, we heard people asking specifically for her section. I miss Portland and the amazing breakfast places!
(4)
Crushinator X.
Not sure the draw here. There's often a line at breakfast/brunch. Pancakes, like coffee, are already a profit center for breakfast menus, this place cleverly takes it even further. Stingy, non-pancake options are salty yet bland, and c'mon, the pancake batter is fine but for each side you order (really the point of pancakes, if you're going to cook them yourself) you get half a banana, a few berries, a tiny cup of each other element. Plus you're doing all the work yourself! This should be really cheap. But it ain't. And it's not like the batter is so good that you get something like the specialty pancakes at Zells or Sanborns. Space is nice, noisy, obviously this is great fun for kids. But nothing special here, except the cook it yourself gimmick.
(2)
Jason R.
My recent visit to Portland from Las Vegas led me to this fantastic place of wonderment! Because Slappy Cakes is unique and fun please expect to wait, it's worth it. I went with my sister and her family and my wife and two boys (2) and (6 months). It is a very family friendly place, lots of kiddos making thier own pancake creations. The staff is eclectic, happy and eager to please in every way! The patrons sitting next to us were celebrating a birthday and thier server was having all kinds of fun taking pics with them. If you're heading to Portland, go to Slappy Cakes. If you live in Portland, get your a** down to Slappy Cakes!
(5)
Kim A.
My fiance had heard about this place from a friend so we decided to check it out. It's kind of a cool concept...but really if you think about it, it's not THAT original. It was super busy when we got there, but I'm not going to hold it against them because 1. it was late morning on Sunday and 2. it was the day before Valentine's day. We decided to sit at the bar because I'm not s huge pancake person and I didn't feel like waiting. The bar is first come first serve but you can't make your own pancakes. I'm so glad we didn't wait an hour to drop chocolate chips and blueberries in pancake batter. The rest of the breakfast menu is great! I had the pork belly benedict. It was soooo good, and I've never seen that offered on a menu before. The pork belly was served on cider marinated slaw with a bacon fat hollandaise...seriously delish. My fiance had the country fried steak and loved it. He said the gravy they served on it was the best he's ever had. I would love to go back again...maybe if the wait isn't as long I'll try making my own pancakes
(4)
Jasmyn M.
Sort of like a Benihana of pancakes but you get to be the chef! Hot griddles are in the center of most all of the tables. You can choose to make your own pancakes, where you get a bottle of batter of your choosing (buttermilk, wheat, zucchini, etc.) and toppings of choice (priced separately). There are also options for the non-chef folk to have them make pancakes for you or if you really, really, really just want a savory egg dish. I give the place 4 stars for the food. We were pretty boring and had the buttermilk batter with some blueberries and maple syrup to "jazz" it up. I thought they were pretty darn delicious. We ordered a side of the maple walnut bacon which was absolutely heavenly (a must-have for the bacon lovers out there). Mimosas were pretty solid with a good OJ to bubbly ratio (more bubbly, less OJ). Biggest downside was the price (hence 3 stars). We ended up spending about $40 for two, which seems a bit ludicrous for breakfast when you're really only eating pancakes. I think it's possible (and probably sufficient) to split one bottle of batter between two. A line was already in place at 7:45 (opens at 8am) on a Saturday morning but once everyone was seated by 8:15 there were still empty tables. Fabulous for kids who are skilled with squeezing ketchup bottles and spatula use.
(3)
Nicole A.
We didn't want to wait for a table with a griddle, so we sat at the bar. The bartender guy there is AWESOME. He was very friendly, took our orderly quickly, and even shared leftover drinks when we asked what the H he was making. I had the short stack whole wheat pancakes with bacon. They were enormous - I would've had just one, but didn't know since it was my first visit. The pancakes were really good and I enjoyed the thick cut bacon. My coffee was delightful and the cup was never empty, thanks to the other bartender lady that reminded us of Rosario Dawson. I'll definitely want to go again the next time we're in PDX.
(4)
Paul L.
The service was relatively quick even though the place was quite busy. Pancakes seemed to taste like baking soda a bit too much for my liking. The condiments/add-ons are not exactly cheap, and the quantity could be more.
(3)
Steve L.
Great fun! Kids enjoyed making their own pancake concoctions. Oatmeal was great. Great friendly service.
(4)
Fred P.
Great idea, mediocre execution. Cooking the pancakes at your table is great for kids and can be fun if you get creative with toppings and batters. If you don't want to make your own pancakes, the menu food is also quite good though we found there were some misses (a side of brioche with congee? some bread with your rice? huh?). Here's the mediocre execution -- the counter space is too small so your plates will be half on the grill, and you barely have enough room at the table for all the toppings. Also, the grills seem to have uneven heating and our server insisted on putting oil on the grill before our meal, causing the oil to smoke!?! (not a good idea). We had bad service, but it seemed we just had bad luck and the worst seat in the house, so I will only ding one star for that. So despite all that, we'd definitely try it again -- 3 stars.
(3)
Kou C.
The employees are fake!!! I cant stand fake people. I went there to have breakfast for the first time they sat around talking with each other not greeting me I had to finally ask if I sat myself. When my food came out it was terrible and thats what I told the server that my food was terrible instead of asking me what was wrong or if I wanted something else she said you can see your way out. Fake people Fake smiles terrible food and over priced I will never go back there and do not recommend
(1)
Kate F.
loved the decor - especially the groovy prints on the seats (a good match to the hostess' 60's frock!) and the cool artwork featuring what looks to be happy employees against solid backgrounds. orange lights - yummy! and what a novelty to make your own pancakes at your table. i actually ordered the Slappy Benedict - but sadly, it never arrived (our server neglected to put in order). i waited patiently thinking my meal must take longer than usual - while my boys ate up their happy cakes. when we realized my order had not been made - i just ordered an egg and toast so we could leave (boys were finished and baby was soon to wake). a bummer, to be sure - but at least they comped my meal and provided a $5 certificate for our next visit. will def. go again on weekday to avoid the long wait - it's good - but not worth the hassle of waiting!!
(3)
Becca H.
We saw this restaurant on TV just a few days before briefly passing through Portland. It was so much fun to make our own creations at our table. Our waitress was attentive and helpful. We'll go again.
(4)
Amanda S.
It took a lot of arm-twisting to convince my partner-in-crime to wander into this breakfast establishment. He had a hard time believing that a restaurant could actually thrive by ordering their patrons to make their own food. Besides, the staff seemed missing-in-action and the patrons looked irritated. I insisted that the eggs benedict was the best I ever had, and he was just being a hater. Within twenty-five blood-sugar-crash minutes, I was a hater too. We arrival around 12:30 pm on a weekday. It wasn't the least bit crowded (lots of empty tables, completely empty bar area) but there was still a wait to be seated. When we were finally planted at a table we waited...and waited...and waited. At first I found it strange that there was a large pod of hipsters deeply engrossed in conversation behind the counter - then I realized that was the staff. Huh. The only other couple seated in our area was rapidly entering a state of flat-out rage because they couldn't get someone to bring their bill, and after that couldn't get anyone to take their money and bring change. Twenty minutes later our water glasses were empty, we'd studied the menu to the point of memorization, and had thoroughly inspected the grill and considered what sort of amateur surgery could be conducted with such heat, and still no sign of a waiter. The poor saps next to us were still desperately trying to pay their bill, expressing frustration Portland-style (muttering and furrowed brow). My partner's previously ignorant assumption of the staff's incompetence and snobbery was escalated to flat-out fact, and we abandoned ship. Less than a half-hour later we were seated elsewhere, drinking coffee, and eating eggs. Hawthorne, Belmont, and Division are packed solid with delicious eating establishments. Don't waste your time at this one.
(1)
Gene B.
Well, let me preface this by saying, I got lucky, I was seated right away. If I had to wait a couple of hours to get seated, the tone of this review might of been different. First, I love, love the name and second I am very amused by the concept. Cooking your own pancakes from a griddle in the middle of your table? Love it! But sadly the experience didn't quite pan out. I had the standard buttermilk batter, they give it to you in a squeeze bottle, but somebody forgot the salt in the batter and the pancakes had a nasty, cloying flavor. I assume it was an off day, but still the one thing you would not want to screw up here, would be the pancakes. The rest of the breakfast was pretty standard and my waitress was extremely nice and helpful. Great coffee, too! But if you're going to wait 1+ hours for breakfast, invest that time waiting for the Screen Door or even Pine State Biscuits, but not, sadly, Slappy Cakes.
(3)
G M.
Booths + Pancakes--- does it get any better? Fun atmosphere, and make it yourself pancakes. YUM. The carrot/cardamom pancakes were delicious, and so were my Huevos Rancheros. The 4 people I went with all really liked what they ordered. It's brand new, so it still has some kinks to smooth out. But we got there at 9am on a weekday and were served quickly-- it did get a little more crowded the closer it got to 10am, but that was to be expected. We will def. be going back.
(4)
sara j.
This place is great! We had buttermilk pancake batter. The chicken fried steak was delicious and scrambled eggs were perfectly cooked and fluffy. And the potatoes were crispy and moist. Great coffee too! Can't wait to come back the next time we are in Portland.
(5)
Kate N.
Slappy Cakes isn't breakfast, it's an event. Don't plan on going on the weekends unless you have 3 hours to blow. That being said, it is worth the wait. My friends and I went at around 11 on Sunday. Bad idea. The wait was an hour and a half. We weren't in a hurry so we had a few mimosas and patiently waited for out table. When we finally were called we were STARVING! We all ordered different types of pancakes. I went with the vegan multigrain (which is actually really good) with blueberries and chocolate chips. A side of potatoes that were SO GOOD, and a few mimosas. I will definitely go back but will try to make it on a weekday instead.
(4)
Matthew D.
This place was very cool. It seemed to be a popular place with the kids. My lady and I tried the tomatillo bloody mary and loved it! We would give this place five stars but the food was just okay. Otherwise a great place to have a good time !
(4)
Erika B.
Arrived shortly after opening on a Saturday to avoid a long wait. We were a party of four and seated immediately. That was the extent of the fast service at Slappy Cakes. We ordered 4 bottles of pancake batter and were told that they were considered appetizers and that they would be served prior to anything else that we ordered. We were okay with that concept initially, until we realized that we were waiting a really long time for uncooked pancake batter to be delivered to our table. Prior to the delivery of batter, our server came and generously oiled our griddle and then gave us a quick briefing on cooking the pancakes. Our pancakes stuck to the grill despite the oil. Turning up the heat to the highest setting helped a bit, but not much. It took a long time for the pancakes to cook.....way longer than on my stove at home. The end result tasted fine, but really weren't anything special. We also ordered two sides of bacon, which consisted of two slices of bacon per order. The bacon was too well done and much saltier than I prefer for my salty meat fix. I could barely finish my one slice portion. The table also shared a plate of Huevos Rancheros, which was pinto beans and eggs served over fried corn tortillas with sour cream, salsa and avocados. The four of us couldn't finish the one plate. It just wasn't that good. The eggs were sunny side up, but supposed to be over medium and the avocado was unripe. Overall, it was a fun experience. It is a great, bright space with large cartoon art of pancake making progression covering the walls. Slappy Cakes is still new and judging by the long line in the rain outside as we were leaving, there are alot of fans. I might give it another try after they have been at it for some more time.
(3)
Andy R.
fun place where you get to create your own pancakes then grill them up right on your own table. good selection of food too.
(5)
Mae I.
slap me with some of those cakes! pro: the atmosphere was great and the pancakes were goood! i like that you can choose your own batter and toppings. also, i really liked our waitress! she was friendly, cool, and personable. there's also lots of eye candy. why were there so many good looking people there? even the staff were guapos! the con: we waited about an hour to be seated, but i guess you'd expect it from a place like this.
(4)
Ariana M.
Wow, so much potential, but so much room to improve! I love the idea, and the space itself is great! However, when my daughter and I went there this morning we were left annoyed and disappointed. First of all, when we walked in, there were plenty of tables open and no one else waiting. There is a sign that says to sign in and wait to be seated. We signed in and waited and waited. A few people came by and even looked at the clipboard, but no one even made eye contact with us or said hello. We were ignored for a full ten minutes, then someone came and cheerfully seated us. I have to say, everyone there was equally cheerful and polite-- but they just kept dropping the ball! We had to go find out own place settings, we had to ask for knives, butter, even the spatula. We ordered coffee, a tube of batter, two toppings and bacon. The bacon was pretty dry, and our serving needs were extremely low, considering that we were otherwise making our own breakfast. So it surprised me that it would take so long for someone to just come by and fill my coffee! Or that we would be halfway through a pancake breakfast before someone could bring us a little butter! Seriously, this seemed rather half-assed to me. The idea is good, the space is great-- just get it together!
(3)
Bradley Y.
Probably just a bad morning, but the waitress was terrible and the Pork Belly Benedict was bad. A waitress even spilled maple syrup on our griddle and didn't bother to do anything about it. I guess burnt maple syrup on a pancake griddle is acceptable. I guess it's fun if your 6 year old. Otherwise, go to Pine State.
(2)
jill n.
Not able to get them to answer the phone to let me know if they are open on Jan 1 or 2! Can't you at least leave a message on your recorder??!
(1)
Melissa G.
When I first heard what was opening up here, I thought, wow...a place where you make your own pancakes...why not just open up a new cart - its the new restaurant fad, isn't it? I couldn't help but shake my head with pitty whenever I had to pass them before they opened...yet, I was intrigued by a man dressed in a completely white suit who was greeting a huge crowd of people at the door. It was their open house. Well, of course I went in...there were mimosas to drink! And samples of yummy cinnamon rolls, lots of non-veggie mini croissantwiches that looked good, and really tasty crab cakes. I also tried a ginger-something pancake with lavender butter...oh man, that was good. So I had my boyfriend meet me last Saturday (they'd been open a few weeks now), and the menu (excluding the drink menu) totally changed - none of the above was on it!! Apparently, they change their menus seasonally, but everything on there looked pretty ordinary. The grilled veggie benedict was small and eh - could barely taste the chanterelles. Their potatoes were odd cubes and tasted like slightly herbed french fries. Their pumpkin pancakes were eh. I think I'll stick with Screen Door or Mother's for breakfast. Their Whiskey for Breakfast drink however earns a 5-star rating. That, if anything, will bring me back.
(2)
Amy W.
We had heard all the hype of Slappy Cakes from friends and had to try it out! We waited until our 8 year old daughter had a weekday off of school knowing the wait on the weekends was at least an hour or more. So we were a little surprised when we walked in on a weekday morning and the wait was 45 minutes to an hour. By the time we got seated we had two very hungry girls (my daughter and her friend) ready to eat. At first, our male waiter was nice enough, explaining to us how to use the grill. I am strictly gluten-free so I ordered the gluten-free batter for myself, while the girls and my husband ordered a chocolate batter and peanut butter batter. We decided that we would cook all of my gluten-free pancakes on the grill first, not to cross contaminate with the other batter. Unfortunately, this ended up to be a gooey, pile of batter mess! We specifically cooked the pancakes in the middle of the grill as we were told and we even turned up the griddle hotter so the pancakes would cook better. No matter what we did, it was just a big mess! I finally had to track down our waiter to come over to scrape our grill and start all over again. He seemed very annoyed with us that we could not get it right the first time, but he even stated (AFTER the fact) that the gluten-free batter was trickier to cook with than the other batters. I finally decided to have the cooks make my gluten free pancakes in the back so the hungry girls could get their pancakes on the griddle faster. Unfortunately, the annoyed waiter did not scrape our griddle very well and the regular batter quickly started sticking to the grill. No matter what we did (adding lots more butter to the grill/more oil), most of the pancakes ended up sticking to the griddle and becoming a big mess! The girls were good sports and quickly realized they would not be able to do any of the flipping of the pancakes because they were sticking so badly. We thought this would be part of the fun for them to do the flipping, but that did not happen. At the end, the girls were actually cheering when we could flip a pancake that didn't look like a big pile of batter. We did get a few decent pancakes out of the whole experience, but not enough to make it worth it. In general, the waiter seemed very annoyed with us the whole time even though I tried very nicely to explain what was wrong and to get his help. "Snarky" would be a very appropriate word to describe our waiter for this whole experience. There were two positives to our experience at Slappy cakes: one was that my gluten-free pancakes from the back came out huge, beautiful and very yummy! If we were to ever return, I would definitely order my gluten-free pancakes from the back and not even bother with putting them on the griddle. The second positive of our experience was that our waiter did take off the bill some of the fillings and my gluten-free batter that did not work. Of course, I would expect for them to take these off the bill since we did not eat them anyway, but I was happy that I did not have to argue this with the waiter. All in all, the girls left full and happy, but my husband and I left a little frustrated and exhausted with the whole experience.
(2)
Kenneth B.
Ok, this might get billed as a kids place, I'm not saying that it wouldn't be a ball to go here as a kid, but adults will enjoy the heck out of this as well. We went here for breakfast and I am glad we did. I bit noisy because of the size and the many kids that were here. But certainly not anything that was too much to handle. The idea of you making your own pancakes and sharing your own concoctions with the rest of your party was truly fun. Certainly if your entertaining children this is a must stop for breakfast. Prices are reasonable and they do have other menu items that are prepared for you i.e. eggs, omelets, etc. The shirred eggs were awesome as well as the homefries we had. Service was good but not great, but it was busy!
(4)
Grace L.
Had a blast making pancakes with my hubby. Hazelnut candied bacon was so yummy. Make sure you get there at 8am when they open a big line already when we got there at 7:55.
(5)
Shannon K.
I make pancakes at home all the time. There is something very different about doing it here! They turn out perfect! My favorite is using the lavender honey instead of syrup, amazing! The rest of their menu is great too. The only complaint is really loud (what do you expect, kids are having fun) and waiting for a table, but that's not even that horrible.
(4)
Lucky B.
Fun concept. Go in the colder months and the griddle will feel awesome. Love the flavor combinations. we had sweet parsnip batter with goat cheese and bacon add ins. It was SOOOO good.
(5)
Jonathan S.
I am surprised I liked this place. When I was informed that we were to have breakfast here, the prospect didn't sound exciting. Wait a ton of time to make my own pancakes? really? Well, it was worth the little wait. Seems as you buy the pancake batter by the bottle, there is no per person minimum. They make a great starter/appetizer as you wait for the rest of your breakfast. The chicken fried steak was pretty good and the pork belly benedict was raved about by two people in my group. I tasted the parts without the yolk and thought it was done well. My message? Don't be scared off by the pancakes, the rest of the breakfast is a treat.
(4)
Lisa B.
This trip was our second time to Slappy Cakes. This time I enjoyed it more. The griddles do not heat evenly across the whole heating element. So not having three people trying to make pancakes it worked out better this time. The concept is brilliant and I hope the one they have opened or are opening in Maui does well. Kids love this place - and on this second trip there - first time was in 2011 - my son still gets a kick out of picking his batter and choosing his fillings. My order was the creamy grits with pork belly and I ordered the side of candied bacon with hazelnuts. The bacon was good but too sweet for me - but my sister and son (especially loved it) - my grits were done to perfection as were the eggs served on top - and the two slices of pork belly was just enough. For an out-of-towner I like it -- if I was a local - which I used to be - left in 1981 - I wouldn't be that into the novelty - but it gets a lot of business for sure. I love the concept and I really enjoy the atmosphere - food and wait staff.
(4)
Sarah B.
One of my favorite places to have breakfast in PDX! Great atmosphere and delicious food. The servers are always on point there, coffee is full, water is taken care of and I have all the fixins I need for the grill, no matter how busy it is. This is a great place to go in the summer if you want to get a breath of fresh air but not necessarily sit in the sun/outside. They roll up the front entry area so that there is no wall between the diners and the sidewalk, awesome when we get those nice sunny days! Bottomless Stumptown coffee for $3 is a plus, and the non-alcoholic breakfast drinks are just as good as the boozy ones. The Hibiscus Cooler with grapefruit juice and seltzer is one of my favorites! Try savory pancakes for a change, they are so good! I usually do goat cheese, mushrooms and sausage or bacon. You get quite a bit of batter in one bottle, so we usually get one of those and then share an eggs Benedict dish, which is the perfect amount of food for two people. Great place to go on a breakfast date, interactive and there are other great spots in walking distance if you want to continue on.
(4)
Jennifer P.
Went here while staying at a cousin's house for a weekend wedding. The wait is incredibly horrible and I'm not incredibly sure if it's worth it. We had a party of about 8 and were seated after about 2 hours. The concept of Slappy Cakes is great. You order the batter and any toppings you want and you are free to make the pancakes to however your heart desires. We ordered the buttermilk batter and the zucchini batter. honestly, the only difference was the color. There was really no difference in the taste. Maybe one tasted healthier than the other? I guess. The batter was not amazing. The pancakes didn't come out big and fluffy. They were actually pretty flat and dense. For toppings we had a lot. I'm not even sure I remember which toppings we ordered. I know for sure we had: Almonds, hazelnut, chocolate chips, chorizo, and bacon. They were all delicious on the batter. Especially bacon and chocolate. Overall, the concept is really the only thing I would rave about. Other than that, the wait was too long and the batter was just okay. I would rather just make my own pancakes and add my own toppings at home.
(3)
Cam-An N.
I LOVE this place! It was a fun experience and the food was delicious! It can be a long wait, so go prepared to wait. We went after 9AM and waited about 40 minutes for a table for two. You get to choose the type of batter you want...I went with the vegan batter since I don't eat dairy. I chose chocolate chips and bananas to go with my batter. They bring you the batter is a squeeze bottle. You squeeze some batter on the griddle and put your fixings in and flip when ready. What can be better than a place with good food that you customize to your liking and that you can play with when you're making it?
(5)
Geoff K.
I really want to love Slappy cakes, but they always make it so hard. A restaurant with a great concept is often hampered by poor service with waiters who often seem like they are out to lunch. Still if you stick with the make your own pancakes you simply can't go wrong: Pros: - Fun make your own pancakes with a great number of toping options. - Nice atmosphere, good space that its easy to sit and enjoy a long brunch at Cons: - Very poor service - Items outside the pancakes can really be hit or miss - Not open late enough for their interesting cocktail menu Know that this place gets SUPER crowded on the weekends, so go early or go mid week.
(3)
Marc W.
I really enjoyed myself. Which is unusual for me going to a place with so many kids. But I expected it, and turns out it's not really that distracting. Definitely a place to take children, but even those without kids should try it at least once. It's fun making your own pancakes at the table. I fell back to my favorite standby - buttermilk batter with blueberries. And they were good here. Many places serve pancakes that are too dry, or has too little taste, but the buttermilk batter was a good tasting batter. (a bit thin, but has to be so it can flow out of the squeeze bottle). I should have been more adventurous. Next time, I will... starting with the peanut butter batter and maybe some chocolate chips. Or maybe the sweet potato batter with one of the savory toppings. But here is the surprising part - the regular breakfast items were really good. My wife had the Slappy Benedict (eggs benedict) and I LOVED IT!! Really flavorful. I had a couple poached eggs, which were perfectly done. And we got a side of -- hold on to your cholesterol medicine -- Country Fried Bacon. Yeah baby!! It was really good. How can anything that includes bacon and be country-fried not be good? There are many other breakfast items on the menu that looked tempting. The staff was friendly and quick; our server Veronica H was super - friendly, helpful and attentive. There are a lot of other great breakfast places in town for a more adult crowd that I need to try out, and probably will before going back to Slappy Cakes. But I have to say that for what they do, they do very well. I'll more than likely be back and recommend if you haven't been, add it to your list.
(4)
Christina P.
Come on, seriously, the place is called SLAPPY CAKES, how can you NOT like it? And now that I've been, I feel bad that I kept calling it Flappy Jack's :) I was too tired to cook my own food, so I had a Slappy Benedict. I LOVE hollandaise sauce, so this was a no brainer. I also had the strongest drink, ever! So the best morning of my life. Okay, the egg was perfectly poached, and there was plenty of sauce to go around. My complaint? Don't call something proscuitto when it's really a slice of ham. Proscuitto should be sliced much thinner. They also have a nice variety of hot, hot sauce. I didn't dare try it, but my cousin was in love. What else was I in love with? The art on the wall, of pancakes :) Makes you smile every time. Not in love with, but totally expected? All the servers are hipsters. Yes, I know I was in Portland, but I'm just saying it like it is. I half wondered when the last time was that they all took showers, and doubted that their clothes have ever been washed. The griddle, that was super cool. Although, my firefighter cousin was amazed that it was inset into a piece of wood, you know, a flammable material... My other cousin got the sweet potato pancake mix with bacon and goat cheese. Goat cheese, yes please! I had to get my own side, of course, for my benedict. Yeah, it doesn't really go together, but I love goat cheese that much :) I really liked her pancakes. And since I criticized her boyfriend's pancake making skills, he wouldn't let me try his vegan batter with vegan butter, vegan sausage, and almonds. Vegans make me crazy. You can't eat cheese anymore! It would be the end of my world. But he couldn't make a perfect circle to save his life, and was flipping too early or too late. Train wreck. I guess that's what happens when you deprive yourself of meat. Just kidding Cassidy, I still love ya.
(5)
Rachael B.
I really liked Slappy Cakes when they first opened. It was fun to make pancakes on the table-top griddle while waiting for plates of food to arrive. But now, the pancakes are really the only good thing there. The menu was re-done not long after they opened, and now I don't really care for most of their food. The potatoes have been consistently over-cooked and under-seasoned, and the eggs never seem to be cooked as ordered (over-medium eggs came out with the whites runny, scrambled eggs weren't really scrambled and were pretty dry). On the other hand, if you only want pancakes, Slappy Cakes can deliver. There's an entire menu of mix-ins to choose from. I like mixing something sweet with something salty (like chocolate chips and bacon bits), and their lemon curd is delicious, too. The regular batter is light and slightly sweet (I haven't tried the other kinds). If you decide to make them at your table (you don't have to, they'll make them in the kitchen for you if you ask), be careful not to burn yourself...it's pretty easy to do. And watch the kids. That griddle is damn hot, and sitting at my table, I constantly worry about other people's hyper kids in the next booth falling onto the griddle!
(2)
Wil M.
This is one of my highlights of coming to Portland! I describe it as "the mongolian bbq of pancake establishments". You order tubes of batter and mix-ins for your pancakes, and make your own pancakes right at the griddle on your table. Fantastic! I had the gluten free batter in a couple variants - pecans and goat cheese, cherries and white chocolate, bananas and chocolate chips. All totally delicious (and very generous portions for the price - one tube of batter is about 6 bucks, but makes 7 or 8 small pancakes). Turkey bacon? Ridiculously delicious. Thick cut. Full of flavor. I haven't tried the other menu items, but everyone in the restaurant always seems happy with what they're having. The serving staff are all having a great time - they really seem to enjoy working with each other and seem to believe in their business. The guy with the crown is rad. If you're coming for breakfast or brunch on the weekend, be prepared to wait for a bit. Totally worth it!
(5)
Jeff W.
I'd probably rate closer to 3 1/2 stars if possible. We went here awhile back in our efforts to find another good little breakfast/brunch spot. As most breakfast joints in Portland, if you don't get there early you will be in for a bit of a wait. We had a nice long wait at Slappy Cakes, but the fun atmosphere, very cool interior and great company was the perfect antidote. If I had to pick the one thing I enjoyed most about our visit to Slappy Cakes, it was great design of the restaurant interior. Very cool. I think Slappy Cakes is more about the experience than the amazingness of the food. The product they sell is a combination of the two. The different batters you can choose from was very nice along with a great variety of other accompaniments. We ended up going with blueberries and honey with their buttermilk and buckwheat batters. All were very good. You can definitely taste the quality in their garden fresh fruit, etc. It was quite warm at the table because of the griddle, but was definitely worth it. We had a great time hanging out while we made our very own pancakes. Sure, you could do this at home -- but it was so much more fun here. Also, this would be a great place to visit if you have a bit of a larger group so you could share a bunch of toppings and really experiment. If you've got kids, I would think this place is an absolute must!
(3)
Sean G.
Toad in the hole was amazing. (eggs in a basket) the make your own pancakes also are fun and exciting to make. I will be back again!
(5)
Kate R.
One of the great places in our neighborhood! Get there early for the weekend breakfast.
(5)
Amy E.
Despite all the raving kids you get by coming to Slappy Cakes, I really do enjoy their food, and the service has always been friendly and prompt. Today, however, my boyfriend and I witnessed service above and beyond the usual. We were sitting at the bar enjoying our coffee and the entertainment of watching a busy Sunday morning breakfast rush. At one point a server stopped to answer the phone, and then proceeded to take a to-go order for what must have been a party of 8-10. The server was pleasant and took great pains to get the lengthy order correct. I have to say, I was pretty stunned that someone would have the gall to place such a huge to-go order at 9 am on a Sunday morning, especially at a breakfast place that always seems to be jumping on the weekends. Not long after we finished our breakfast (delicious, as usual), the orderer of the to-go order arrived. She was grumpy looking and demanding -- she asked for more items, and had additional specification for the items she did order. Here's the amazing part -- the Slappy Cakes staff (at least 3 people were helping this woman by now) were unfailingly polite (even friendly) and helpful. At this point, I would have considered civil to be the maximum required, but they continued to help this semi-rude woman with her crazy order and additional requests. I would generally recommend Slappy Cakes for breakfast for the food (and yes, the novelty of making your own custom pancakes at a tabletop grill), but now I have to recommend them also for really good service. I am fairly pessimistic about service at Portland breakfast joints, but this was a rare and pleasant exception. Be sure to give the Toad in a Hole a try, and definitely order the side of gravy. That meal is one of my top-five favorites breakfasts in Portland.
(4)
Michael E.
Great breakfast place! We brought some out-of-town guests here for brunch. Great food. Great bloody marys. Great art on the walls. And the employees were all dressed like ninjas.* I made a pancake-shaped starship Enterprise that would've made JJ Abrams cry. It tasted like butter and heaven. We'll be back to try out the rest of the menu. *the employees weren't actually dressed like ninjas.
(5)
Shelley M.
This is a blast -- Mongolian grill meets breakfast! If you order squeeze bottles of batter (there are several kinds; I had buttermilk because I was sharing with a four year old, and four year olds aren't adventurous eaters), you can cook your own pancakes on a grill at the table. I went with an artistically-inclined friend who made amazing shapes (including a giant squid -- it took three of us to flip it, but man, it was gorgeous!) and it was awesome to watch other patrons come and look and take pictures of what she'd done. Definitely go very early, as soon as they open, because the wait for a table can be brutal. (We went at 8:30 on a Sunday morning and had no wait.) The flip side? Once you're seated, no one will try to rush you off.
(4)
Kaitlin P.
Slappy Cakes is fun, although definitely not the best place ever. We went on a weekday so there was no wait and were seated right away. We decided to share a round of self-made pancakes and also ordered an order of huevos rancheros. The pancakes were delicious (but really, how could they not have been? They had bacon and chocolate chips in them) but the huevos was less than stellar. It tasted like chili. From a can. Dislike. Their regular breakfast items are priced a little high for what they are, but that's breakfast for you, I s'pose. Our server was peppy and friendly and I can guarantee that if it had been a weekend morning, post-boozy night out, she wouldn't have been my favorite person. But, it wasn't so I liked her.
(3)
Amber S.
This restaurant is one of those places that all depends on the kind of person you are and what you like. It's either the coolest place ever, or kind of a joke. Went with a group of 12(!) on Saturday. We sent some folks out early at about 9:30 to warn them about/make a reservation for the impending onslought. The rest of us arrived at 12:15 and were promptly seated (ha!) at a long ass table. Uh oh-the table is sticky as fuck. Am I at Denney's? So, yeah, there are griddles at the tables. I was a tad hungover and the griddle stench (not to mention the heat) was a bit nauseating but I suppose the hangover was my own damn fault. Everything on the menu looks rich to a fault (Chicken Fried Bacon). I happened to look over and see someone eating something that looked way less fat and decided to follow suit and get the Huevos Rancheros. Thank God I did. It was actually absolutely delicious. The salsa was awesome (do they make it there?), the beans were bomb. The tortilla was frickin' good. A+ Also ordered in our group: Chicken Fried Steak. The most cartoonish serving I've ever seen. It was 4 inches tall! But it was tasty, gravy was noms. Pork Belly Benedict. Enough with the pork belly already Portland. Way too huge and greasy. Biscuits and Gravy. Good. Vegetable scramble. Excellent! Not so heavy, not deep fried, not filled with a bunch of lard. Bottom line: I can't believe I'm saying this but...avoid the meat! Go for the Huevos Rancheros, or the Veggie scramble. Both are outstanding. Ok, pancakes. You can order buttermilk, peanut butter or zucchini batter. All the cakes are good and sure it's fun to cook them in front of you. But they ain't cheap. And why do they grease the griddle with vegetable oil and not butter? They trust you to cook your cakes but they have to grease the grill for you. Just leave me some butter and get out of my way! All the ingredients are $1-1.50 per so it can get spendy if you plan on gettin' all jiggy on your cakes. Bottom Line: They seem to be TRYING to get on that stupid list that pops up on the internet every few years listing the worlds most caloric restaurant meals. I'm all for a bunch of fatty food but this was just over the top, way too heavy. The griddle left me smelling for the rest of the day like I just did a 10 hr shift as a fry cook at Shari's, and the place felt like it wasn't clean (in that Chuck-E-Cheese kind of way). And what's the deal with the bathroom lights? Meh, try it so you can say you did. I hear there is a very long wait typically so I don't think I'll make it back Oh, I should mention that the service was actually excellent, especially for a large group with the gratuity already included. Our server was a professional, on top of everything.
(3)
Denise O.
I love slappy cakes! It's a bit over priced for pancakes as it taste just like any other ordinary pancake, but I love the experience. It's just great to make fun shapes and choose your own toppings. Worth the try!
(4)
E G.
The good: the forest mushroom scramble was extremely flavorful. My husband and I would return just for to eat it again. The concept of Slappy Cakes seemed like a good idea but...this brings us to... The bad: we won't bring our kids back until they are much older. It was absolutely terrifying to have to be on guard the entire time. I think this could be fixed if the hot surface were a little farther from the edge of the table. Even though my kids listened to our warnings and didn't burn themselves, I think mixing little kids and hot surfaces is a dumb idea. My kids are 8 and 6 and I won't go back there for at least another 4 years - if they are still around.
(3)
Frank J.
I wasn't expecting much. I figured it was a fun kid-friendly self service pancake place. And basically, that's fairly accurate. If they just focused on being that kind of place, I would have rated them at least 4 stars. The reason this place ranked lower in my opinion is because of the other-than-pancake menu. They have some interesting ideas like a pork belly grits, or chicken fried bacon. The problem is they were poorly executed. The pork bellies are very thick and extremely fatty. The grits was heavy and a little bland. The bacon was okay, but a bit too much batter and overly sweet. I had the traditional huevos ranchero that was at best, sub-par. The service was also not too stellar. I wanted to like this place, but unfortunately, I don't think I will be returning.
(2)
Beth W.
Straight-up GROSS! Gross, sticky tables. Gross kids EVERYWHERE touching EVERYTHING. (This place is just asking for a lawsuit with all those burners in the tables.) Gross Benedict with leaks and asparagus Gross veggie gravy And plan on burning your pancakes. Because you're not a chef and you don't know how to cook them. It's also, not surprising, REALLY hot inside. Again, all those dumb stoves in the middle of the sticky tables. BOOOOOO! Leave our neighborhood, Slappy Cakes. Why couldn't a normal place have opened in that complex that's been empty for years? I left Florida 'cause Disney World sucks.
(1)
P C.
We have been twice during the week and the service was excellent. The food is better than average. The prices can get steep with the add-ons, but overall a cool place. The weekends could be a totally different vibe though.
(4)
J J.
I loved this place in every way. It's just fun AND good food. Get out of bed before 9am and go try it :)
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Yvett R.
My son's school connected their parent teacher conferences and Presidents' Day making them have an unusual six day break. With one kid in school and another one off, we had to stay in town, but had time to do things we otherwise would have to do on weekends. Brunch at Slappy Cakes, for example. Since we went midmorning on a weekday, there was no wait when we went. We sat at one of the griddle tables and our nice server explained how it all worked. Now, she said that one bottle would make four or five small pancakes, so I thought it would be best to order two. If I would have read the reviews before I went, I would have known that one bottle would have been enough for both of us. Before I go any further, I have to say that I stay from places were you cook your own food. Seriously, I won't even go to fondue places. I cook at home, so I find it silly to pay to go cook at a restaurant. That said, I thought my son would really, really enjoy this and so I caved. I was right. He loved making his pancakes. We have a griddle at home, but I'll make one kind of pancakes and maybe have about two options for toppings. One of the cool things about Slappy Cakes is that you can customize what goes in and on your pancakes. My son chose peanut butter batter with chocolate chips, pecans, and whipped cream. I went with buttermilk batter, green apples, granola, and lavender honey. Other than drinks (chocolate milk and coffee) that's all we ordered. There are a lot of really little kids here, which I don't understand. I mean like toddlers and babies. A large table was taken by what looked like a mommy group with their kiddies (none of which looked older than two). The babies were clearly too young to be interested or safely able to cook, yet they took up a lot of the griddles. I don't know, I just don't get it, but whatever. I thought it was pricey for what it was. The bill came out to more than $30 for just my kid and me. No cocktails, no sides, and a lot of leftover wasted batter. With tip, it was closer to $40. I was doing mental math about how many pancakes I could make at home for that much. I get it, though. It's the experience and it's cute and kids like it. I'd give it three stars but my son said he gives it five stars, so I'm reluctantly compromising on four stars. My son also wanted me to mention that he likes the pancake art they have on their back wall and wants that in his room (that's not happening).
(4)J O.
Surprised by the good quality. Bacon was yummy. Gluten free pancakes were a nice treat. Fun for the kids. Very kid friendly. Recommend going on a weekday early.
(4)Anhelina F.
Me and my family love coming here for breakfast. There is usually a 1 hour + wait time but we don't care. We love the pancakes, coffee, atmosphere, everything else. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We need more Slappy Cakes locations!
(5)Brian N.
Great fun for the kids, not quite as much for the adults. You are paying for the experience, not the food. Pancakes are a tad hard to manage. Lines can be long.
(3)Justin T.
Attitude goes a long way with me in terms of service. If I feel that someone is doing their best, then I give them the benefit of the doubt, even if things go wrong. Background Information: For good or ill, I have large-diameter man legs. Not from edema. Partially, because there's some muscle bulk in there. Also, due to my Mediterranean features, a good bit of hair extends the "reach" of the circumference of my man legs, if you will. Chapter 1: is it a worm or is it a caterpillar? Sadly, whilst indulging in our batter-based repast, we noticed a minute, multi-legged organism wiggling his bits near the entrance of his home...which happened to be one of several blueberries that was assigned to us as a side item for our arforenoted repast. My niece said, "look, a worm!" Upon closer inspection however, a set of micro-legs were spotted wiggling from the main body of tiny unfortunate, dangling from our blueberry. Therefore, a differential, provisional diagnosis of "caterpillar, NOS" was made until a doctorally-trained entomologist can be called upon to render a professional opinion on the particular inhabitants of fresh blueberries. Ladies and gentleman, I am no homewrecker. I had no wish to divest the Tiny Unfortunate from his blueberry home, like some cruel Dickensian tenement slum-lord putting a soot-besotted, club-footed orphan lad out from his home to labor in a coal mine. Nay indeed! However, there was slight difficulty raised by the fact that I had paid for my blueberry, unawares that it was currently tenanted. There was the matter of the caterpillar's lease, title and rights to the blueberry, and whether and if he would relinquish all claim and title to same. Obviously, this was a matter for our solicitors to discuss, a matter perhaps only for a magistrate to resolve. Chapter 2: A Duel With A Tiny Green Unfortunate Thus, in a voice I thought loud enough for the Small Neon Green Unfortunate to hear, I said, "Kind sir of ma'am, would you be so kind as to forward me the contact information of your family solicitor, that we may resolve the issue of blueberry ownership forthwith?" The only response was slightly wiggling, which, as it occurred in public and in front of my family, I deemed a most grievous insult to my dignity. "Sir or ma'am," I stated, "you have insulted my dignity and I demand satisfaction. My 13 year old niece, who witnessed the insult to my honor with be my second. Choose your second now, and your weapon of choice. Though I would be satisfied using traditional weapons such as swords or flintlocks, I suggest that you choose a weapon as best suits your stature and morphological traits." So saying, his/her/ or its response was silence. Finally, I deigned the entire situation beneath me, and called our waitress to the table, whereupon a terrible accident ensued. Chapter 3: The large-Diameter Man Leg, And What Happened To It, And Why As the waitress, a spare, petite lass with a barbell-pierced septum courteously responded to my summons, she mistakenly ascertained that her presence was required in order to fill my coffee cup, and not to remove the Tiny Green Unfortunate from my breakfast repast. Thus it was that my large-diameter man leg, which was protruding precipitously from beneath our table, came to catch a small torrent of coffee as it spilled from a carafe, poured from a high-altitude into a waiting cup and onto a waiting leg, due to the inability of the small waitress to approach aforementioned cup closely due to the awkward presence of the aforenoted man leg. My gentleman's pride forced me to bite my tongue to spare the feelings of the stressed and barbell-clad lass rather than draw attention to it. When asked what to do with the Tiny Unfortunate populating our blueberry, she took him away and replaced the blueberry with another of equal or greater value. Chapter 4: The Repast At this time, we commenced to pour batter into various shapes on a griddle. A smiley face with hair was generated, along with a yin and yang symbol, and the name of one of our party which, unfortunately, appeared to resemble the lower portion of the human alimentary tract when viewed from upsidedown. Sadly, the low temperature of the griddle caused a substantial wait in order to cook the pancakes, and the content of the batter was insipid. A grits and egg dish, though delectable, seemed rather over-priced. Though the shine of the experienced was tarnished by a singed man leg and the debacle with our tiny friend, our waitress performed most admirably under what may be termed, adverse conditions. Chapter 5: Conclusion of the Repast and the Resolution of All Misunderstandings With Aforenoted Tiny Green Unfortunate Later on that morning, a note arrived by post to our table. It read thus: Kind Sir, forgive my lack of manners. As an insect, I am unacquainted with the customs and manners of g
(3)Eric P.
Very cool idea. Fun for the kids. Definitely worth doing. I would have given it a higher rating except my ouevos rancheros was gross. Definitely not recommended. Not sure if it was supposed to be watery, runny and tasteless but it was. Overall, I would do it again with a party of four or less wpuld be the best. The kids made several pancakes each woth alot of batter left to spare. Cheers.
(3)Eric H.
Lots of fun to be had here for a lunch date or work a group of friends. Banana, walnut, chocolate chip is a great combo with whole grain batter. Toad in the hole was perfectly buttered and grilled. Get the sausage gravy with it as well, you'll be glad you did. Mocha was tasty as well.
(4)Sasha F.
Amazing just simply amazing. We got buttermilk batter and peanut butter batter. Lemon curd and blueberries, bacon pieces, cheddar cheese and apples. Also country fried bacon Omgoodness so good. Great place my 2 year old niece loved watching my sister and I make pancakes. Will definitely return.
(5)Sarah G.
Been there many times with my best friend and we always order the same thing off the menu since we are never early enough to build our own pancakes - she gets the "toad in the hole" and I get the buttermilk pancake with blueberries and we share the fried bacon (which is indulgent but necessary when you go, and since we only go once every couple months it's worth it)! Only complaint is that no matter how early we get there we've never been able to get in to make our pancakes, which we would like to do eventually.
(4)Jim L.
Great breakfast! I had the vegan sweet potato bowl which was super comfort food....kale, gravy, sweet potatoes, wow...I had 2 poached eggs on top. My partner had the forest mushroom scramble which was good but she deleted the bacon and the dish needs the bacon flavor. On that note....I also ordered the macadamia/brown sugar bacon....decadent!
(4)Aloysius A.
Don't get it. All the hub bub about this place and I don't understand it. The food was so so. The service was so so. The menu was so so. The atmosphere was so so. The waitress had a chip on her shoulder. The parking stinks. Don't get it. Wasn't impressed but in their defense it wasn't bad either.
(3)Sarah M.
This place was amazing! Friendly service, fun atmosphere, and yummy food. We did blueberry buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd and peanut butter pancakes with chocolate chips. Such a treat! Super kid friendly too.
(5)Shannon L.
What a fun place. The service was great. The whole grain batter was excellent. I had toasted almonds and coconut with fresh whipped cream. Yummy bacon and fresh orange juice. The breakfast items we saw coming out of the kitchen looked phenomenal. I'm going to try something next time and have pancakes for dessert. I'm surprised to see it wasn't 5 stars. I cant say anything bad about it.
(5)Brody L.
This place is kind of fun and kind of stressful for both the diners and the staff. I was amazed watching 2 year olds making their own pancakes table side on hot stoves, but also mortified when I saw babies standing on chairs throwing spatulas around while teeter tottering over hot bubbling pancake mix. I saw one child dip his hands in batter and run to a giant window and smear handprints down the glass. Of course the parents didn't scold him or clean up after him and the mix dried on the glass after the hour I was there. I felt really bad for the servers that have to deal with sticky nasty babies and their bad parents all day long and I could tell they hated their jobs because when I would ask questions like "do I cook my eggs at the table too?" They seemed annoyed because they probably get asked that a lot. But I also don't want to feel bad because my server thinks my questions are stupid and hates the environment they work in. The server was real sassy and seemed annoyed at everything going on. I had fun making my pancakes and might come here again if I was trying to impress some older children that have all their motor skills and hand eye coordination up to date. But as far as an adult breakfast spot goes, stay far far away!
(3)Genevieve F.
Very fun experience for the kids. Both our 5 and 2 year old daughters loved it. I'd say 5 is about the right age to cook their own pancakes. We loved the red velvet special batter. Good breakfast dishes if you don't want pancakes. Wish the line wasn't so long.
(4)Gaylen J.
This is probably a good place to bring children but is a madhouse if you just want to eat breakfast. Place is noisy, and a big hot griddle is sunk in the middle of the table. At least I know where not to go for breakfast.
(2)Benson N.
Go here for the experience to test your inner artistry with pancakes! They offer 8oz of pancake batter from which you should be able to make several pancakes with. So many sides to go along with your pancakes like bacon, chocolate chips, nuts etc. I don't recommend getting more than 1 or 2 sides with you pancake batter because even though they are $1-2 dollars per side your bill can easily stack up and have you spending about twice as much as you regularly should for just pancakes! I think I made the mistake of also ordering the eggs Benedict because it was like $12 and I've waaaaaay better before. The main attraction of this place is the fact that you get to make your own pancakes and create whatever you like but it's hard and I eventually ran out of ideas on what to draw so I just started using the batter to create the regular round and plain pancakes towards the end just so I could been done with it all. Service was good they kept checking up on us and it made me feel insecure about my drawings though because I was trying to draw a rocket ship but it sort of came out looking like the male genitalia and I swear they were staring at it on our pancake pallet. Probably won't be back for awhile but for my first time it was enjoyable!
(4)Daniel G.
This is our first negative review on Yelp. We usually aspire to the thought of "if you have nothing nice to say..." However, felt is was understandable for our visit. We were visiting for a girls basketball tournament and showed up on a Monday midday and hoped for some luck to accommodate 7 girls and 5 parents. After some jockeying the hostess did a great job of getting us all seated. Girls at a table and Parents at the bar that overlooks the kitchen. We sat with Sarah and she was great. My wife and I ordered the grits with Spinach and poached eggs. The grits were really under cooked and very gritty and clumpy. What really set us off was how dirty the place and staff were. We are NOT Howard Hughes obsessed neat freaks...not by a long stretch. Hell, we have 6 kids! This place was filthy, especially the kitchen and the floor. The cooks were filthy too right along with their appearance. Severely soiled clothes and no aprons. Additionally, the staff was snacking on prepped food in the back of the kitchen. One last point....the bathroom was completely filthy. On a positive closing, the girls loved hanging out and cooking their own pancakes.
(2)Rebecca R.
We have been here a few times for breakfast and really like the concept. I know some people don't like paying to cook for themselves. I like that I don't have to prep or clean up for pancakes. Plus, I can customize my pancakes anyway I want to. My favorite combination is regular buttermilk batter, bananas, coconut and coconut syrup. Yummy! I was a bit hesitant to try the vegan batter but it is surprisingly really good. Honestly, as a non-vegan, I couldn't tell the difference between it and the regular batter. This is a great place for families. Your kids will love playing with their food, I can't wait to bring our niece here.
(4)Karla T.
Very cute for kids... Adults should order from the menu for sure! The orange juice is great, the season batter is yummy... Lots of people but fun for kids.
(2)Andie D.
Drove all the way from CA to check this place out after I saw on triple D. Waited an hour but it was worth it. I had the Slappy Benedict and it did not disappoint. We found something (tiny wire) in our chicken fried steak and they replace it immediately and the manager was nice enough to give us a discount for the inconvenience. Normally I wouldn't give a 5 star for that but I found the service and how they handled the situation very professional and impressive
(5)Jess M.
We love going here! The cook your own pancakes are so much fun! The peanut butter pancake batter is really good. The chocolate is ok. They have field roast veggie sausage which we love. The best addins are the butterscotch chips and granola. The staff is always really nice. The wait on weekends can be long, 45 mins- 1 hour, but they always have seating during the week.
(5)Jasmine B.
I recently took my boyfriend and his parents here for brunch and although the wait was long, the area was great to kill time and walk around Hawthorne (a couple blocks away). The food was great, I made my own pancakes on the personal table griddle. My boyfriend had a small yet tasty biscuits and gravy and his parents loved the mimosas and sweet potato dish. I will definitely be going back.
(5)Ziyan C.
Still a fun place! I realize my last 5 star rating was a little bit of me reeling from the novelty of this whole idea of make-your-own-pancakes, but it was still enough to get me back here on my next trip to PDX (and this coming from a person who never likes to repeat restaurants). I also realized this time: their regular brunch items are good, not amazing by any means. But the pancake batter is still great, and as long as you know what you're doing, have good toppings, and have a fun crowd, you'll have an amazing time! The wait at 9am was about an hour for the 5 of us. Cost: ~$90 for 5 of us. Great deal! Menu: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… ~~A LA CARTE~~ * Chicken fried bacon - 4 stars (2 slices of hand-battered bacon drizzled w/ housemade apple caramel sauce. $5) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… Nice! Very thick crunchy batter. ~~PLATES~~ * Huevos Rancheros - 3.5 stars (Crispy corn tortillas layered w/ braised pinto beans, two eggs & queso fresco. Topped w/ creme fraiche & salsa. $10) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… A giant plate, has all the components, as tasty as huevos always are, but somehow just not super memorable. * Shirred eggs - 3.5 stars (Roasted pepers & red onions scrambled w/ crispy tortilla strips & topped w/ queso fresco. Served w/ potatoes & toast. $9.50) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… Not bad, my friend really likes this dish and enjoyed this one. I found the diced peppers/onions/potatoes under the eggs kind of undercooked. Menu: yelp.com/biz_photos/slap… ~~PANCAKES~~ * Pumpkin - 4 stars (my toppings: white chocolate, walnuts, goat cheese) Great dense, moist batter. The white chocolate was amazing. I also added bacon and maple syrup from the other pancake we got. When I added the blue cheese, it became a little too much savory contrast. * Buttermilk - 4 stars (the bf's toppings: crispy bacon, blue cheese, roasted mushrooms, valdeon bleu cheese) Classic, also dense and moist. Yummy!
(4)Dylan R.
What an awesome idea!! You get seated to a table that has a grill in the middle. You then have a menu with all sorts of options to make your own pancakes. Overall, something very different and I could see this being a great date! Now, I did knock one star based on service. #1: No batter samples. I'd love to have tried the Peanut Butter batter. I've never had it, but I don't want to pay $7 if I don't like it. I don't see why they couldn't fill a small container just to try the batter. #2: We received poor service. We went long waits before getting attended to, even though it was us and 2 other people in the place. They seemed more focused on closing down than taking care of us. Regardless, I'd still recommend it. The Buttermilk batter was great (the peanut butter batter is still a mystery...) and the toppings were very fresh!
(4)Jacqueline C.
Restaurants are not only about food but they are also about overall experience and this place provides exactly that. The wait for a griddle table was an hour and a half and I could not believe how crazy this place was. Instead I chose to just sit at the booth and have the chef make the pancakes for me because I was starving! I ordered the Gluten Free Vegan Buckwheat waffles with bananas & blueberries which was then topped with a lavender honey. It was alright nothing to go raving to my friends about. It did the job. This place is great for Sunday brunch with the family. I have never been in here and seen a person who seemed like they were genuinely having a horrible time. It's fun and that's how food should be.
(4)Jesse L.
I was really excited to try out Slappy Cakes as I heard that this place is a must. I MUST say I was highly disappointed. Partly because they forgot about my pancake and brought it after the rest of my party was finished eating. Needless to say. Great Concept, Poor execution. And if your claim to fame is making your own pancakes you might want to consider a small bottle so those that are order a meal and add on a pancake could also enjoy the experience. Good luck with your business. I obviously will NOT be coming back.
(1)Cassy P.
Delicious pancakes & fun to make! It was about an hour wait but worth it! I just went down the street to the food trucks for coffee while I was waiting. My group & I tried the buttermilk & chocolate pancakes with blueberry & hazelnut toppings. The buttermilk pancakes melted in your mouth & coffee was strong enough. Great place for kids & kids at heart. Fun experience to at least try once.
(4)Chris C.
What are unique idea and great experience who would've thought making pancakes would be so fun and simple.
(4)Magen M.
I love Slappy Cakes! I have been here countless times & have never left disappointed. Yes it is crowded & difficult to find parking, put that's the price you pay to have such a unique breakfast experience. I am not the most creative person so I cannot speak to the fun of creating pancake art, but I can speak about the scrumptious flavor combinations! I have had experience with both making my own pancakes & ordering their creations and I can confidently say that both are satisfying! I love their use of fresh fruit, the lemon curd & blueberry combination stole my heart. The granny smith apples are not my favorite topping because they're raw. If they were sautéed, I believe they would be a great addition to any pancake. One last piece of advice that will change your life, try the peanut butter batter! It's to die for! Overall, I love the trendy decor and concept of this place & fortunately, it has delicious food to match!
(5)Kay L.
Kids had a fabulous time and so did the adults. Recommend though that everyone at the table coordinate their add-ins. There is plenty in each dish for more than 1 person!
(5)Jeanette R.
Go to spot for brunch with kids in tow. Making our own pancakes is always a fun way to spend the morning! My kids love the chocolate batter, and I'm crazy about their wild mushroom scramble. The place can be busy- expect a wait, especialy if you're dining on a weekend, but the service is friendly if brief, and the whole experience is something you cannot get elsewhere. Reccomend!
(4)Rob P.
Friendly atmosphere, great food. They bring your pancake batter to your table and you make your own. Only negative is the limited hours, closed by 2pm most days.
(4)Spencer E.
So good! Like I still have a food baby from this morning. Personal pancakes and a shared classic breakfast. Soooooo satisfying and delicious. Glad we were one of the first in line for the morning- there was already a line and crowded waiting area less than 15 minutes after opening.
(5)Bryan S.
OK, so, I'm going to give a good review one of these days. Today is not that day. My kids were so excited to go here. They love making their own pancakes. That's... pretty much the whole deal here. The batter is meh (overbeaten, thin). The toppings, too. But, whatever, it's fine. It's pancakes. This was my first time there. Bad sign #1, the hostess sort of tossed our stuff on the table and wandered away. It's a volume operation. You people are here for McPancakeLand? OK, sit. The bigger problem was when the waitress dumped maple syrup all over my setting. And my shoe. And phone. Things happen. I get that. But she doused the whole spot in syrup, and it was mildly sticky for the rest of the meal-- a breakfast that cost us $80 or so, for two adults and three children. For pancakes and a frittata. Because I didn't freak out, I guess, she made no attempt to comp my meal or coffee or... anything. Just sort of wiped up the puddle of syrup, mostly, and split. We decided it's better to be a huge jerk when stuff like that happens if you'd like any consideration for it. I spent part of the meal in the bathroom washing maple syrup off my shoe and foot. So, the food is OK. The whole pancake on a griddle thing is cute. If you don't mind the attitude and sloppy service (kind of a Portland hallmark, I'm afraid, it's OK for a novelty breakfast for the kids.
(3)Andrew H.
Well, a breakfast place where they want you to do the cooking yourself. Why not? It seems like something fun to do and the kiddo plus all of us can have some fun with it. My brother and his girlfriend had been here prior and they thought we would enjoy it. We did. First thing is if you don't want to make your own pancakes, you don't have to. But what fun is that? There are many options for the batter alone. Buttermilk, peanut butter, whole grain just for examples. As for the toppings, most any fruit was available. They divide them in the two catagories, sweet and savory. Chocolate chips, pecans, shredded coconut and granola were some of the sweet options and bacon, chorizo, mushrooms and local goat cheese were some of the savory ones. You receive a 6.5oz bottle, which is enough for two people to get a nice light breakfast and since I was sharing with the kiddo we went with two simple choices. Chocolate chips and bacon. Remember the flattop grill IS HOT. So if you are with little ones, make sure they realize that. Thankfully mine knows the difference, but she still wanted to be an active participant in making her pancakes and helped put on the chocolate chips and even made two small ones herself. By many of the pictures I've looked at, people get very creative with what sort of pancakes they make. My father attempted a spiderweb, it didn't fair so well but it didn't matter, they tasted good. There's even the option of some great toppings like 100% maple syrup, yogurt, creme fraiche, homemade "Nutella" and lavender honey. Besided the lure of the pancakes, they offer many egg choices, some benedicts, some chicken fried bacon and country fried steak. You need to make it there early because you will be waiting if you don't This is one of those novelty type places that really works. They have been around since 2009 and have gotten some national noteriety. Do stop in.
(5)Noah U.
The lines at Slappy Cakes can be a little long. The food is fairly good and people will enjoy it. I needed to wait thirty minutes when I went, but they contact you with all sorts of options including by text. Therefore, you can walk around Sunnyside while you wait. But old singles beware, this is a very family oriented place with crying toddlers. Yet, it is a fine tribute to the ingenuity of Portland and none of its shortcomings are wide, and thus it is a enjoyable place. The tables were big and I sat next to others, but it did not feel uncomfortable. They let you make pancakes to specifications and they innovate with things like fried bacon. That draw is a must-have and I look forward to having that about once every fifteen months in considering calories. Slappy Cakes will above all, provide a solid meal. They defy convention and it works.
(4)Dead H.
We have gone twice with our 2 year old and 7 year old. The key is to get there right when it opens at 8 am. We were pleasantly surprised with the variety of food other then just pancakes. That allows us to enjoy a brunch while our kids make pancakes. The wait staff is wonderful. They start their morning getting slammed with 4 to 5 tables at once with mostly kids and they are patient, friendly,and stop by to tell jokes.
(5)Mathieu T.
I don't want to rag on a place that really tries but I was thoroughly unimpressed with the service at Slappy Cakes. Perhaps my expectations were incredibly high due to the lines out the front on Saturday and Sundays, however between the service and the portions I think the restaurants appeal is simply fueled by hype. My brief experience: Unfortunately the hostess who directed us to our table was incredibly frazzled. She wasn't explicitly rude, but she did throw--or perhaps lob is a better very--the menus over our heads onto the table behind us as we sat waiting. Then she told "us" that we were seated there, however she didn't speak to us as she did speak to the air around us, or perhaps to a phantom image of a lover who scorned her in the past. Point being, she didn't address us and sort of barked into the air that our booth was ready. That, unfortunately, left me with a bit of a sour taste. The food itself? Delicious honestly. However the portions were cleverly devised to ensure that you order a second round of batter. Which, though it rivals a scheme by Palpatine or perhaps The Brain, is actually quite inconvenient. And ultimately a little pricey. I don't hate the place, and it's certainly an experience, but I won't be returning and frankly won't be advising my friends to go there. But alas, that'll only turn away about two people. Zing!! *Dramatic lonely person sobs.*
(1)Bob F.
If you want to waste a whole Saturday/Sunday, come here and wait forever to get a table! A lot of people, yes, but a lot of people leaving after waiting over an hour and a half!!
(1)Debbie C.
Went for breakfast on a Sunday morning, not knowing what to expect. A 45 minute wait! We had the option to sit at the bar and not make our own pancakes and we were totally fine with that. We didn't have children with us and we just wanted to eat. The food was good, but the service and the staff were the BEST. Sitting at the bar was a great experience to hang with the cool people who made us feel so welcome. Some day I will go back with kids to experience the griddle!
(4)Andy N.
What a awesome concept! I've never seen this. It's like a korean bbq grill but used to make pancakes right in front of you. It's a lot more fun when you get to do this yourself. For the creative mind you can do all shapes and characters. Definitely instagram worthy spot. They have different choices of pancake mix and toppings. Each bottle of pancake mix can make about 6 pancakes. The place was also really clean inside. My girlfriend ordered the multigrain with lemon custard and blueberries. It tasted really good and the syrups were delicious as well. I would love to open one of these back home. Great concept.
(4)Libby C.
Not going to lie, I hate slappy cakes. Sooo much. I've been several times, and it hasn't impressed me once. The wait is always long. Ridiculously ridiculously long. And full of tourists. You basically wait 30-45 minutes to make your own pancakes. For approximately four times the cost of making them yourself. I don't know. Something about having large groups of small children near extremely hot griddles really doesn't float my boat.
(2)Jacob C.
Horrible service. Doesnt follow actual waiting list. Lets people ahead. Unprofessional.
(1)Dave G.
Great concept and a great place for a leisurely breakfast. We got three pancake batter tubes with toppings, sweet potato casserole and toad in the hole. This was just a little too much food for two kids and four hungry adults. Our picky eater has never eaten pancakes of her own free will but gobbled two peanut butter chocolate chip cakes! Definitely try the field roast vegan sausage, wild mushrooms, and house made tart strawberry syrup. They added a 18% gratuity onto our bill, I would have only given 10% since we did most of the work.
(5)K T.
I read the other reviews and was reluctant to go. Whenever people talk about expense, I am dubious of their review. We went with our grandchildren for a "school's out" celebration, and we just don't understand the bad reviews. It was a hoot, just plain fun for the kids. Something for the kids and something for us! We had mole in the hole egg dish with sour dough and it was clever and good. My husband had the mushroom omelette that had a cute name also. The eggs came with bacon on both, I think, plus delicious roasted potatoes. Again, delicious. As for the kids!.....they were able to make their own pancakes and select the toppings and fillings of their choice. We didn't think it was high priced at all. For $6 you get 8 ounces of pancake batter, which made so many pancakes of varying sizes. Then they ordered bananas and chocolate chips. It was the right amount of toppings for them, and then they had coconut syrup and maple on top. They both loved the experience of designing the shape of their pancake. Clever idea and just plain fun! I recommend this place, not because it is the best I have ever had, but darn good for what it is! and 5++++ for the clever idea! And one other thing, there is a wait on the weekends. We went on Thursday around 10 and we waited 20 minutes. Our server was Chrissy, and she was as sweet and fun as the rest of the experience!
(5)Doug L.
The establishment has been featured on a television food network. The service was "in your face" with a "that's just the way it is" attitude. The grills are not the greatest; unevenly cooked pancakes taste terrible. I expected my pancakes to turn out better than at home being cooked on a griddle or fry pan, however they still stuck even when the oil or butter was placed on grill. Price= too much for a measly bottle of batter and small ingredient portions for the $$. Overall, the service with an attitude was the topper. When we asked "why do you get so few blueberries when paying that prices for ingredients?" Waitress answer was "yeah, that's just how it is." Sure, it may have been a busy Sunday but any other proud establishment wait staff would have gladly returned to the kitchen to fetch a few more berries so that the meal and experience would be good.
(3)Larry K.
Great place to bring the kids so they can cook for themselves, well, maybe with some help, depending on how old they are. Also really good for just adults with the usual adult beverage brunch selection. I could see it as a fun place to bring a date. Food and service is great! Expect long lines on the weekend.
(4)Cydney M.
Our child was sick for about two weeks, and when she woke up this morning she really wanted Pancakes. We thought Slappy Cakes would be a treat, because who hasn't heard of Slappy Cakes for their family friendly, make your own pancake fun? We called to find out what time was best to dodge the wait. 1pm, they told us, so we made our way over at 12:30. We made peace with the hour long wait even at this time, and settled in at the food cart pod next door with some cold brew from Kind Coffee. I'm going to just cut to the chase and say that while their pancakes were decent, there is no reason anyone serving my six year old should be wearing bootie shorts and fishnet stockings at brunch on a Sunday. Where are we, a strop club? Not to mention it was a dude wearing this ridiculous getup. This place is advertised on every public forum for where to take your kids for breakfast in Portland. Completely inappropriate, even for SE. The eggs were rubbery and pretty whack too. Come here if you'd like to have a fun conversation about cross dressing with your preschooler over make your own pancakes. The second star was for the butter, it was whipped and I like that.
(2)Wade N.
Novelty for sure. We decided to give this a try as a couple before bringing the grandchildren back for the fun experience. We are glad we did, because we've decided the younger grand children would enjoy the experience. The 4 and up kids are going to LOVE this. Watching the young families cooking their own pancake creations was fun. I would be remiss if I didn't also say we visited on a hot day and the heat of the griddle made it even worse. Table that into consideration. Good food, fun novelty, and very friendly staff. If you want a fun experience and have children this is a must do. No kids, not worth the price for pancakes.
(3)Manolito Daniel M.
Far as we could tell we were the first table served yesterday morning (a Thursday). We were promptly seated in a very open, bright, orange, inviting dining room where each table had its own grill. Our server, Miriam, was very nice and efficient and asked us if we had ever been there before. Having not, we hoped for all the lowdown. We got our basic instructions and each ordered the same, 8oz bottles of buttermilk batter and mix-ins of blueberries and bacon, and maple syrup. He got a side of bacon (yes, I pointed out he'd already gotten bacon for the pancakes and he gives me a look like 'what's your point?') and I a side of breakfast potatoes. Before we came I yelped the place and one person mentioned how the pancake artwork made them smile. Way ditto when I looked at the back wall! That's my kinda art: yummy. I always visit the bathrooms.... not only cuz I drink a lot of water, but you learn much about an establishment from the bathroom. Nice and clean and fresh smelling. The boys working at slappycakes were even hot. Atmosphere, check. While I was gone my partner overheard our server talking to a neighboring table and pointing out there was syrup at the table. We were only slightly annoyed with this for not having it pointed out to us and also for the fact the we totally didn't notice it. We may not have ordered syrup had we noticed. On the other hand I live with a Vermont-er, real maple is usually inevitable. I found the process of making pancakes there much messier than I anticipated. I was very patient and waited but no matter when I tried to flip, it got very stuck. Each time I tried I ended up with a kinda wet massacred cake. Boo. Dunno if it wasn't hot enough (someone did come by and turn it up at one point) or what but that was disappointing. What cooked well was very tasty. The blueberries were fresh and sweet, the bacon nice meaty chunks. I MUST say the potatoes were most excellent, perfect even. Nice and soft on the inside and crisp perfection on the out. Average bacon slices. He tells me the drip coffee tasted 'funny.' Worth the $31 in the end? I think we'd have done better to share one order of pancakes and get individual sides for ourselves cuz we had a measurable amount of batter left. Overall, we aren't clamoring to go back, maybe we'll give them another shot sometime. But with so many other brunch/breakfast options in Portland and the fact that we're just visitors, chances are slim.
(3)Reza S.
I would have given sloppy cakes three stars but I had to wait 45 minutes to be seated so I downgraded it to two. I know that's a Portland thing to do, waiting in line for mediocre food but I usually refrain from doing so, but unfortunately I was with a group set on slappycakes. I ordered the country fried steak it was 11.50 for an undersized plate, the steak was good itself, the over easy eggs came out over medium and the small portion of potatoes left much to be desired. The griddle at my table just made me hot, worked up a sweat just sitting there eating. I will not return to this place and don't recommend it.
(2)Karen T.
Slappy Cakes is sort of like a DIY American teppanyaki: There's a grill at the table where your food is made in front of you, but you do the making, it's pancakes and not tempura, and there are no antics from a friendly Japanese chef. Whether you consider this to be a good or bad thing is largely personal. We went at 9:45 on a Tuesday morning, and had no wait at all. But by 10:15, there was a line out the door. Our waitress was friendly and helpful, but you're really left to your own devices on food if you go the pancakeyaki route. I had the gluten-free and vegan batter, which I did not have high expectations for, but was not disappointed. My friend had the chocolate batter, which she enjoyed. Overall, this is a place I'd go for the novelty, and not necessarily the food. Making pancakes at home is neither difficult nor expensive, but the grill tables afford a certain amount of entertainment that's fun and unique. Plus, you don't have to clean up afterwards.
(4)joseph b.
Can we sit and think for a moment about the inanity of people complaining about being uncomfortably warm whilst sitting next to an electric griddle they chose to utilize in the first place? OK. Done pondering that. This place was a lot of fun, poured creative beverages, and a simply delicious breakfast for me and my pal. He got a Mole' Maria, a perky pepper-infused tequila-based spin on your average blah-dy Mary. Points for that, and for a $2 can of Rainier for breakfast. I made my own pancakes with cinnamon sugar crème fraiche and blackberries. Plenty to share with a single batter setup. Our server (Mariam?) humored us and took pics with us to commemorate our Portland visit, and took the time to suggest some wineries and distilleries to visit during our free day. I'd be happy to return next time through town.
(4)Erik F.
Best pancakes ever. Many other creative, delicious breakfast dishes. My kids love making their own pancakes on the griddles contained in each table. Gotta try it!
(5)Heather V.
Slappy cakes is good for pancakes and perfect for kids (think DIY pancakes right on your table!). I'd give them 5 stars for the pancakes/ kid factor and 1 star for the brunch factor.. If you're looking for other brunch food (meaning not pancakes), I recommend going elsewhere, because the rest of the menu just isn't up to snuff. We visited with a friend and her two girls. The girls had a great time making their own pancakes and fun picking their flavor of batter and decent list of toppings. The pancakes looked good (so I guess, decent batter then?), but I'm not a pancake person, so I ordered the Forest mushroom scramble with a side salad. This was the *worst* scramble I've had in ages -- sadly, I think my husband or the two kids we were with, could've made better. Imagine a homemade egg scramble that looks all murky and make it worse. And it tasted that way too -- nice and bland. How can you make mushrooms taste that lame?? My husband had a scramble too, and he agreed. My side salad was some chopped romaine with a simple vinaigrette (and I mean simple). No tomatoes, no nuts, no other veggies. Again, it was like I could've done wayyyy better at home if I had made it myself. Did I mention how my biscuit was?? BAD. BAD BAD. I'm a biscuit lover and I left feeling that I wasted a brunch on a bad biscuit. I hate that. It's tough for me to give this place 3 stars, but because it's a cute little spot and perfect for kids, I have to give the median score. If you don't have kids, you'd better run like the wind somewhere else!
(3)erok m.
Great place to bring the kids! If you are a few adults looking for some breakfest I would highly reccomend somewhere else because this place is pretty much for the kids. Pancakes were great, had buttermilk w blueberries. Also had a egg w toast, and potatoes, pretty bland.
(3)Jean P.
Great atmosphere and the wait is long. Would definitely come back during my next vacation!
(4)Jonathan M.
It is clever and our 6 and 8 year old loved it. We also ordered a scramble and they hit the perfect, "this is fine" mark. Go for the fun.
(3)Sarah N.
I love Slappy Cakes! Such a simple idea but so genius. Based on the menu you can choose your batter, toppings, and create. We chose multigrain and used the recommended choices for toppings "#1" which was lemon custard and blueberries. We also added some chocolate chips. The ladies working kindly showed us how to make it and simple steps. It was so much fun and interactive with whomever you bring. If you're not into making it, you have the option of having them make it for you. It reminded me so much of KBBQ and shabu.
(5)Augusto M.
Think a DIY Korean BBQ meets a pancake house and you get Slappy Cakes. Seems so simple but I like it. Could use a little more batter in the squeeze bottles. My favorite combo was banana and chocolate chips. I'm a huge bacon fan but I don't think I'll get the chicken fried bacon ever again. It was just a little too much. Get it once in your life and I hope you share.
(4)Katelyn K.
chicken fried bacon. that's basically all you need to know... lemon myrtle tea was excellent. definitely could have shared just one bottle of pancake mix between the two of us. fun experience, though for the price i would rather do broder or woodsman. regardless, very fun place and i'm sure for families one of the best breakfast spots in town.
(3)K H.
This is a little late but wanted to share how great the service was here. On veterans day I took my family, vet dad included, and I asked if they had a veteran's discount. The waiter said "no" but then he came back and said the manager had said they would give us a discount and would for all vets that day. It was really cool of them to recognize our veterans. Thanks!
(4)Mel H.
Fantastic spot. We sat at the bar to avoid the line, and it wasn't until I spotted the grills on the tables that I figured out why the bar was empty. Make your own pancakes? Awesome! I wish this place had been around when my daughter was little. I had the special frittata (5 stars), The Man had the Slappy Benedict (5 stars), we shared the banana French toast (5 stars). Plus, our Zooey Deschanel lookalike server, Cory, was one of the better servers we've had in Portland since moving here. She rocked it. Only reason I deducted a star is for the prices, which are definitely on the higher side for breakfast, especially for the area. We will totally be back.
(4)Melvin T.
Slappy Cakes get s a solid 3 stars for the novelty of cooking your own pancakes and having a plethora of choices for toppings and fillings. The cooking experience, though, needs some improvement. The griddle temperature is too low. It takes almost 10 minutes on each side to cook the pancake. However since it is so low, the pancakes never truly get that yummy golden brown color. To reduce your cooking time, make really thin, almost crepe-like pancakes. The temperature of the griddles are low due to safety concerns. However, go to a grill-it-yourself Korean BBQ and those grills are hot hot hot. You can opt to have the kitchen cook your pancakes, but that defeats the purpose of coming to Slappy's The unique add ons to your panacke are really fun. You can get really whimsical and if you don't like it, that's your bad. I went with bleu cheese and walnut pancakes topped with creme fraishe. I have never had bleu cheese pancakes and I gave it a shot and it was really good. Overall, it is a fun place to take the kids and cook your own pancakes table side.
(3)Angie P.
This is my one stop breakfast shop. THIS IS MY JAM! Any time I want pancakes I always go to Slappy Cakes. The staff are great and swift and the food is hearty. Be prepared to wait for 1.5-2 hours if you come on a Saturday or Sunday because EVERYONE seems to trek here those days. I recommend coming on a weekday to be truthful. Also many people enjoy trying this place out because you get to make your own pancakes. I have tried this and failed horribly. I can't really make pancakes and if I wanted to then I'd stay home to do it. That is why I pay to have someone else make them for me! Call me lazy, but I like how they make my pancakes.
(4)L L.
Cute place! It's like an American take on Japanese okonomiyaki, where you can make pancakes "as you like it" on a griddle. The option to make your pancake savory or sweet is pretty great, especially if you don't normally like pancakes. The sweet potato batter was great, and the shiitake mushrooms even better. Even the Blueberry Cooler and Lavender Lemonade were super tasty. All of the ingredients, including syrup and jam, were fresh. The vegetable scramble wasn't bad, but definitely go for the pancakes and experience. Sure you could do this at home, but who wants to with ingredients this good and no mess to clean up?
(4)Nicole T.
My boyfriend & I went here on an anniversary lunch and we both loved it. He loved the chicken fried bacon and I loved all the vegan options. After ordering the vegan batter and the vegan sausage, the waitress came over with some vegan butter for me and I didn't even have to ask. The customer service was fantastic and she walked us through everything. Plus, the prices are really great. Under $20 for a great meal for the two of us. The only downside is how smokey it is inside the building - but I suppose that's inevitable when you have the customers cooking their own food. Nothing too bad though.
(5)sarah y.
Now let's just state the obvious: pancakes are pancakes. And you can definitely make them at home, no need to go out and make your own. The average hour wait doesn't help either, but... Pork. Belly. Benedict. THAT'S worth waiting for and I definitely don't have the skill to make that at home!
(4)Marina P.
The idea is wonderful and fun to take kids to, but the quality of food and pancakes is 3/5.
(3)Niki S.
Paying money to drive across town to cook my own food clearly has it's downside- but, I would highly suggest bringing any guests to this nice east-side establishment so you can entertain them, and chat for the hour, up to two hour wait, you have on a weekend morning before being seated. ---Creativity: 9 out of 10 Slappy cakes works in a simple "options" format if you are doing the pancakes: 1- Pick your batter (Choices as of Sat- Buttermilk, Whole Wheat, Gluten Free, Parsnip, and Peanut Butter). Each bottle is 8 oz, and it is suggested 1 bottle per person. 2- Pick your "add ins" (I opted for hazelnuts, chopped apple, goat cheese, mushrooms) 3- Pick any "toppings", to adorn the top of your pancake and complete the flavor experience. Given the fact I was already bought in to my impending slappy-coma, I ordered the Creme Fresh as a topping. Each bottle runs about $6, toppings are $1-3 each, as are mix-ins. A tart strawberry syrup and regular syrup are already at the table, no charge. ---Now, for functionality: 5 out of 10 The griddle is not so large, when sat with a table of 5 guests total. Realistically, each person has room for like, 1 pancake at a time. Only 3/5 of ours were doing the pancake cooking and the griddle still felt cramped, also considering that most of the cooking is above the heating element, in the middle of the griddle. TIPS: ***Start an "assembly line" to your mouth (That's what she said): Put one pancake on the outlaying area of the griddle, mix ins, etc- so you can have this one slowly cooking, while cooking your central-location pancake in about half the time. By the time you are done eating your middle-o-griddle pancake you are then ready to eat the one cooking on the cooler part of the griddle. ***Another tip: Any party larger than 5, I would say, break the group up, and have 5 sat as their own party. I would hate for it to take 3 hours for a group of 7 people to eat their food because they are able to cook a pancake once every 15 minutes. ***GET THERE EARLY- I arrived at 9am on Sunday, 1 hour after open. The wait was already 1 hr +. Our table was by the hostess booth, and by 9:45, the wait for a party of 4, was between 1:45-2 hours. ***The Candied bacon is worth trying. Not saying it's something I would seek out again, but certainly yummy savory lovings, and worth trying while in the moment. Carpe that diem! OVERALL: I would go back, for sure. Not on my own accord, given the location across town for me, the wait, and how in the time it takes me to drive there, finally be sat, cook my food and then get back home, I could have bribed my husband to clean the dishes for me and taken a nap, allowing the same feeling as if I went to slappy cakes. Worth bringing guests to, though.
(2)Diana T.
I've been dying to try this place and finally got to try it today, to-go style though. I definitely plan to go back with friends and really experience the atmosphere and service. It seemed really fun and exciting. I ordered the Pork Belly Benedict to-go and I must say, I'm glad I did. Wow, the line was a bit long but my food was ready at the exact time I was told. No waiting at all, if you call in your order like I did! The food was amazing, the pictures don't do it enough justice. I highly recommend this dish! Everything was exactly the way I expected and wanted it to be. The egg was runny but not too runny. The pork belly was perfectly cooked. The coleslaw was pickled to perfection. Everything was on-point! If you want delicious breakfast food, go here!!
(5)Cory F.
I was looking for a special place to take my son for his 11th Birthday for breakfast. Found Slappy Cakes! Ok yeah I had to wait 40 min. but any place in PDX worth going or with good food and a good atmosphere is going to have a wait. The place is very Portland...trendy, fun and different. You have the option to make your own pancakes or order food. Make ur own cakes was awesome for my 13 year old daughter and her friend as well as my 11 year old birthday boy. I have to say I enjoyed myself too! My wife ordered off the menu and allowed me a couple bites of her food... Mmmm! Check it out but be patience.
(5)Bob B.
The food was good, service was good. Had the classic breakfast, no complaints there. However, like many restaurants with high ceilings and few soft surfaces to absorb sounds, the place is loud. I had trouble hearing the people sitting right across the table from me.
(3)Dan H.
You don't really need another Slappy Cakes full review do you? No, you don't. I just wanted to emphasize how much fun it is to come to a place like this with a child. We took my 4 year old niece here and she got such a kick out of it. That made me smile for the rest of the day. If you have a kid, or can find a kid, do yourself a favor and take them here. You won't regret it.
(4)Jordan G.
I love this place. My wife and I popped in on the weekend. We were told there was a. 45 minute wait so we signed up and strolled through the neighborhood. When we came back to be seated, we were sat at the bar. Watching the cooks hustle and sl their way through the rush was fun, and the kid with the colored Mohawk even took time to chat with us about the blazers losing in the play offs. The goods- I went all out and ordered the pork belly Benedict . It was rich and tender, well worth the price of admission. My wife ordered pancakes which were large, fluffy, and cooked to perfection. Apparently everything they cook is made from scratch! The Bloody Mary was sharp and on point, and our busy server made sure my wife never saw the bottom of her coffee cup. Go, Eat, relax and have a good time. Just don't linger when your done ! They've got to turn the tables and process the line.
(5)Lysabeth L.
The pork belly benedict belongs on my "best things I ever ate" list. So yum! I loved the crunch of the cabbage. Our kids loved making their own pancakes - buttermilk pancakes with chocolate chips and bananas. Hubby and I had the whole wheat pancakes with chorizo and mushrooms. Yummo! This is a great place! Come early to avoid a long wiat.
(5)Amy B.
I gave this place 3 stars because it is OK. We had a bit of a hard time trying to get our pancakes to cook, so that obviously took some of the joy out of the dining experience. The service was superb, which it needed to be given the situation. She tried to salvage our griddle, but nothing really made it work better. Four starving people trying to cook off the middle of the griddle getting one cake at a time is not really my idea of dining. The place is packed. People love this place. Maybe it's just me. I really just want someone to do all my cooking. I am glad I tried it, no regrets.
(3)Jane F.
Hands down the COOLEST breakfast joint I've ever been to in my life! No exaggeration. Was visiting my cousins who live in Portland last week and my Aunt told me about a place where you can create your own pancakes. I was like, psshhh no freakin way does that exist. Then BOOM we drove past it. I saw there was a huge line out side and thought this place must be good. The wait was really long, but they took our number and texted us when our table was ready which was awesome because we wanted to browse the stores around town anyways. Once we finally sat down we ordered 3 batters between 6 people which was more than enough. I got the chocolate chips and everyone else got the delicious maple syrup to go with it. We also got their tasty turkey bacon, eggs and mimosas. We made hilarious shaped pancakes and had a ball! I highly recommend checking this place out in Portlandia, you won't regret it!
(5)Shy A.
I love to cook but making pancakes at home can be such a pain in the arse considering the clean-up. Slappy Cakes takes care of all of that. Scores major points with me! There's something so cool about making pancakes and having access to all the ingredients your little heart could ever desire. Even cooler is being able to write your name, smiley or kitty faces with pancake batter. I'm a big kid at heart and this joint really brings me back to an time when I rocked my superwoman jammies, sitting on the kitchen counter flipping my pancakes while my mom sang "que sera" to me. Those were good times. The food isn't mind blowing. I've ordered other items on the menu and have been satisfied but not necessarily ready to shout out from the mountain tops about how wonderful the food is. My suggestion? Be prepared to wait in line Go for the pancake making Try the candied bacon Get some booze Bring on the nostalgia!
(3)Kelly M.
2.5 stars Okay so I've eaten here 4 times now. And I'm just not impressed. The wait is awhile which is fine because a lot of places in Portland are like that. But today was crazy because it literally took 40 minutes to get our food once we sat down. There were a lot of people working, but it seemed understaffed at the same time. We sat at the counter to avoid the wait. It was just 2 of us. I'm not sure why it takes so long when half the meal is cooked by patrons. My friend ordered 1 pancake, bacon and scambled eggs. I ordered the strata. I've never made a strata before but I know for a fact I can make it better. One of the worst 10 dollars I've ever spent. It was overcooked, bland and a little burnt to be honest. People around us were waiting on their drinks. I think they need one or two designated people to just make drinks. The other times we made the pancakes, one bottle does make a good amount. I had extra. But it wasn't great even when we had them cook it. It's a cute idea and probably fun for families and maybe 1 date..but it's not a place I will frequent.
(3)LanChi N.
Came to Slappy Cakes on a recommendation...got lucky when we found 2 hr parallel parking. We had to wait about 20-30 mins for a table to be cleaned but when we were finally seated orders were pretty quick. Our serve was nice enough to explain thing since we hadn't been there before. They give you pancake flippers and some whipped butter and you choose your batter for$ 6.50. Which I think over heard is about 1 fairly large pancake and a half. Toppings were about $2 each. My brother decided to go classic with buttermilk while I decided on the seasonal zucchini batter. For toppings I went with blueberry and strawberry. My brother chose dried pineapple,chorizo and crispy bacon which was about $2.50. We also decided to try the chicken fried bacon. Overall the pancakes we made were delicious it is tough to make shapes partially because you have no idea how thick the batter is. But the batter is so good it doesn't matter your pancake shape the blueberries were delicious and the strawberries were a bit sour. The chicken fried bacon surprised me because it was salty and sweet by not overally sweet just enough sweet and salty plus it had a nice crisp texture. Slappy cakes surprisingly fills you up and is a fun interactive way to enjoy breakfast. Especially for children they get a kick out of it.
(3)Megan Y.
Slappy Cakes is so much fun (even for a 25-year-old). You get to choose your batter flavor as well as toppings and can choose different sides such as eggs and bacon. You pay for each thing you order, so it can get a little pricey if you're not careful. My friends and I tried to be creative in the designs we made out of our pancakes, but let me tell you, pancake art is a lot more difficult than it looks! Although our designs didn't come out as nicely as we would've hoped, we still had a lot of fun! For those of you who are looking for a more hearty breakfast, they do have other food options (that you don't have to cook yourself). I'd probably try one of those options if I tried Slappy Cakes again. One thing that I would like to see is more batter flavor options. We ordered buttermilk and chocolate, but ended up mostly eating the buttermilk one because the chocolate was just too rich. As for their service, the workers here were all really friendly. When we got here, there was a 45 minute wait for a table, but they take down your name and phone number and give you a call and text when your table is ready. I thought this was really nice because we didn't have to wait right outside the restaurant for 45 minutes. I would suggest coming here in groups of 4 or less because that's how the tables are set up. Overall, this was a fun experience!
(4)Elizabeth G.
The atmosphere, staff, clientele and food are what you would expect as a trendy Portland experience. We sat at the bar, because the wait was too long. Children with crayons were sprawling on the floor at the feet of parents waiting for a table. At the bar, Ray, whose arms were richly covered in swirling artistic tattoos, highly recommended the Pork Belly Benedict. Perfect recommendation. Instead of English Muffins, the lofty poached eggs topped hefty chucks of Pork Belly hiding pancake rounds somewhere below. My partner ordered Spinach with Poached Eggs on Grits. Amazing flavor. Recommend requesting more Spinach if you are crazy into greens.
(3)Sarah D.
Is Slappycakes expensive? Yep. Is it crazy busy and you have to wait for a table forever? Yep. That too. Is it worth it? Oh yeah. Now here's the thing, this is the experience you are paying for. You have a bottle of batter and then purchase add ins separately. Every table has a griddle so it's all about the experience of mixing and matching ingredients and having fun. I wouldn't say it was the best pancake I have ever had but that's not what this is about. I had such fun just laughing and creating with our friends. It was awesome. We got a lot of toppings. Some of my favorite combos were lemon curd and blueberry and apple pecan with cinnamon creme fraiche. We also got blue cheese to do with apples but I have to say I wasn't a huge fan. Tips for you: since the line can be long, once they have your name and phone number, grab a coffee at Kind Coffee (in with all the food trailers less than a block down) and if it's a nice day take a walk through the neighborhood. There were lots of trees in bloom and some friendly cats. It was a nice walk :)
(5)Angela F.
What a cool concept! Was looking for something fun and unique and we found it. Pancakes were yummy, fixin and topping options were perfect. The experiential part of it is what made it for us. Our wait was about 30 minutes to get a table at 9 am on a Sunday. The line was way longer when we left so recommend going early if you can.
(4)Shannon H.
Go here because you want to impress your 4-year old niece with your awesome pancake shape skills and your ability to buy her whatever pancake toppings she wants. Do not go here for the best breakfast in town. The pancake side of this place is a lot of fun, but does not come cheap. Don't go on a budget or it will become stressful and not fun. Do not bring more than 4 people because that's pretty much what the tables allow for. However, if you want to have some pancake making fun this is your place. I've gone twice and the first was my favorite. I don't eat pancakes a lot so the novelty really hit me. I always order non-pancake food for myself. The first time I went their potatoes were absolutely on point, my recent trip left me with overcooked, almost blackened cubes of blech. They don't seem to have a traditional eggs benedict but do have 3 other versions, which I found odd but whatever. Next time I think I'll stick to something basic like eggs and toast. The staff is hit or miss. Some of them are genuinely friendly, some are barely holding their friendly "mask" on, and some clearly just don't care. I'm not sure why they chose to get a job at a child centered food establishment but whatever. Anyway, it's a 3-star joint if I ever did see one. Food is so-so, service is so-so (hit or miss), but it sure is fun to make funny pancakes to impress youngsters.
(3)Samantha G.
Looking for a unique brunch experience? Slappy Cakes will definitely provide that! My friend and I came here after I spotted a picture I saw on Instagram tagging this place. We went on a Wednesday morning and we were able to get seats right away. What's fun about Slappy Cakes is that you get to cook your pancakes right in front of you. If your Facebook hasn't been plagued with pancake art videos, I suggest looking them up on YouTube so you get some ideas on fun pancake art. Some of our pancake art included cats, Homer Simpson, stars and sea turtles. Anyways, Slappy Cakes offers a variety of pancake batters in squeeze bottles: buttermilk, whole wheat, gluten free, gingerbread, chocolate and a special (it was red velvet when we were there). It seems like the gingerbread is really popular as it was completely out during our visit. We ended up going with the buttermilk since its a lot more versatile than other batters, such as red velvet. In addition to the batters, there are a variety of sweet and savory toppings to order for your pancake creations. We decided to try two from each category: blueberries, lemon curd, mushrooms and goat cheese. The savory toppings won me over, which I'll stick to when I come back here. The lemon curd and blueberries are great toppings as well. My friend and I also supplemented our pancakes with a side of chicken fried bacon (so decadent!) and a plate of eggs, biscuits, potatoes and bacon. I recommend splitting a plate just to add a variety to your meal. A lot of people recommend this place for families but I can see myself bringing friends here for future Portland visits.
(5)Rose E.
I have wanted to go here for a while, having heard great things about the place. It looks like so much fun! It seems like the kind of place you would find in Disneyland. We went on a very busy Saturday morning and it was packed, so we didn't get a table with a grill. We sat at the bar and ordered the Truckstop. I prefer traditional hashbrowns, but the diced potatoes were nicely flavored. I thought the eggs were fine, but they were a little too moist inside for my daughters taste. I thought the pancake tasted fine too, but my daughter thought it had an "aftertaste." The meal only comes with one piece of toast, but it was good, and the jam seemed very fresh and homemade. They have regular and coconut syrup. The sausage was tasty. The portions were large, and the bill was very fair for the quality of the food and service. The service was very good considering how busy it was. There were a lot of servers running around. The menu is very unique. Maybe a bit too far out there for me. I tend to prefer a standard ranch breakfast. But I will probably be back just for the whimsical experience.
(4)Isaac S.
We took six 13-year-olds here for a birthday party breakfast one Saturday morning. The list and the wait are long, but the staff are friendly and handled things well. (Lines for breakfast are long on weekends all over the East Side, so you just have to pick a place and get your name on the list.) The deal here is cooking your own pancakes on special hot grills built into te center of every table. You order your batter and berries, toppings, etc. and they let you do it yourself. They also have a full breakfast menu of things like omelettes, benedicts, etc. but we didn't get those. Bishop, our server, was friendly and sat down at the end of the table to wait on te girls. Fast and friendly. Pancakes were good, coffee was Stumptown, and we had a good time.
(4)Michael G.
Beer and wine at a breakfast joint, you bet! This is a true little gem. Don't miss this one. You may need to wait a bit but it's worth it. You have a griddle at your table. They bring you batter and you can make many flavored of pancakes any shape or size you want. This is great fun! Now granted I'm cooking for myself but it's so Darn addicting.
(4)Lori T.
My friend invited me to her favorite eats in Oregon and Slappy Cakes was one of them. Her three-year-old really enjoyed the opportunity to squeeze out her own peanut butter batter (light and flavorful) along with the hazelnut and fresh bananas as toppings. I know the appeal is the "make-your-own" pancakes but we also opted for the Benedicts--she had the pork belly one and I had the Slappy Benedict. I loved mine because the egg, spinach, cheese and sauce were flavorful without the heavy hollandaise sauce. She had the pork belly one which featured a 1.5" chunk of pork belly. The potatoes were just right for the meal and neither one of us were hungry until dinner--hours later. It was the perfect brunch spot!
(5)Jules S.
What a fun place for the family. I love that you can give them your number, go shop near bye and they text you when check in is ready. We had an hour wait but we anticipated it. Great to see so many families here having fun! Everything was fresh and delicious! We definitely will be coming back for more. Next stop is the masalas just a few steps away at the food trucks! You can make your own pancakes with different batters and ingredients or order from the menu. I went with the sweet potato casserole and loved it!
(5)Julie T.
This place is a good fun experience. It's a build your own pancake kind of place. You have the choice of picking your batter along with any toppings you want. We had the buttermilk and chocolate batter along with banana and white chocolate chips. I wish we would have just stayed with the buttermilk batter because we were really full after our meal and the chocolate batter to me personally was too much to handle but my boyfriend loved the chocolate batter. It's a really cute place to let people make their own pancakes and enjoy themselves. We had a really great waiter but towards the end it took awhile to get our bill since we were ready to head out. We also had the country fried steak which was pretty decent. My boyfriend fell in love with the gravy sauce.
(4)yvonneandscott j.
I want to say thank you to Lauren S. and Raymond for making our first time to Slappy Cakes the best. They were very helpful making recommendations answering question about menu items we saw the line. Always asked if we needed anything else or refilled our drinks. I can say there were both very professional and personable to us. We sat at the bar, because the wait was 45 minutes on a Sunday and they said that was a good wait time. One half of the bar is for over 21 and the other half is for anyone under 21. There was a drink that they make with champagne and cranberry syrup and dried cranberries...that the bubbles makes the berries dance in the glass. We had the #TBC- peanut butter pancakes the serving is not on the large size but they will fill you up. The jelly or jam for the toast is really good it is some kind of berry, didn't ask the name. The HIGHLIGHT is the Chicken Fried Bacon...if you go there at least order this item. If you love bacon it's like a whole new level of tastiness. However, what we ate is not the real fun of the place. It's that you get to make your own pancakes at your table. They bring the batter in bottles and you can make shapes or whatever your imagination can think of to make a pancake shape. Very kid friendly or late night for the adults as they are open until 2am. We will repeat if we have time again in Portland. Thanks again...Lauren S. and Raymond!!!
(5)Woranut M.
New pancake experience with various choice! Slappy Cake gives customer a chance to make their own pancake in Korean BBQ style. There are several batters and toppings you can choose. If you have a hard time deciding which combination, they already have suggestion for you. This is a completely whole new experience to go to a pancake house. Also if you are lazy, they can make the finished pancake for you just like other places.
(5)Cherry T.
I think I had more fun than needed at this place. Generally I think restaurants where you cook your own food is a scam yet I was highly amused by it here. I loved that there are 5-6 options for the pancake base and then a multitude of toppings you can add. We chatted with the couple next to us which just made the experience that much more delightful. I had the blueberry and lemon curd pancakes. Perfect. And I really like their syrup. Didn't taste corn fructosey. Tasted like real maple syrup. Nomnomnom. I definitely will come here again. Grapefruit mimosa? Yes, please!!
(4)Lauren S.
I love Slappy Cakes! This place has made me love pancakes. I highly recommend going crazy with the topping selections. Peanut butter batter with bananas, chocolate chips and whip cream is just oh-so amazing. The seasonal zucchini batter with chocolate chips, bacon, and the organic maple syrup gives you a whole new reason to wake up. And in all honesty, the kitchen makes a life-changing pancake. I'm addicted to Slappy's bacon, the different options just seem to make life more complete. Also a HUGE fan of the Slappy Benedict and Seasonal Vegetable Scramble. Everyone I know seems to LOVE the Chicken Fried Steak and Pork Belly Benedict too. My favorite part about this place is the bar: fast, friendly service, and TONS of great drinks to choose from. Need a new brunch spot? This is it!
(5)O'Neill J.
Ordered the pork belly benedict and it was fatty as they described it. I was expecting more meat than fat to have more flavor of the charred meat. I probably would not order it again.. the coleslaw was a bit on the tart side and that was diff. The buttermilk pancake batter was pretty good. Experience of making your pancakes on the table was fun..But next time instead of waiting 45mins at the bar for a table with a griddle to make your own pancakes, we'll order the pancakes already made. Also the two strip of bacon that we got was dried not fresh..you can see the dried up oil on it...we asked for fresh ones and they came back with some, still eh.. $3 for 2 strip of bacon is pretty harsh as it is.
(3)Bobbi J.
This was fun! The kids loved the creative control over making their own pancakes! It can add up pretty fast since you have to pay for the mix, toppings, and more toppings. Like whip cream, which was tasteless. Please get better whip cream!!! Tried the chocolate, buttermilk, and gluten free pancake mixes.... And they were all good. Chocolate tasted like brownies. Great family outing for a special event or family time!
(4)esme o.
I used to love slappy cakes till I got food poisoning a few weeks ago. I contacted the restaurant and talked to an employee, I told him I got sick after eating breakfast there and I ended up in the ER, he apologized and said he would let management know and that I should expected a call back. It has been almost a month and I still haven't received a call from management. Sadly I won't be returning here, that was the worst pain I ever had, thanks slappy cakes
(1)Sandy K.
this is a way to keep your kids interactive while out to breakfast :) I have teen and young adult and let me tell you, going out to eat is a chore in itself. .. This place was extremely packed, I would suggest be there at 8am! But it was well worth the 70 min wait. My son's choose 2 batters , buttermilk and peanut butter. This place you choose to make your own mess or have the cooks do it. My son's enjoyed making their own creations with various toppings. A great time and memories made...Well worth it and no matter what age it's best bonding time of the day....breakfast!
(4)Eric R.
How fun! It is like Benehana except you cook for yourself and you get pancakes instead of hibachi. We went on a Sunday morning and had about a half hour wait. Once seated, we ordered buttermilk and chocolate batter, some fun toppings, and a few savory sides so we could get some protein with our sugary pancakes. Everything was delicious and it was totally fun even as a group of four "grown ups." This place is great for the kids, but fun for everyone else too.
(4)Carolyn C.
After I saw this restaurant featured on The Food Network from my home in SoCal, my first thought was: "KBBQ PANCAKES!". I knew that I wanted to come visit on my already-planned-trip to Portland! And my experience was, for the most part, worth the drive ;-) The choices are varied with unusual and familiar toppings and batters. I recommend the peanut butter batter because the flavor is light and subtle, pairs well with many fruits, sweets and nuts. My boyfriend and I enjoyed cooking together and the pancakes and breakfast sides were delicious. They have a nice selection of plates, too. This place is also vegan and GF friendly! BUT, I give 3 stars because of the price, for what you get: $2 or more for a few slices of fruit or a handful of chocolate chips! Honestly, it's much cheaper to make pancakes at home with all the fixins you care to buy. While the idea is fun, the price makes it a little gimmicky. But, it makes for a delightful and easy DIY food experience...plus you don't have to do the cleaning part!
(3)Kae L.
Slappy cakes was great! We got there at the height of Sunday brunch so there was a 2 hour wait for a table but we lucked out and found 2 spots at the first come first serve bar. The staff was extremely friendly, attentive and kind! I got veggie hash with poached eggs, a glutant free pancake and a mole Maria (which is a tequila take on a bloody Mary). All was delish! The mole Maria was one of the best bloody Mary's I've had. This place is known for it's "make your own" pancake stations at the table but sitting at the bar, the cooks prepared our pancakes perfectly with just the slightest toasty crunch to the very edges of the pancake. The work environment felt very fun and functional. This is the kind of place that I'd love to just hang out at for a while and enjoy the scene.
(5)Nichole C.
I was almost ready to walk away when I saw the line - correction - huge group of people standing around waiting for their table. And when I was advised that the wait time was 45 minutes, I just about called it and went elsewhere. Friend talked me into waiting and I'm glad he did. We were there with two kids; a toddler and a tween. We all had a great time! Essentially, you are seated at a table with a small griddle in the middle then provided with a menu of batters and add-in/toppings. The batter is delivered in a squeeze bottle and you and those you're with go to town making pancakes. They also have a menu of other items that they cook and bring to you. While the pancakes weren't the most delicious I've ever experienced in my life, I did very much enjoy making small, big and funny-shaped pancakes with the kids while mixing and matching different batters and add-in/toppings. And the food they cooked for us wasn't too bad either. Despite the service being less than 100% due to the high volume of people crammed into the restaurant, hats off to Slappy Cakes for creating a unique breakfast/brunch experience that kept two kids entertained for the duration of the meal with minimal difficulty.
(4)K H.
My husband and I saw this restaurant featured on the Food Network and it looked like fun, so when we were in Portland the last week of July we decided to go. We read the Yelp reviews in advance and showed up early - in fact, we were there before they opened. This meant we got a table with a griddle right away, but I could see a line forming quickly. The pancakes were decent and the experience was fun. I liked being able to control how much toppings were in each pancake. My husband is on some crazy diet and couldn't have pancakes. He was happy with some sort of eggs and bacon dish. The drinks were good. Many of the other reviews complain about the kids at this place, but in my experience they were all reasonably well behaved. Sure, it's kid-friendly and the kids are having fun. Nothing wrong with that. We would definitely go again.
(4)Ang L.
Such a great place to take your kiddos to break from their everyday breakfast routine! The kids have a designated toy baskets in the entrance for them to pick up while waiting for the batter. I give it 4 stars because of our wait on the order; but it could just be that we came first thing when they opened. Had to make sure that my two todd boys kept occupied. But the food was awesome! So fun being creative with some pancake art, their eggs Benedict was on point and you can't go wrong with free coffee!
(4)Heidi T.
Took my almost 7-year-old here for breakfast and it was SUCH a hit. He adored it. The staff were fantastic and very kid-friendly. Food was very good - I loved the grits, blueberries were fresh, pancake batter was good. Cons: An hour+ wait (we went on a weekend, 40 minutes after opening), but that speaks to its popularity. The prices aren't cheap, but you're paying for the experience and I think it's worth it for a special occasion.
(4)Sunny E.
Slappy Cakes was a fun experience for my husband and I. Was a bit of a wait but hey, we came during peak brunch hours on a Sunday so we expected to to wait. Got the buttermilk pancake mix with some bananas, bacon and peanut butter toppings. Yummy! Also split the house special-squash and poblano pepper benedict. Also very good! My husband had to try to chicken fried bacon and OMG....just as delicious as it sounds! I may have shaved off a few years of my life by eating that decadent strip of heavenly goodness but it was worth every bite. It was a it on the pricier side so that's why I dropped it a star but otherwise it was quality good and a great atmosphere. Give it a try if you've got a serious hankering for some brunch!
(4)Shaiyanne D.
a lot of reviews say its great for kids .. but this place is great for adults too lol!! my friends & i had so much fun playing with pancake batter and showing off our lack of artistic abilities at this place. we ordered the basic buttermilk batter with a side of white chocolate chips and bananas. syrup is provided at every table but i highly DO NOT recommend that strawberry vinegar option they have.. i poured a sample to try .. just NO. trust me. best thing though is you don't have to build your own pancakes, they have a full menu as well. and because i don't eat pork i did appreciate the turkey bacon option.. also tried the vegan sausage which was .. interesting. cant quite tell if i liked it or not lol. oh and heads up, if you're coming for brunch on the weekends be prepared for over an hour wait!! overall, a great place for everyone to enjoy.
(5)Valerie W.
Hmm. Where do I begin. As this was my first experience here, I expected to be blown away after reading all the reviews...seeing the huge line of people waiting....but no such luck. Luckily my friends had gotten there before me and surprisingly got seated fairly quick. My order: Whole wheat pancake batter, apples, bananas, blueberries, one egg, and coffee. I will say that it is quite fun making your own pancakes. Their batter is good and there is plenty of variety in both the batters and toppings. I would say unless you are super hungry the batter is almost enough for 2 people. Reason for 2 stars: OK...I get it. This place gets slammed on the weekends. I expect things to take a bit longer. No biggie. However, I think our server was hating life that day and aparently did not want to be waiting on us. He was somewhat prompt at first bringing me some coffee and my egg...but then its as if we were ignored for the next 30+ minutes. My friend's soda never got refilled...my coffee only got refilled (20 min later) because another server was making rounds. And of course rather than checkin on us...he just brings the bill. We weren't even half way done eating. I will say that overall the food is good. People around us that didn't order pancakes their food looked awesome. They serve alcohol...big plus. $3 for coffee is a bit much. My total bill was around $15. Slightly spendy for pancakes and a drink. Only crappy part is because you're sitting around a griddle...it get's hot. Like sweaty uncomfortable hot. There's not a ton of space between you and the griddle which can make it hard to eat especially if there's more than 2 people to the table. I may come back here at some point, but it really wasn't worth my drive unless the service gets better.
(2)H. L.
I would say this place is just average. People mostly come here for the interactive cooking experience. We got the peanut butter pancakes with toasted almonds. I think the ones I make at home are better. The waitress said one order of pancake batter only made 4, but I would say more 6 or 8, so don't over order. We also got biscuits and gravy. They were okay. The biscuits were good, but the sausage in the gravy was flabby, not crispy. The potatoes are yummy. I do think it's slightly over-priced for what you get. I am not sure if we'll be back, but it was fun to try.
(3)Kat B.
way over priced and the pretentious hipsters that work there suck. Might be fun for kids because they don't notice the snobbery happening around them.
(1)dea e.
what a fun breakfast place! Especially if you have kids, you can cook your own pancakes and choose toppings and syrups right at your table! The pancake grill is in the center of the table, Can't really go wrong with pancakes and fun toppings like fruits, nuts, choc chips, bacon etc...So the food was good and the prices weren't to bad and the place is very artsy looking just have to make sure the grill is well greased or the pancakes stick
(4)Jennifer K.
I loved this place. if you don't mind cooking your own pancakes, minus the prep work ( batter and toppings) weather your a little kid or an adult kid at heart I had fun making my own personalized pancakes in all shapes and sizes, go ahead its FUN! Or you can just order breakfast too, cause that's why you went out for breakfast I guess. Try the nutela, I think they make it them selves.
(4)Alla S.
Came here for my birthday breakfast. The original wait time was 40 min but we got a table in 20. It was a fun and yummy experience. The only thing that bugged me was that the batter kept sticking to the hot grill. I think they should provide a non stick spray or something at the tables.
(4)Kyle A.
If your in a rush, this is not the place to have breakfast. You'll have a wait for sure. We had to wait for an hour to get a table for seven but we knew it was coming. The service was good, the food was tasty and the music was bumpin! The prices were good. I would check in, give them your name and go for a walk. Come back and you enjoy a yummy breakfast!
(4)Heidi R.
Very kid friendly, huge bonus. Staff was great. Environment was nice. Our kids loved it and so did us as adults. I love that it's something the kids can interact with.
(5)Kathryn L.
The line was out the door when we arrived on a Friday morning over Christmas break. We skipped the 1 1/2 hour wait and opted to sit at the bar immediately. Since we couldn't get the whole slappy-make-it-yourself-pancake experience, I chose the eggs Benedict. Omit the sun-dried tomatoes, which made these a tad too salty. We were right in the middle of our meal when a server suddenly asked us if we would mind moving to the other end of the bar! Who knew half of the tiny bar is dedicated to people 21 and over only? Since we were on the end where anyone is allowed, a mother and child wanted to know if we'd switch so they could have our seats. If you want to disrupt someone's dining experience, please have the courtesy to offer an incentive. (Lattes on the house?) All the server's were kind and friendly, but not too savvy when it comes to things like this. Game to return when it's not so crowded, so I can try those slappy cakes!
(3)Elyse L.
A yummy breakfast + entertainment in one! This place is great to come with friends or family. It's fun to make designs and shapes with the pancake batter. You don't have to only get pancakes, the rest of their dishes are very good too. I recommend getting one bottle of batter, a few toppings and a couple dishes to share. That way you get a little bit of everything!
(4)Jana I.
Love this place for good food and fun. Their batters are yummy and there are endless topping choices. The other menu options are great as well. Although, my favorites were removed when new owners came in so I was greatly disappointed. Still a great place to go for brunch though!
(4)Abigail T.
My fiancé and I love this place! We have to drop by this place every time we visit Portland from Seattle. Great ingredients, ambience, and staff. Fun restaurant concept. We enjoy ourselves even with just the two of us. We usually sit at the bar and do some great people watching during our breakfast. :)
(5)Matt S.
Hour and a half wait to pay $6.50 for an 8oz bottle of pancake mix. I could have spent a fraction of that and not had to put on pants if we decided to stay home.
(3)Tina A.
I am really at odds with this place. On one hand the pancakes are delicious. They offer a wide variety of toppings that are fantastic, I recommend the white chocolate chips and bacon combination. I also have to give them props for the music they play in the background, they mix in some of today pop-hits but it's mostly 90's music from when I was a kid. My husband and I like to play name that band while at this restaurant. On the other hand the Service is Terrible. Many people go this restaurant because of the cook your own pancake concept, but what will happen when this trend gets old? Will people continue to come once the fad has passed? If the service at the restaurant continues in the direction it is going, the answer is NO. On both occasions that I have gone to this restaurant it has taken the waitress 10 to 15 minutes to take our order, maybe that's why the wait to this restaurant is an hour because the wait staff moves at the pace of a 100 year old turtle. If you want a refill on your coffee or any other beverage it would be best if you walked over to the food carts next door and got your juice or soda there, as the wait staff is no where to be found nor do they come around to check if you need anything. My husband and I ordered some sodas that were flat, it probably took us about 10 minutes to flag down our waitress so that we could get something different to drink. The best part is when we will tell our waitress that the sodas are flat and she responds by saying that the soda machine hasn't been working correctly and it has been like that all day and there is nothing they can do. Ummm yes, yes you can, how about you tell your customers that the soda machine is not working ??? To the owner of Slappy Cakes, hire people who are motivated, who will appreciate having a job and will do it with pride and respect. To conclude, I would just go buy some bisquick or Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix.Get some of your favorite topping to add to the batter and cook the pancakes yourself, this will help you avoid having to be subjected to terrible service.
(3)Hali S.
Long wait but worth it. Very interactive and the seasonal batters are the bees knees! Very retro decor, and I like the diner style bar for couples. I come here for special occasions and it's always a crowd pleaser!
(4)Ashley C.
We LOVE coming here!! The chicken fried bacon is a must! My fav is the eggs benedict and the kids like the hot from the griddle pancakes. There is always a wait but it's well worth it. If you are going to have an adult beverage get a Slappy screw it's a great way to start your Sunday :) or whatever day you happen to be there.
(5)Paige H.
Quite expensive. Extra charge for real maple syrup. Bacon they use is lardon- it is weird, chunky does not taste like bacon Long wait
(3)Tonya P.
This was soooo fun. We had been told to try this out and I was having so much fun making my pancakes. Butterscotch chips/coconut/almond slivers... yum freakin yum. And I thought to myself... Only TWO pieces of chicken fried bacon... how will that ever be enough? I couldn't even eat one piece and had to take the second one with me. The atmosphere is positive and uplifting and the people were very friendly and great service. I will definitely go back if I am ever in that area again.
(5)Kayarrhea P.
Let's make a pancake restaurant where people cook their own pancakes on their own griddle at their own table. Great! Everything is ready to go. Got our delicious syrups ready. Got vegan batter and Earth Balance, too. Now, does anyone know what temperature the griddles should be set to? Neither do we! We have NO IDEA how to heat these things! But here's a $6 bottle of batter. Try to figure it out! Shucks! All your batter is now either a burnt crisp or gloppy gloo. OOOPS! Would you like to order a pre-made stack of EDIBLE pancakes? Okay, that will be 6 more dollars. They need to let the cooks adjust the knobs and let the servers do the rest, like taking my plate of potatoes away before I'm done eating them. This place is also overrun by kids. If you're not a parent or a Jackie Earl Haley character, you want nothing to do with this trendy craphole.
(1)Jordan L.
Calling all baconlovers .... Oh wow will the brown sugar almond bacon leave you breathless. It will also leave you money less and you'll lose your first born but it's worth the price.... $5 for 3 slices of bacon you say!??!? Are you crazy!?! No, my Fellow bacon lover I am being real here... Drive there now and buy some.. It will change your life.... Pancakes are fun and good Too.... Potatoes are okay, no seasoning :( but that bacon... Oh baby oh baby oh bacon baby it's good..
(4)Angela K.
This place was amazing! We didn't actually have to wait that long, since we didn't want a table where you make your own pancakes. We just sat at the bar, and watched the magic happen. We ordered blueberry pancakes with lavender honey and lemon curd - and it was incredible. The lavender honey was the real stand out. I daydream about this breakfast. We also ordered the slappy benedict, and the forest mushroom scramble which were both delicious. It was way too much food, but if I'm ever in Portland again - I'll be back!
(4)Kady B.
I absolutely loved making pancakes at my table. We did the traditional buttermilk with lemon curd. Delicious! I also ordered vegetarian eggs Benedict. I would prefer less prosciutto with my vegetarian dishes! I thought flavors seemed unexpected since the menu described the vegetarian eggs Benedict as having sweet potatoes. Eventually, I discovered the prosciutto after I dug under the poached egg and spinach looking for the sweet potato. I was not amused. The server arranged for my dish to be remade and didn't charge for it. Nonetheless, as a vegetarian, this just isn't cool. And the vegetarian eggs Benedict--the really and truly vegetarian version--wasn't that great. Sparse on the hollandaise. Served with overly dry roasted potatoes. Not bad as leftovers, though. Five stars for the pancakes. Two stars on the eggs Benedict--even after the correction.
(3)Kelly O.
It's been forever since our last visit, and every time I leave happy!I love how kid friendly they are. We have tried the benedicts and this past visit we did the huevos rancheros, which was delicious! We always get pancake batter as well, and the meal is never complete without their potatoes. Try it all, so far everything has been great! Only downfall is the amount of times we have not been able to eat there due to the wait, and a hungry two year old's tummy. If you have kids, seriously, on busy days, get there half an hour before they open or you are in for a long wait!
(4)Alvin B.
When I heard about this place i knew I had to try it because the concept was something I've never experienced before. But on that thought alone I began to think that this place is just well known for it's novelty and not it's quality and flavor. I am glad to say this place lives up to its name and deserves to be well known. The staff was attentive and nice which is a major deal breaker. But the food was much better than I thought, I imagined just some plain Jane batter w/ whatever toppings you could throw in to make it taste better. But the buttermilk batter was really delicious and to go w/ my butterscotch and white chocolate chips!...Amazing. Now you can ruin your own pancake so don't blame them if you do cuz you have to option to have them do it. But you'll be missing out on the fun of being here. Slappy Cakes gets two thumbs up from me.
(4)Timothy W.
I have not eaten this decadently in a very long time. In my pancake history this one goes down as the most epic so far. A make your own pancake place....it seemed at first to defeat the purpose of eating out, but we were willing to try: There were four of us, one was Russian. I am not sure how that will play into the over all tale but you never know with those people. We decided to order several things in order to share and get a broad perspective on this entrancing menu. We went heavy on the savory side of the make your own pancakes, double bacon, sausage, mushrooms, all the cheese varieties, et al. For dishes we settled on huevos rancheros and biscuits and gravy. The table first opened up with bloody mary's and a mimosa, both impeccable. When the food came...none of us were ready. We ate - we fought the mounds of food like kings of lore and in the end the table sat empty. But not without a price.....a dark cloud of laziness and naps came upon us. God...I want biscuits and gravy after just typing out that shitty story. I am definitely hitting that up some time this week....maybe I'll see you there.
(5)Nick M.
So I liked it - I really did. I know, I know people don't like their breakfast places to be busy, but that's really not the fault of the restaurant. Yes, they hire hipsters as waitstaff, but it's on Belmont - I mean, you know what you're getting on that front, and frankly, they were pretty good the morning we went. Also, we went at 8am to beat the lines - I know, I know, but if you want to be seated promptly, that's the secret. So the deal is you get to cook your own pancakes, which is somehow a lot more fun in a restaurant than at home, perhaps because of the whole communal griddle thing. I can't comment on the cocktails or the made-to-order food, but the pancake batter is good, and the toppings we had we great - it's pretty reasonably priced too. PS. The decor - I loved the art - all squarely in the the pancake or cocktail theme, and the interior design? It's not that I don't like the whole exposed-beams-and-hvac look - it was very edgy a few years ago, and still looks good. I just wonder, would there be any merit in one or two restaurants considering something different? I don't know, just an idea.
(5)Herman M.
If you're a fan of waiting in 90 minute lines at amusement parks for a two-minute roller coaster ride, you're gonna love Slappy Cakes. If you pine for the days of the old Soviet Union where people would queue for six hours for a loaf of bread, Slappy Cakes is your place. If you're a fan of the DMV -- drop everything and head to Slappy Cakes right now. Three of the four times I've been to this place (and NOT all on weekend mornings), there has been a HUGE mob of people waiting for a table and a 45 minute (or upward) wait. I gave up and left. The one time I actually got a seat, the food was fine but nothing special. Of course, kids love making the pancakes -- and I imagine that's what the draw is. But little kids cannot be expected to wait patiently for 45 minutes in a mobbed restaurant with no place to sit and nothing to do. On the up side, it's great to see a local business become so successful so quickly. I hope they can use that $ to expand or open another location to reduce the overcrowding at this one. In sum, if you or your kids really want to make your own pancakes, and you all have the patience of saints and all the time in the world to wait -- visit Slappy Cakes.
(1)Will E.
Interactive dining at it's best!!! There are no instructions so you should know it's time to turn your flapjacks over when the bubbles appear on the surface. Blueberries are market price (which just sounds weird) & strawberries appear to be the house's best kept secret! But the buttermilk batter is succulent; a pint of batter makes about four pancakes. The dried cherries are a nice addition to the menu and are as sweet as can be! Many would question why anyone would go to a restaurant to cook their own food but in this lighthearted atmosphere it is definitely a plus! In true PDX fashion the music faintly played amongst the chatter of restaurant goers and dishes clanking is a warm welcome of classic soul, blues and rock. In a word; Cool. It has often been said variety is the spice of life but I would air on the side of irony and Portland, in itself, offers chock full of it!! But places like Slappy Cakes drive it home! Pancakes you make on a hibachi grill at your table would appear to be Chuck E Cheese reincarnated but as kid friendly as it is the spirits flow heavily!! Looking at the crowd you find everyone from the trucker looking for a stack & a drink to a hippy couple possibly satisfying a craving (remember this is Portland) to Mommy and me clubs with their precious little ones in tow as they down mimosa after mimosa! Irony at it's best! The staff is also very friendly and inviting but wouldn't you be also if the customer did all the work!?
(4)Josh P.
Went on a weekday morning so no wait. that was cool. I personally would not wait very long if it was busy. The food was very good and i really liked the cool pancake batter combos, i had one with bleu cheese that was really good. here's the trick though, if you suck at making pancakes at home, you're gonna suck at making them here. Mine were a mess. I'm not a fan of going out to breakfast since that is the cheapest of all food (not to sound too cheap!) and to compound that i'm making my own bad pancakes just adds insult to my injury! I'd go here with kids any day for the fun of it but I don't think i'd make it my spot for adult breakfast.
(3)Brice B.
Dandy? Yeah, that just about gets it right... Jim dandy. You see, somewhere around 2002 I developed a mild allergy to children. In my part of Portland, this really isn't much of a problem. Incidental exposure to kids doesn't cause much trouble, so as long as I stay away from schools and playgrounds, I'm fine (no, I'm not legally required to stay away, thank you.) When Cortney R. suggested a visit to Slappy C's this morning, I got a bit of a cough at just the thought of a breakfast place crawling with kids. Like it or not, the siren song of pancakes was too much to resist, so I took a Zyrtec and made for Belmont. Sorry for the back story, but I think context is pretty important when I tell you how much FUN we had at breakfast! Yes, there were kids everywhere, but a mimosa cures all, and we were too busy making blueberry pancakes to care. The menu is way more comprehensive than I planned on, and the decor transported me back to the schlocky 70's pancake houses of my childhood, but without all the linoleum. Everybody's food was awesome. We ordered the chicken fried bacon on a lark, but were a little disappointed in the product. I think somebody got a little overzealous with the smokiness and it covered the taste of pig completely. Finally, this place has the best looking staff in the city. I think they shot the Portland Timbers billboards here one morning before work. Nice work, management. I had a blast, and I'd do it again. Still, I'm not having kids. Ever.
(4)Scott T.
I really, really, really enjoyed this place. The only downside was the wait for a table. You only need to endure that if you want to cook for yourself. The staff was excellent: charming, quick and informative. It was easy to order, the hotplate in the center of the table was easy to use, the toppings and batter were really, really tasty. Very fun family outing. I would definitely go again.
(4)Helen Y.
It's a very cute idea. My friend and I came for Slappy Hour during a Saturday after I heard about this place. At first, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about paying that much to "make our own" pancakes at the table... We had tons of fun! When I first arrived the restaurant, it smelled a little oily inside... (unlike Korean BBQ, they don't have well-designed fan system) and I saw them putting alot of oil on the grill before they let the customer to "grill their own" pancakes... But hey, once we started making our own pancakes, we couldn't stop from one bottle (pancake batter) to another...lol.. I wish they have more pancake sides to choose though. I would love to see more fruit options or something, it's just not enough to pick!! It was a lot of fun! The chicken biscuit is okay. They have full breakfast menu and lunch menu if you don't like to cook on your own/ or you'd like to sit at the bar area. That Slappy cake is BIG. And yes, they have Slappy Hour from 2-5pm everyday. This is a fun activity for family and friends to come as a group! Our even a date idea to bring your bf/gf to come chat and make your "heart shape" pancake! I saw some kids at the restaurant, but I am not sure bringing little kids (2-5) is a good idea unless you're sure that they're not going to put their hands on the grill.... The service is pretty good. Fun, fun, fun. I won't come here often because their food is just whatever, but yea, it's fun when you have a friend that's into DIY and lots of time in your hand...
(4)Gary S.
Had breakfast here this morning and the food was good but not exceptional. One conclusion that my wife and I came to is that Slappy Cakes would be more fun with a group of friends. There are too many different and tasty sounding pancakes on the menu for two people to order at one sitting. My wife had the ginger pancakes with lemon curd and pronounced them "gingery" which was a compliment. I think she ordered the ginger pancakes so that I wouldn't steal bites as I don't much care for ginger. The lemon curd was nice and tart. Cooking pancakes on their grills is no easy task and the grills take up so much room on the table that its hard to read the morning paper. We were the first seating so the grill might not have been hot enough when we made the first batch of pancakes as the second batch didn't stick nearly as bad as the first batch. My wife also ordered the savory bread pudding. She liked it and thought it has a good flavor but was surprised by the whole garlic cloves. Most were small but one was fairly good sized. They were all cooked to the point that they were nice and sweet but it was still a little off-putting to find whole cloves in the bread pudding. I ordered the trucker breakfast which is your standard breakfast with biscuits and gravy added. I had the sausage gravy. The gravy was tasty but the biscuit was average at best. Neither the biscuit nor the gravy was as good as Byways Cafe in the Pearl or Screen Door a mile or so away on Burnside. They had two house made syrups. We tried the raspberry combo and it was nice and tart with a good consistency for syrup but bad for jam. (I poured it on my English muffin and got it all over my hand but it was worth it.) I had the homemade English muffin with my breakfast and it was far superior to the biscuit. I'd order the muffin again. They throw it on the flat top to crisp one side and warm it through. Tasty. I ordered my eggs over easy and they came sunny side up but they had cooked them enough that the whites weren't runny so they were OK. The biggest disappointment was the bacon. We ordered the daily special, candied bacon, and I had bacon with my breakfast. We like our bacon crisp and ordered it crisp on both dishes. While the bacon we were served wasn't limp it wasn't exactly crisp either. My wife said it probably was because they "candied" the bacon and I pointed out that we had had candied bacon at Screen Door and they managed to get it crisp. If your looking for a breakfast joint with sickly sweet syrup and jams Slappy Cakes isn't your place. The lemon curd and both house made syrups are on the tart side which we loved as too many places make their sweets too sweet. Though I guess you could add sugar at the table if you wanted your syrup sickly sweet. Service was friendly and efficient. The wait person kept my wife's coffee cup full and the food was served quickly. So its only a few little things that kept me from adding another star to my review. If you have a large family or want a fun place to go for breakfast with some other couples Slappy Cakes would be a good choice. Would I go back? Probably not but I live in the Aloha area and Slappy Cakes in in Southeast so I have to drive by a lot of good restaurants to get there. But I would still suggest it to someone looking for breakfast in inner southeast.
(3)Mishya J.
Visited Slappy Cakes on the last day of vacation and I was surprised at how good it was. I though that since I saw it on the cooking channel that people were paid to make it seem good, but it actually was. I got the peanut butter batter and R got the buttermilk one, and we got an assortment of toppings. This visit was made even more wonderful since R actually made my pancakes for me. I sat on the end, so there was no way for me to get near the burner for me to cook. The peanut butter batter combined with fresh blueberries, choco chips, and pecans made it my absolute favorite type of pancake. I'm normally not a pancake person, but this was divine. Being on the mainland I had to try the biscuits and gravy. I've tried them all over and the sausage gravy was the best that I've had in a while. I was in absolute heaven. Hawaii doesn't have any good biscuits and gravy, so if you want it, you better know how to make it yourself. Bathrooms were clean, however, it was really weird. It reminded me of being in a nightclub, with the purplish pink lights. Other than that it was okay. The only reason why I won't give it the 5th star is because of the long wait time, and because the table and floor was a little bit dirty. If you had a child sitting at the table right before you, don't put your purse on the floor, You may end up with food on it. Other than that awesome experience.
(4)Cassandra C.
It is what is says. Make your own pancakes. Sampled buttermilk, lemon curd and créme fraiche. Also tried some lavender honey. The turkey bacon was hot, thick and savory. Yum! Kind of a gimmick but a nice place to take the boyfriend's mom. Fun and gimmicky! Worth doing at least once.
(3)Sharon M.
Went to Slappy Cakes on a Friday, but it was during Christmas vacation, so I knew to get there early. I arrived at 8:45, and there was no wait for my group of 5 people. We got pancakes and some other food, but the pancakes were the best. We got buttermilk and whole what with lots of toppings. Yum Yum and very fresh. The other food was OK. We got shirred eggs, and they were a bit overcooked. The service was very good, which bumped this up to 4 stars. If I had gotten there at 10, the wait would have been an hour. I don't know if I would have been as happy there, but that's what you get at a popular breakfast place in Portland.
(4)browse n.
I feel compelled to update my review of Slappy Cakes. I re-visited this breakfast spot last weekend, and I'm pleased to report that the opening week jitters have all faded. The restaurant was busy, but we were still seated within 10 minutes. Service was fast, and we got our bottle of pancake batter very quickly, so we could start making flapjacks while we waited for the rest of the food to arrive. Yet another star to add to Portland's constellation of fabulous breakfast destinations.
(4)Mariah M.
My cousins suggested that we have brunch here while I was visiting Portland. I have to admit that I was a little torn by the reviews. Isn't it funny how you can totally trust a 4-star location, but when it's down to 3.5 stars, you're not so sure? Well, here's my opinion. Those two- and one-star reviewers are just haters. Yes, there's a wait. It's freaking trendy, people. It's the place to be. But that's not because it's gimmicky. It's because it's GOOD. Good for kids (let's make our own pancakes!), good for adults (let's have a pitcher of Bloody Marys!). We waited at the bar for a long time, and we drank. That's what you do when you go to a trendy place that doesn't take reservations. Once we sat down, we were immediately attended to by a lovely, be-bloomered, vegan waitress. She was extremely helpful and friendly. She explained our options to us, recommended her favorites, and oiled down our table-griddles. If all that Slappy Cakes had going for it was its gimmick, I would not have been impressed. I probably would have allotted it a 3-star review, because who can't like pancakes... but it would not have received my five, red, hallowed stars. But damn, those pancakes were good. Those pancakes made me want to go home and make my own goat cheese, mushroom, scallion-filled pancakes. it INSPIRED me. So, if you want to have fun, hang out with friends, have a few brunchy drinks, and make the kids happy, it's Slappy Cakes for the win.
(5)Joanna Y.
This place is the perfect example of how dumb-Americans love to fall for and pay for novelty and have no actual ability to make sound judgements or think for themselves. Yeah, what a novel idea to create a restaurant around the idea of making your own pancakes on a griddle that is built-in to the table! (It's like those Benihana restaurants - but at least they do the cooking.) Unless you have kids (the only creatures in the world allowed to blindly follow and enjoy such "fun" as paying to cook your own food,) you have no business being here in the first place. And if you have kids, you WILL spend the entire time fretting and worrying and making sure these spastic little wonders don't BURN themselves. Sure, the pancakes were fine. Batter was batter, interesting things to put in the pancakes, and with a well-greased griddle, they are pretty easy to cook. You'd have to be an idiot to really mess this up. However, at the time of my visit, there were no blueberries to use in the pancakes. And there were huge paintings of blueberries spilling into pancakes. Weird. But let's say you want to have something other than pancakes because pancakes are the most boring and overrated breakfast food? Well, I wouldn't advise over-paying for breakfast entrees (a least $2-3 more than all of the wonderful brunch places that dot this great brunch city). i had the Slappy Benedict, poached eggs over English muffins with spinach, prosciotto and sun-dried tomatoes. Those ingredients should have amounted to much more flavor. Served with COLD potatoes. No excuse for that. All that said, whoever designed the place did a spectacular job. Clean lines, good colors, fixtures, etc. Alas, a lovely interior will not have me returning to this scam of a restaurant.
(1)Tammy W.
So fun for the whole family! There are some quirky ingredients for the adventurous. The kids had a blast drawing on the hot surface in the middle of the table with the batter. Will definately go back! Drawback for me was the wait...
(4)Julie W.
The food, concept, and atmosphere are great here, but we really found the service to be lacking, if not plain rude at times. We went for brunch on a Saturday morning around 9, and the wait was 45 minutes, which was fine and not bad considering the wait time others have posted. One member of our party, who was not present when we initially put our name on the list, went in to inquire about the wait time, and the person rudely told him that they already told us it was 45 minutes and it's only been 10 minutes since then. This seemed rather uncalled for. As we were waiting for a table, we noticed that there were actually a lot of empty tables, and that for whatever reason, the restaurant is really slow at refilling tables after people leave. Once we got seated, we were ready to order (because we'd been looking at the menu for the past 45 minutes), but the server wasn't ready to take our order. We did really enjoy the food and had fun making our pancakes. Some of the items seem a bit of a stretch for the price (scallions for $1?), but the concept of being able to mix and make your own flavor of pancakes is great, and they even have some delicious-sounding combinations suggested on their menu. We really enjoyed the sweet potato batter, and I also loved using goatcheese on both sweet and savory pancakes. At the beginning of the meal, the server put oil on the griddle and spread it around with a brush. Then he set both oil and brush on a ledge behind us between our table and the next. He specifically pointed out that when we add toppings to our pancakes, we should add more batter before we flip it -- presumably so that it doesn't stick to the griddle. So when we ran out of oil after our first batch, we picked up the oil and brush behind us to add more and left it on our table. Moments later the server came by to reprimand us, saying no oil and brush on the table and set it back on the ledge. But a few minutes later, when we needed to add more for our next batch of pancakes, we noticed it was gone completely and we didn't spot it the tables around us either. We were considering asking for it, but since we didn't spot anyone around and since we also felt like they might not be willing to give it to us or might come back with another snappy remark, we just started using the butter, which we were given to spread on top of our pancakes but we ended up mostly using to grease up the griddle. Near the end of the meal, we felt a bit like we were being rushed out. Now, I understand that lots of people are waiting, and we had been waiting for a while too, but I didn't see the need for us to feel unwelcome. We'd been at our table for less than an hour, so I didn't think we were overstaying either. Even though we had a little bit of food left on one of our plates, the server came by and asked if he could remove it, one of us hesitantly said ok, but we didn't get a chance to ask others whether they would like the rest of it or not. Shortly after that, the server brought our check, even though we had not asked for it. Even though our plates were mostly empty at that point, it seems to me that it is always polite to ask whether there's anything else we want to order or at least whether we're ready for our check, rather than just plopping it down on the table. Furthermore, when we looked at the check, there was an automatic 18% gratuity added. This seemed to be the final kicker that will lead me not to return to this restaurant. I'm not sure whether the 18% gratuity is automatic for larger parties (we had 5 adults and 1 toddler), but any kind of automatic gratuity seems absurd to me for a DIY restaurant where we are cooking most of our own food! And especially when the service is this lackluster and some of the staff have a bit of an attitude, I really think automatic gratuity is not appropriate. I would have liked coming again and recommending the place to others for the food, but considering the wait and the poor service, I will be doing neither.
(3)Caity K.
Okay, admit it. A griddle in the middle of the table is fun. It's fun to squeeze out heaps of pancake batter and fill them with whatever goodies you choose. We usually split a pancake batter and one of the regular plates with sausage, eggs, potatoes, etc. Because really, who can eat ONLY pancakes? Not me. I've also had the huevos rancheros here and they have their own spin on it but they were good. They used braised pinto beans which gives it a unique smokey flavor But, I don't like being charged $6 for $.75 worth of plain old buttermilk batter, plus 1-3 for each topping. It's a novelty restaurant. Don't expect to come out cheap even after making your own food. Go at least once to experience it.
(2)Scott T.
I went here with a group of friends this morning, based on the suggestion of another friend who was not in attendance (and whose future recommendations will be taken with a large grain of salt). There was a bit of a line when we showed up, and we were told it was a 30-40 minute wait. No problem, it was a nice day, we'll just hang out. 30 minutes pass. Then 40, 45, and 60. We ask for an update, and the response is "we can drop the checks, but we can't make people leave". After some pressing, they say we're next on the list. Another 15 minutes pass, and we check for another update. Now there's only 4 people ahead of us. Wait...15 minutes ago we were next on the list....WTF? They explain that it's easier to seat small groups. There were only 5 of us, but apparently at this place, that isn't a small group. And also, based on that explanation, small groups get preference. Being the age of the smartphone, at this point some of us start searching for other options nearby, but there isn't a lot, especially if what you want is breakfast. Apparently a group of angry people huddled around their I-phones got the attention of the staff, and soon we were called in....after a 90 minute wait. They place us in a corner table for 4. Yes...there were 5 of us, and we got a table for 4. They put a chair and setting at the end opposite the wall, and I sat there, turned half sideways because of the solid table leg in front of me, with my back against the adjoining table. Comfy. Then there's my second complaint about the table. In the interests of speeding up the process, we had abandoned the idea of grilling our own pancakes, and just told them to give us whatever was available first. Our table did have a grill in it, but they put a wooden cover over it. That would be fine, except that the grill took up most of the table anyway. There was just barely enough room for a plate between the grill and the table edge, and there was not room for the typical setup, with your drink above the top of the plate. It would have been possible to put things on the grill cover, except it had one leg that was shorter than the others, so every time someone put something on it or bumped it, the whole thing rocked. And, since we had an extra person at the table, there really wasn't much room. OK, so...crappy greeting and hosting, crappy table. Strikes one and two. Our server was pleasant, and our food was delivered 12 minutes after ordering (yes, we timed it, expecting the worst). So at least the cooks are quick. Problem was that the food was below average. Four of us had dishes with eggs, 3 of them were not prepared as ordered. The fourth had them scrambled, so no points for getting that right. Biscuits & gravy was a very dry biscuit and thick gravy that really appeared to be right out of the package - except that it was visibly congealing on the plate by the time it was placed on the table. The chicken fried steak kind of looked like a knarled cinder, required a knife to cut, and had the texture of leather. The buttermilk pancakes were standard issue, out of the package flavor, which you can get anywhere - including at home. The potatoes are probably Ore-Ida, and were overcooked and dry anyway. The toast was crunchy, and served dry. We used the butter that was provided for pancakes. There was no jam or anything. Now onto the server again. While she was pleasant, she didn't split our check, or offer to do so. Everything came on one ticket. Three of us paid with cards, and two (a couple) with cash. Instead of re-running it, she just marked the receipt with which items belonged to who. Then, for those paying in cash, she did not bring back change, apparently electing to tip herself generously (40%) instead. Bottom line - the wait is very long, and the time estimates are not reliable. They apparently have preferential seating for smaller groups, so if you've got more than 2-3 people, you're going to watch people who got there after you get seated first. Kids may kind of like the idea of cooking their own food, but I can't imagine too many kids handling a 1-2 hour wait. The service is mediocre at best. And the important part - the food - isn't that good. Honest assessment - go to Denny's. You don't get to cook your own food, but you'll get the same quality food, and you'll get it faster. This place is not worth the effort.
(1)Kirsten K.
Pork belly benedict is so flavorful and tasty!! The slaw on it is crisp and distinctive. Don't go for the pancakes. You can make those at home. Try something new!
(5)Darren L.
Would give it five but they're still working out some kinks. Great potential though. Anyplace that specializes in pancakes and serves breakfast until 5pm is a winner in my book. We had a nice late afternoon breakfast. The chicken fried bacon was delicious, until I bit into a chunck of rubbery fat which made me gag. They need to cook it crispier before deep frying. Other than that it was fantastic. Pros: Great pancakes, nice location, good parking, nice servers, great decor, cool neighborhood atmosphere yet not pretentious, nice Stumptown coffee, the option to make it yourself or have the kitchen do it is a good one. We opted to let the cook do the cooking. Cons: greasy slickness on everything from the floor to the condiment bottles, no WIFI, could be open much later, a little bit bigger coffee cups and less having to ask for refills would be better and they might offer a little more butter in the tiny cups so you don't have to ask for more.
(4)Adam D.
Great joint to take your kids to, and the food is pretty good too. Friendly staff, but often quite the wait. They have burners on a good amount of the tables and you can cook your own hotcakes on the table: }
(4)Stephanie R.
This was so much fun! I took my 13 year old brother here, and he loved it too. I got the vegan batter which was surprisingly tasty with bacon and blueberries....weird, so what. We got there a little before 9 and got seated right away, we looked up 10 minutes later and there was a line out the door. When we left around 10, there were at least 30 people waiting, so I would recommend getting there early.
(4)Bekah V.
Get there early, it fills up quick! I didn't mind that it was loud, the atmosphere is fun and makes you feel like a kid again. The pancakes and the eggs benedict were both amazing. Yummy :)
(5)Joe W.
Great second visit to Slappy Cakes with the kids (aside from the 45 minute wait)! The free coffee in the entry way helped as did the staff's attitude, despite some the grumpy patrons. Once seated the wait staff was very friendly and attentive, always keeping drinks full without making us feel like we were being rushed. The only bad timing was the pancake batter arriving well before the other prepared breakfast dishes. While the combinations of batter and toppings/ingredients is completely up to you, I can say the peanut butter batter was excellent (even with my daughter's choice of butterscotch chips). The stone cut oatmeal with milk, brown sugar and bananas was excellent. It didn't stay warm very long (assuming that was the milk), but the consistency was still good and flavor was excellent even for someone who's not typically an oatmeal fan. I had the Slappy Benedict, which may be the best eggs benedict I've ever had!! The eggs were poached to perfection, served on english muffin and spinach, and the hollandaise was just the right amount of rich. But what really sold me was the prosciutto... it added a great saltiness to the dish, was much flavorful than and easier to manage then canadian bacon. It was served with a side of fried potatoes and extra bacon, both of which were done extremely well. All and all a great place for kids and mom/dad!
(5)Becky C.
I love this place. It's such a great idea! I wish we had one in DC. I went with the whole wheat (vegan) batter. And even if I hadn't put any toppings on it, they would have been some of the best pancakes I've ever had. I went *crazy* and gave some savory toppings a shot - I got the roasted mushrooms and vegan sausage. Throw in some vegan butter and maple syrup and it was one delicious meal. I ordered a side of the potatoes (in case I wasn't already getting enough carbs), but I would skip that next time - they were pretty boring and couldn't compare to my flavorful pancakes. My breakfast companions did the whole wheat pancakes with blueberries/bananas and one of the benedicts (I forget which one) and we were all so happy with our meal. I docked one star for our 1 hr 15 min wait. Yikes. Granted, it was a holiday (MLK Day), but that's ridic. And the waiting area is tiny, so there's really nowhere to stand except outside - and with all the rain I experienced while in Portland, that's not always an option. I hope this idea catches on, though. I love the idea of making my own pancakes right at my table! Would be super fun for kids, too!
(4)Cambria C.
pancakes tasted like bisquick but whatever. We were going more for the experience I think. It was fun. I made all kinds of neat pancake-shapes and while I can just as easily do this at home and pay maybe 1/8th of the price its fun to squirt pancake batter on your table. Boyfriend had crab benedict that he ate. It's always hard to tell if he actually likes things.
(3)Frenny J.
1. Who came up with this idea?! 2. Can I open a Slappy Cakes in my home town? 3. Lavendar Honey + Berries + Nuts + Squeezy bottle full of pancake mix = DELICIOUSFUN Get there early before the rush P.S. They serve cocktails =D
(5)Jacob M.
We bit the bullet, and went in middle of the rush on a Sunday. And I have to say, it was worth the hour wait for a table. I'm not quite so sure I'd be as excited if we were seated at the long table, where you were inches away from the horde of waiting patrons. We got a great table, though, with an excellent waitress who took the time to listen and suggest and, well, be personable! Even in that throng of chaos. Food was exquisite- the Slappy benedict was incredible, especially the proscuitto, and before we finished eating, we were trying to figure out when to come back. It would be a five-star rating, except for the wait, and because I am waiting for the next step in their evolution- when they offer a vegan gluten free pancake batter- so I can join in on the pancake eating!
(4)William P.
While I'm definitely over the food-as-theater thing, Slappy Cakes has enough pancake panache that I found myself thoroughly enjoying the DIY flapjack premise. It helps that the ingredients provided are first-rate: I was especially impressed with the clearly house-made applesauce, plump dried cherries, and savory mushrooms. The vibe is both family-friendly and hip -- but thankfully not too hipster, an important distinction in our fair Portlandia. Go early if you want to get in without a wait.
(4)Ron M.
Great concept for groups average food. Would not recommend unless you are looking for experience not food.
(3)erin b.
Such a great twist on breakfast... make it yourself! ha! Well it's fun and the batter is fantastic! You make your pancakes on the griddle in the middle of your table. Fun! And Yum! I think I enjoyed it more than the kiddo... You can also order regular bfasts cooked and served up traditional style if you want. Try the slappy eggs benedict ... tasty twist on the typical!
(5)Meghan C.
Slappy cakes is a great place to eat (if you can get in.) The first time I went it was during the week, and we were seated immediately. The second/third time I went it was a Saturday morning and it took 2 hours to get in. (The second time I was too hungry to wait, so no Slappy Cakes for me. :( ) The cook your own pancakes are a blast, and the toppings they provide are fresh though a bit small. Order two toppings to make it through the pancake batter they give you. You'll be full by the end, and have a fun time getting there. In particular I recommend the blueberries and the lemon cream topping together. I had the ginger mint julip and I couldn't stop raving about it to my friends for months. It may be non-alcoholic, but it was super delicious. Service was generally friendly but rushed to deal with the number of people there.
(4)Zooey I.
Meh. The novelty of being able to make my own pancakes wears off when I realize that it's much tastier when someone else with pancake making experience makes them for me.
(3)Charles M.
Eleven O'clock on Sunday morning is not a good time to go if you want to be seated quickly. We weren't in a hurry and had friends from out of town so we signed up and waited about 45 minutes to be seated. Two out of the four of us got pancake batter to make on the griddle. I tasted the vegan batter with the vegan sausage which was OK, not great. I ordered the vegan sweet potato casserole, not feeling in the mood to have to make something I can make almost as easily at home. It was actually quite good. It was made with coconut milk, vegan sausage, and kale. Our server forgot our coffees (this is Portland, shouldn't the servers just assume we want coffee by default?) and then tried to charge us for them. It was extremely busy, though. I suppose it's understandable. Overall, I was unimpressed. I suppose it would be a good place to take an 8 or 10 year old kid, and there were certainly a ton of kids there. But, the hot griddle is rather uncomfortable to eat right next to, and while the space was large and pleasant enough, it was packed. My casserole was quite good, but the pancakes taste like anything you can make at home and it just doesn't seem worth it. If I were to go back, I'd probably sit at the bar where there are no griddles and less wait, but then why would I go back? I'm not interested in the novelty of cooking my own pancakes and that, really, is the only draw.
(2)Sheena D.
It was a highlight of my trip to Portland and I would go again but only if I had good company to chat with for a long wait. The variety of toppings both sweet and savory were fun and I loved the sweet potato batter. The whole wheat was good but I wish I had gone with a more indulgent one. The other items on the menu looked delicous and I hope to go back again. So much fun to make fancy pancakes, we had a 2 year old with us so we got creative with multi colored pancakes from the batter. It ended up tasting even better that way. The waitress gave us some tips on how to make the hot table work for the 2 year old (very valuable info) and was friendly but in her haste forgot some of what we ordered. We were having so much fun it was hardly a blip but when she finally brought it out the batter was almost gone.
(4)Elijah C.
For starters, the wait was awful. Granted, we had a pretty big group and it was a Saturday morning, but spending the better part of an hour waiting outside (I think it might've been raining a bit) wasn't a good start to the meal. The place itself is pretty nice, but it was super crowded and loud. Again, not surprising, considering how long it took us to get a table. I guess the whole DIY pancake thing is a nice gimmick, but it gets old kinda fast. Especially when you start to realize that you just overpaid to make your own breakfast. On top of that all, the pancakes are really not very good. I'm a pancake minimalist and I'm usually perfectly content to eat them with just a dusting a sugar, but these were almost inedible without a generous helping of chocolate chips. Maybe the whole DIY approach is just so that you can't blame them when your pancakes suck...
(2)Hillary R.
I really wanted to hate this place. i think the name is either the worst name i have ever heard or my eventual porn name once i succeed in my plan to gain 30 pounds in three months. I hate gimmicky restaurants, and this one is a couple blocks from my house, in an eye herpes of a building whose construction pissed me off for several months years back. while i didnt hate it, i would not go back unless my friend's daughter insists on it, as she did yesterday. thankfully the child is a genius and proceeded to take her top off and perform various dances while entertaining neighboring tables. without her fine work, this would have been a 2 star. little hazel has bumped it up to three. onto the food: i went with the slappy benedict. i had not seen prosciutto on a benney and feel that all forms of pork are must-haves in the morn. still, it was not that great- the prosciutto was dry, and even by drowning in the less than stellar sauce it did not thrill me. i enjoyed it, but was not blown away. side of bacon- this is a must do for any meal if available. yes, excessive pork consumption you say? i respond by saying i have been a proud member of "jews for bacon" since my brother's briss. and he is older than me. TWO pieces appeared with the bacon side.. it was ok bacon, not bad, not great, at least she brought it crispy. and i really expect minimum three big pieces if not four on a side order. the pancakes- i did not order these, the genius child and my brother did-. i have little to say about them. i dont cook and im sure as fuck not going to pay to cook. they were fine- service/structure issues: these were bad and semi-major. first, our waitress. she may have been what my mother would call "slow". i'm not really sure- there was a slight "deer in headlights" aura to her, the combo of those two were not good. it seems obvious she had no idea what she was doing- would come to move a plate but not notice two empty glasses of water, and would take away one plate but not others that were more blatantly in our way. there was only one waitress/manager type person who seemed to visibly be doing much of anything- i had to flag her down for water when none of the other 6 people working there looked up (and when we were there it was not full, maybe 7 tables of customers). they really need to train their servers- i cannot imagine how horrible it is when it is crowded and employ a busser. structure- ok, i know you need that hot area (i really don't cook) to cook the pancakes on, but the ratio it takes up compared to non-hot area is simple poorly planned. there was just no room for the three items we ordered off the menu due to excessive hot area. i also think if you are gonna make a place fun so people bring their kids, you need to think of something a bit more safe to block the hot area from the kids than a tiny half a shelfy thing. maybe some kind of safety thing- fuck if i know but it made me a little nervous having a topless, dancing 2 year old around. given, she was more aware than i to stay away from the hot area. over all- this place is a "3 star" definition- but i really plan on not going back unless tiny dancer drags me
(3)Siobhan D.
Who knew what an amazing gourmet breakfast we were in for at what we thought was a silly rainy day after church distraction. I'd heard about the "make your own pancake" tables and thought this would be a good way to have breakfast while turning my rain-induced frown upside down. This was our first visit and I was not expecting such a diverse, interesting and even gourmet menu. The line was impressive so we opted to skip directly to the bar as our stomachs were howling. I immediately laughed when they asked us what we wanted to drink and if we were also going to be eating. Not only is this a place to take the kids, but apparently people just come in and drink bloody Marys -- talk about a diverse crowd. I opted for the Veggie scramble with eggs, caramelized onions, butternut squash and just enough to be decadent divine blue cheese. It came with a side of incredibly fresh romaine and purple cabbage mixture with a light but vibrant vinaigrette. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the greens were room temperature which made a perfect pairing. I opted for the $2 pancake-for-toast substitution, choosing a plain gluten-free pancake. The MASSIVE pancake was perfect for sharing and light and fluffy with a great texture for a GF option. DELISH! My man Dan had the butternut squash, vegan sausage, coconut milk stew which was creamy goodness and very satisfying. The portion looked small but it was hearty and rich. He's a tall one so he was very appreciative to be able to share my mega pancake too. Kudos to the servers who were running around like crazy and still managed to be friendly and efficient. The staff really appeared to be enjoying themselves -- I appreciate when our Portland stereotypical tattooed hipsters, actually act like polite, enthusiastic and professional service people - nicely done Slappy Staff! Next time we'll come back when it's not as busy to try out the pancake making tables however we'll be back anyways just to enjoy the non-pancake offerings.
(5)Windy S.
For two weeks my poor husband had to listen to me whine about craving pancakes! Finally, a trip to Slappy Cakes! A GREAT place for a pancake craving. Pick your flavor of batter and choose from a wide variety of toppings. Awesome! Wish we would have had more people with us so we could try all the different batters and toppings! We just stuck with the buttermilk batter for this trip and chose chocolate chips, blueberries and lemon curd for our toppings. Chocolate chip is a Must and the blueberries mixed with lemon curd was also great! Next time we'll try some savory... bacon? goat cheese? I'll definitely be back!
(4)Paula K.
Exceptional! The food and service were absolutely perfect. Very busy, but only had to wait about 10 minutes to seat a party of 7. They accommodated special requests without question, gave the perfect amount of attention and even made a special birthday dessert. Thank you... love slappy cakes!
(5)Daisy G.
If you don't like children and lots of background noise then this place is not for you. If you do like to be creative with food then you will love this place! My kids love to make all sorts of shapes and sizes of pancakes with different kinds of unusual toppings. Favorites include peanut butter pancake batter with chocolate chips or vegan batter with lemon sauce and raspberries. A must do in Portland at least once.
(4)Richard H.
Silly Rabbit, Tricks are for Kids! Thats right, all you grownups reviewing Slappy Cakes critically should have to go back to bed and get up on the Right Side. This place is just the most perfect place for kids to create their most wonderful pancakes, ever! At coffee with my neighbor, he suggested Slappy Cakes across town. The place sound like the Hungarian barbecue places in Japan where you pick your food and cook it at the table. When I got home me Bella (6 and 3/4 years old) was up, dressed, and eager to start the day. But Marci is having nothing to do with anything this morning. So Bell and I took off across town. I normally don't like to go into town but it is early Saturday morning (TIP - Go Early) and traffic is way down. We park and walk into the place. There was no one waiting but all the grills were busy. We could sit at the counter or at a grill less table. Where's the fun in that? 5 mins latter we were seated. Of course Bella's most favorite food in the whole world is.... yep that's right....., PANCAKES. And this place is all the more special because she gets to make them. "This Place is Just Awesome!", she exclaimed. She made Mickey Mouse pancakes first. They were just tasty. At the same time she made some micro pancakes. Those are the single drops of batter that fall off the squeeze bottle when designing your creations. They cook fast. She also made an elephant, a snail (a what?), a dog, and some other weird creatures. The chocolate chips make for great spots on a dog. This is a fun place for kids to learn how to make pancakes. Its very inexpensive, fun, and safe. If your the type of parent that is afraid of everything your kid does will hurt them, or the type that lets your kids get away with anything..... don't go. You other critical peoples...., loosen up and have some fun for a change!!!!!
(4)Andra H.
The food is amazing! The staff is fun particularly Mr Neal behind the bar. Great environment and a great place to take out of towners.
(5)Rob P.
I do think the infamous Chicken Fried Bacon is worth the trip alone. That said, the pancakes ARE among the most delicious (and large) I've ever had, and after watching the kitchen crew work on two consecutive mornings via the two seats right of the counter (left of the counter is illegal with a minor - some Oregon thing), I can say they do a great job on all of their dishes. The oatmeal, for example, was delicious, as was my two eggs fried into a thick cut piece of sourbread toast. Next visit I will come early and prepared to wait the 45 minutes for a table with our own grill. Pretty awesome.
(4)Katie R.
EXCELLENT all around. Don't let the pancake business steer you away from this bfast joint, the regular menu items are to die for! Fantastic Eggs Benedict (probably the best in town), and beautifully toasted potatoes to compliment. GREAT coffee (they serve Stumptown coffee, and they do it right!) And best of all.... damn, the service! Holy moley, I feel like the staff must be getting paid well, or they just love their jobs. It sure shows, and it makes a huge difference. I love eating here, I love the experience, the food, and everything I feel after I leave. The only downside is the place is crazy popular so to get a seat, you must probably show up earlier than 10a on a weekend day. That's it- check it out, and enjoy!
(5)A B.
I took my two nieces (aged 3 & 6) here for breakfast and they loved it! The server was really friendly and helpful and the food was delicious! I had the whole grain batter with fresh strawberries and my nieces had buttermilk batter with apples and white chocolate chips. We also ordered some bacon and vegan sausage and I have to say- the food was delicious and we had a great time! It really caters to kids and grown-ups at the same time. They had a toy drawer for the kids and stumptown for me. After reading all the reviews I wish I'd ordered a Bloody Mary! The kids made square pancakes, smily faces, kitties and hearts. The squeeze bottles are really easy for the kids to use. I would totally go back! We got here at 9:30 on a Saturday morning and by the time we left there was a long wait so Id suggest getting there early!
(4)Rob D.
Winter break was upon us. Keeping the kids happy was like running an intense marathon but thankfully I stayed true to my word and went back for the pancakes... Slappy Cakes was a total winner with my 6 year old daughter (and with me). She is skilled in the ways of the kitchen and in cooking things in general because we make some wicked creations together. I thought that even the unskilled griddle peeps would also have just as much fun here as long as the kiddos were mindful that the center of the griddle can actually burn you. Here is how easy it is: 1. You order your batter choice 2. You decide whether you want to toss stuff in the pancakes (chocolate chips, bacon, etc.) 3. They oil the griddle and make sure it's hot 4. You get your batter in a squeeze bottle and are armed with a spatula. 5. Squeeze the bottle, cook the cakes, top it with butter and your choice of syrup. 6. EAT them, repeat step 5 until bottle is empty Look folks, it's not rocket science. It cost me something like $5 for the bottle which was plenty and some ridiculously high price for juice and coffee (but everyone charges a stupidly high price on such things). I am not normally one to turn to other Yelpers to address their anger and frustrations but I am reading through newly posted ads and seeing a lot of pissed off people. I have a friend in the neighborhood who has told me that there were long lines that have kept him away recently. Seems like some of the anger is churning from how busy it is here... Has word gotten out? Apparently. Is there a lot of hype? Perhaps Are they worthy of the hype? IMHO... yes. Why? I am a pain in the ass and one crotchety curmudgeon in the morning during the vital coffee intake. I am harsh, critical, and downright dickly... This can be managed however with a dose of good coffee (which they serve), hard working employees (which they have placed right out in the open for everyone to see how much ass they are busting), and polite table service (which has happened on both visits, two very different weekdays with different staff members). Why anyone would wait more than 30 minutes before being served and not walking up to the counter to let them know that its a problem sooner is beyond me... I care not how the staff looks as long as they do a good job. Breakfast joints are pricey (or perhaps some folks just don't get out much?) and its just gonna sting anywhere. I hope that business evens out a bit and the 'rushes' and long lines are kept to a nice calm rolling boil. On the other hand, I am a pragmatic man who thinks that booming business now is a good thing. Plenty of my faves and treasured finds have become popular. Everything that is truly good will eventually have their 15 minutes of fame. Lets hope this doesn't spell disaster...
(5)Ben K.
Congrats to Slappy Cakes for taking over the crown for most overrated restaurant in Portland. Waited for almost 90 minutes. Normally, I would associate this type of wait time with a large crowd, which there was. However, the horrendous wait time was due more to the wait staff being completely inept than it was anything else. Unfortunately typical of SE Portland, the owners seemed to have been more concerned with hiring a staff more for their hipster look than any actual talent or experience in service. For example, our server had a perfectly placed nose-ring, vintage cardigan, and tiny pig tails, but couldn't be bothered to get our drink order correct or provide anything close to prompt service. While the breakfast cocktails were very good (once they finally arrived), everything else was absolutely average, at best. The pancake batter tasted out-of-the-box, the ingredients were Safeway-esque and, the griddle was so luke warm that it took almost 10 minutes to cook each pancake. We ordered the pork belly Benedict and it was disappointing. White bread English muffin, with bland Hollandaise and a pinky-finger sized piece of pork. Fairly certain the potatoes were straight from the freezer. If you look at my reviews, I'm fairly generous with my compliments. However this place just has "GIMMICK" written all over it and does NOT deserve the praise shown here. If you're going to wait this long for food on Belmont, head down to Pine Street Biscuits, where the crowd and reputation for greatness is richly deserved. I simply cannot reward any points for a restaurant with no originality and terrible service of this magnitude.
(1)Morris B.
Despite the wait due to the kids being out for the holidays, slappy cakes was worth the wait. While the pancakes were good (little bit kitschy if u ask me), the other breakfast choices were totally awesome. In NYC, I'd never had a toad in a hole let alone two toads in a hole but what a fantastic idea! Eggs cooked right into my bread? You can't beat that for breakfast. Did I mention i came hungry? I needed to load up before my cross country schlep back to my hometown New York. So I ordered the pancakes which were decent, nothing special except you make them yourself on the griddle built in to the table (I suspect this is a kids favorite). The third item I ordered because it was something you don't see back east, was the biscuit and gravy which was so tasty. The biscuit, smothered in sausage gravy (veggie gravy available),remained perfectly toasty underneath and combined really well with the heart attack sauce on top. All in all this place made for a great breakfast. Not sure if it's any better than portland's other breakfast spots but it's a sweet option.
(3)Michael R.
Let me start with the positive, if you've never had chicken fried bacon, go for that experience alone. Now for the negatives; from the time I arrived to the time I left with my family, the service was horrid. We arrived at 8:00, waited to be seated (with one person stepping in front of me to get her name on the list) and after being seated, waited for quite a while before anyone came by to even inquire if we wanted coffee. Once we managed to put our order in, the little bottles of batter and fixings came. Unfortunately, there was a wait for spatulas (to turn the pancakes) and plates. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, but from prior reviews I've read, I expected better. The pancake making thing is novel, but once you've done it, why go back to essentially fix your own overpriced breakfast?
(2)Bryce E.
My wife and I ate at Slappycakes this weekend, and were pleased by our ability to skip the whole "group breakfast" experience by simply bellying up to the bar, where there were ample seats available, and a nice direct connection with the bartender, who made the most DELICIOUS bloody mary! We had the Trucker Breakfast, which came with eggs, bacon, a huge pancake (of course), homefries, and coffee. It was fun to watch people make their pancakes on their tables, and the list of toppings one can put into the mix is pretty well thought out. I like the fact that they can open up their big garage door on nice days, and let the breeze in, since it could get pretty warm in there. all in all, a very good meal was had, and the price was reasonable. I will be doing this again with more friends! B
(4)Olivia T.
I kept telling people that I went to SLAPPY JACKS and they were like HUH? Well, forgive me people, it supposed to be SLAPPY CAKES. It's a new place in Portland that will let you to cook your own pancakes on their table griddles. My friend and I went there on Saturday about 11 ish and it was packed. We waited about forty five minutes and thankfully they have unlimited coffee refills. Our host was super nice and friendly. He kept checking on us and let us know how long we had left until our table will be ready. Now, let's talk about the pancakes. $4 will get you batter in the bottle that you need to squeeze on to your griddle. You can choose from four different flavors and they have vegan option as well. I chose the Buttermilk. Then you choose your toppings. It's 75 cents per topping. I chose sausage, chocolate chip. strawberry rosewater compote, and walnuts. I swear to God that our server told us that the best area to cook on is near the edges not the middle because the middle will be too hot and burn your pancakes. Somehow, we did that and he came back and told us that we supposed to cook our pancakes towards the middle because towards the edge will take a long time. Grrrr no wonder my first pancake took like 15 minutes to get bubbly. Overall, flavor was excellent. Service was good. Our total bill comes to $10 per person and that's including coffee and tips. I ate more than five medium size pancakes and I was stuffed. I found out that Chocolate Chip pancake was too sweet for me in the morning. I also found out that they serve a pretty bad ass Bloody Mary with a HUGE piece of bacon in it along with the celery stick. I should get that next time I come here, so I won't be jealous of the guy whom sat at the next table. Welcome to Portland, Slappy Cakes. I wish you all the best and may you stay for a long time. Cheers!
(4)Charlie J.
Awesome atmosphere, it's a spot to go to! Nothing better than playing with your food.
(5)Janet M.
So, It's Christmas Break and I planned a fun day in our old neighborhood for us. Problem was, well, I think everyone else had the same idea. The wait here at 11am was reported to be an hour when we checked in. We spent the first 15 minutes in the cold arguing about whether we'd stay or not. I was informed that waiting was not fun, and that this was somehow my fault. Sigh. I wanted to stay. We drove a long time to get here, and I wanted to make pancakes at my table, come on! Hubby and princess went into the lobby of the place next door ( yoga studio, some kind of health food store, etc.) to warm up, while I waited outside. I'm glad I did, the hostess came out, told me that several parties on the list ahead of us had left, double checked where we were on the list (now only two tables ahead of us, cool) and it wasn't long before we were seated. Once seated, the service was great, our table was clean, and when pancake batter and toppings arrived, everyone became happier. Oh, it helped that they had espresso, too. We chose two bottles of buttermilk batter with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, bacon ( 2 of these), apples, cheddar cheese, whipped cream, maple syrup... what else? oh, chocolate syrup. Pancake making was fun. Princess lightened up. All was well. This is a good experience. I can see what was holding up the flow though, big families camped out at their tables like FOREVER once they got one. It also requires some skill to cook the next pancake while you're eating the previous one. We got it down. Hubby pointed out that the place has quite a racket getting people to cook their own food and pay for it. I pointed out we hadn't had to assemble anything and wouldn't be cleaning up. Oh, ok, he said. I would recommend going when kids are at school, if possible. They also have other breakfast items that look delicious, so you could connceivably skip pancake making ( I know, what's the point) and sit at the bar, watching the cooks make yummy eggs bennie or grits or chicken fried bacon. Fun times. Delicious food. $38 for three of us with beverages.
(4)Toni S.
Very cool spot for breakfast, sit at the bar if you can and don't want to cook your own pancakes. Fun for kids, casual, try the blueberry short stack w/ lemon curd and a very generous portion indeed. Nikki took care of us, she was great, go and ask for her!
(5)Rob C.
I have mixed feelings about Slappy Cakes. They have a great concept, the food is actually quite tasty, but the service is just SO lacking. We've been here 3 or 4 times, weekends and weekdays, and it's pretty much consistently good food and mediocre-to-bad service. I know they are a "hot" place to go for now, but that kind of trendiness fades. Most recently, we really enjoyed the sweet potato batter with banana, bacon, and pecans. YUM. The coffee is pretty decent, as are the bar drinks. However... speaking of bar drinks, I'm not sure their employee drink policy is strictly legal. They seem to allow their employees to "sample" bloody marys and even make their own alcoholic drinks to go. One time, I witnessed a server finishing off the remainder of a bloody mary from the mixing glass, and another time an (I assume) employee came in from outside, made herself something with vodka in it, and left with it. WTF? Hello, OLCC? In all, I have to give Slappy 4 stars for food and 2 stars for service. It's a fun place to go if you are not in a hurry or expecting refills for your coffee.
(3)Melissa W.
My boyfriend and I went here for breakfast. It was my first time and wow! The atmosphere is fantastic! Our waiter was great! The food YES! I love that you can cook your own pancakes on the hot griddle at your table or you can order your cakes made in the kitchen.
(5)Davey H.
Lots of fun but can get pricey easily with all the toppings available. Great for families.
(3)KJ J.
Great breakfast! Ask for the Egg Princess! She makes thee most amazing eggs. The turkey bacon was made to perfection too!
(4)Jennie C.
This place has really gone downhill in the last few years. I used to come here with my son all the time, he loved it of course. I thought it was amusing to watch him try to make his own pancakes as I sipped my bloody mary. Went there today for my daughter's 2nd birthday. It was so sad! The prices have gone up, and are absolutely ridiculous for what you get. We paid $2.00 for a side of pure maple syrup. I looked in the container it came in, and it was filled up about 1/6 full. We asked the waitress why there was hardly any syrup in there and why we were paying $2.00 for it. She was nice about it, and explained that pure maple syrup is really expensive so they have to charge that much. Still too much, in my opinion. We paid $2.50 for roughly 12 blueberries. I mean...really? The griddle was so luke warm that it took forever to cook our food, which led to a cranky 2 year old. The service was pretty good, I've never had a complaint about that. There was no wait at all, in fact, it was pretty empty. It's basically a gimmicky rip-off. Avoid.
(2)Meg S.
This place is pretty great! The kids have so much fun making their own pancakes and the grownups do too! I like adding mushrooms and goat cheese to my pancakes while my kids like blueberries and chocolate chips. Had a pretty decent bloody mary and my husband had something call whiskey for breakfast I think. It came with a raw egg in it. He loved it. To each his own, I guess. Both times we have been we have gotten the same server and he was great both times. Food is delicious, coffee is good and hot. My only complaint would be it's pretty expensive which prevents us from going more often. And the wait can get pretty long but I don't mind that too much.
(4)Taylor W.
I love when restaurant's do something unique and they have definitely done that. They have other menu items but why would you order them when you can have the pancakes. You can choose from a few different batters as well as several different toppings. I did the peanut butter batter with bananas and bacon. Yummy! It was fun to make different shapes too with the batter and there were several more combinations that I would like to try next time. I can't wait til my son is a little older so I can take him here with me.
(4)Tiffany M.
I am not the ideal demographic for Slappy Cakes. I am neither a parent nor a person under the age of ten; had I been either of these I am sure this place would have gotten a solid 5 stars. I was meeting some family and luckily we got there early enough (9 am) so as to avoid the hour wait the hostess was quoting on our way out. The positives: The service was stellar, and that is what bumped this place up to an A-OK; the coffee was refilled frequently, the "pancake making process" was explained thoroughly, plates were cleared quickly, and the server was overall sweet as pie. I didn't partake in the pancake delight but I did enjoy watching others at the table make theirs, and the options for batter and toppings were really great. They are also very vegan/gluten-free/veg friendly which I totally dig. The negatives: Lots of kids (I know, I know. I'm a jerk) if you're not into that kind of thing, although none were really misbehaving horribly while we were there. I ordered the migas (scramble with peppers, onions, queso fresco, tortilla strips) that came with potatoes and a homemade english muffin. I was really surprised at how flavorless both the scramble and the overdone potatoes were. Sad times. The muffin was really good with their house jam. My man got the eggs in a hole and he liked it just fine. It's all about perspective. I won't be back, but if I had kids I'm sure I'd be at this place all the time. If you do go, go early.
(3)Kyle E.
A major disappointment. Self-serve pancakes is a fun idea, and yes the pancakes are tasty. The service was horrendous. I was there for Sunday Brunch and our server could have cared less. I know it's getting a lot of national buzz, having appeared on the Food Network, but for them to ride their hype will only take them so far.
(2)Paula W.
I didn't go in with high expectations as our monthly brunch group gathered here. Good thing because we discovered that they won't seat your group until every last member has arrived. C'mon now! If 90% of your party is present, why not seat the rest? There weren't nearly as many children present as I thought and for that I was thankful. One of the highlights of the morning though was when a mother asked loudly who would like to sing Happy Birthday to a 13-year old and the entire restaurant broke out in song. Besides pancake batter, toppings, and various accoutrements, they had a decent list of various breakfast options. I shared the pork belly benedict and was disappointed in the amount of fat mine had compared to the other one. I was also disappointed in the pancake making experience. One of the group order apples and we received diced raw apples with skins on. Who would want that in a pancake. Instead we threw the apples on the grill and attempted to at least try to carmelize them. We learned quickly that unless you poured the batter pretty much right in the center of the griddle, the cakes didn't really cook....this was a real problem with 5 of us trying to cook our pancakes on the same grill. We also discovered that the oil put on the grill at the start quickly dissipated so we ended up using up our butter supply to keep things from sticking. All in all, even more disappointing than I expected. The only redeeming items? The waitstaff was very friendly. Oh and the candied bacon!
(2)Monikka M.
Okay. I love this place. My only regrets are 1) I don't live closer and 2) I didn't eat here sooner. I was inbetween jobs and decided to make the trek around noon one weekday to Slappy Cakes. I had tried coming here several times before but the traffic discouraged me on the drive in from the Couve. Luck was on my side. Not only was I able to find a parking space, the wait for a table with grill was less than 10 minutes. I did feel weird having a tabletop griddle just for one. I sat down and perused the menu. It was different from the one they had online. It would be super if the online and in house menus were consistant. I realized the difference because I had seen (and was planning to order) the Banana Spanish Coffee on the online menu and it was not on the in house menu. This was no problem as the Bartender was more than happy to make the Banana Spanish Coffee for me anyway. On to the food. My server (Miriam) recommended the Chicken Fried Bacon. At almost $6 for three slices (IIRC), I was wondering if that was a good deal but I was intrigued so I went for it. I also ordered the buttermilk pancake batter with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and scallions to make at the table. OMG! That Bacon with the caramel sauce was AMAZING!! The Red syrup with my savory pancake creations were to die for and the drink was just perfect. I cannot wait to bring the family back to Slappy Cakes again. It's inspiring me to try my hand at making pancakes more often at home. Slappy Cakes -- the best meal I ever mostly cooked for myself at a restaurant!
(5)Ainsley D.
Slappy Cakes offers a totally unique and fun way of going out for breakfast. Aside from having a full service breakfast menu, they have griddles built into each table where you make your own pancakes right at your seat! Basically you choose your made-from-scratch batter (multiple choices including gluten-free and vegan), any sweet or savory add-ins from their lengthy list of fixins and all sorts of toppings/syrups. Not only was customizing so much fun, it was an awesome experience getting to make your cakes. Each bottle of batter makes 6-8 pancakes, so my friend and I shared a batch. We chose the whole grain batter (this one's vegan!), chocolate chips, walnuts and bacon for the fixins and LAVENDER HONEY (yes, you read that right) and lemon curd as toppings. I will admit that it is a bit pricey, but worth it for the experience. Also, I would never bring my children here as the griddles are VERY HOT and pretty much built to the extent of the tabletop, however I saw tons of kids while I was there--so a fair warning, be careful!
(4)Abigail W.
Our waitress was super friendly, and of course the food was delish! We added the leman curd to our art-ful pancakes, as well as berries. DIY food is always fun, also great to bring kids, as long as you watch their hands around the griddle! They have a great variety of music playing in the background as well.
(4)Joyce H.
Slappy Cakes is a fun place for breakfast. I had wheat toast ($1.75), two egg whites scrambled ($3) sand turkey bacon ($2.50). I thought the toast was great because they did not put butter on it. The egg whites were cooked well. They were not runny. The turkey bacon was not that great. I'd pass on those in the future. Our table bought some "wheat" pancake batter ($6) with some blueberries to share. The wheat pancakes were surprisingly delicious. It was really fun to draw on the grill and make our own pancakes. This is a great place to take kids. Just watch those little hands. The staff is very nice, polite and helpful. The downside is the wait. It was about a 45 minute wait and the restaurant was very busy. Speaking as a person with asthma, the restaurant's air is a bit thick with heat and oil. It made it a little hard to breathe for me but for the general public, I am sure it is fine.
(3)Peter T.
If you haven't hit Slappy Cakes in SE Portland, because you think it's just for kids, you've missed one of the best breakfasts in town. Although children of all ages will enjoy the concept of making their own pancakes right at the table - choose from a type of batter and a wide selection of both sweet and savory toppings, the full-service menu offers hidden breakfast gems the quality of which are rare on the Portland breakfast scene. We ventured over on Wednesday morning (because we hear it can be a madhouse on weekends), with visiting nephew in tow, and he delighted in squeezing buttermilk pancake batter (out of a ketchup style condiment bottle) onto the griddle and tossing in chocolate chips and raisins. The batter and griddle are perfect for cooking up a batch of virtually no fail flapjacks, and the buttermilk cakes are great just on their own. But delve into the full service menu offerings (adult beverages as well), and you'll find great finds like chicken fried bacon with a caramel sauce; country fried steak with potatoes, crispy on the outside, pillowy soft inside, reminiscent of New Orleans famous "Brabant style" potatoes. Cover all that with sausage gravy. Man oh man. Mrs. Burgerdogboy went with the Huevos Rancheros, and offered me a smidgen of a taste as she scarfed up her plate. I have to say, it was delicious. The concoction rests on a pile of 'secretly-seasonsed' beans which are to die for. Other interesting choices include congee, pork belly benedict, and an interesting sounding mushroom scramble. Yes, veggie offerings as well.Slappy Cakes, where have you been my entire breakfast life? I am in love!
(4)Heidi Y.
What's not to love?!!! The pancakes are great (obviously since we made them) and the Slappy Benedict is really good too. Good to get and share since so rich. My 8 year old says "Best place ever. Period. "
(5)Renee C.
This place is fantastic! I love that they have gluten free pancakes, nitrate free bacon, and mimosas! The people were great and it's not just for kids!
(5)Anna L.
Best part: EXPERIENCE! If you are a fan of the Melting Pot fondue restaurant, well, Slappy Cakes is the "Melting Pot" of the breakfast world. By this, I mean that it is so much fun to create your own pancake creations on the table in front of you. Do not come here if you're feeling lazy and just want to be fed. Yes, Slappycakes has a large menu of options that are served to you, however, it is not worth the wait (in my opinion) to come here for a normal breakfast. This restaurant is always busy, busy, busy and pretty crowded. The wait & the chaos is worth it IF you are coming to create-your-own pancakes. Slappy Cakes is great for vegetarians & vegans, as well as meat eaters. They have options for everyone. I love to get the buttermilk pancake batter, a variety of berries and nuts, and some vegetarian "chorizo" as well, to mix up my pancakes between being sweet and savory. I also love ordering a side of apple sauce or peanut butter for my pancakes - a fun and tasty addition! This is a great place to go for a fun breakfast adventure with your girls, a great ice-breaker for a first date, etc. Make-your-own pancakes is a fun activity as well as being oh so tasty. The waitresses here are always extremely busy, so I have had experiences with it being hard to snag their attention, which is not a huge problem, but watch out for it. If you're stuck with a long wait, head over to the food carts right next door for some coffee or a smoothie. It's also a great place to sit and hang out (on a clear day, at least).
(4)Diana N.
I have never been so disappointed in a dining experience as I was after leaving slappy cakes. I came with a large group WITH kids. This place advertises at how kid-friendly it is and yet the service we received was far from it. The wait staff was there to flaunt how hipster and edgy they were instead of accommodate customers. They kept on glaring at our group's kids as if they had horns growing out of their heads. Along with having to feel totally unwelcome, they messed up our order about 5 times. They brought out the wrong batter, forgot my sons food altogether, and then make rude remarks when told they screwed up. The food was sub par. If you are going to subject yourself so such an atrocious dining experience, stick to the pancakes. It all came out at different times with one side of the table finishing their dishes while the other stared at the hipster staff rolling their eyes. I am also confused as to why there is such a shortage of oil for the pancakes..? After awhile the surface gets dry and the pancakes turn into mush so why isn't there a bottle of oil handy for use? If they are charging to make your own pancakes then why are we having to wait 15 minutes for the waiter to come squirt a dot of oil on the surface? If it wasn't for the included gratuity, I wouldn't have tipped at all. That says a lot to the quality of this joint because I am a waitress and an excellent tipper. I am absolutely never returning to this place. If I could rate with half a star I would.
(1)Snow M.
This morning was my second time going and it was just as I remember it. There are some tips and tricks you should know. For instance, go on a weekday if you can. The weekends are jammed packed and stupidy loud. Save yourself the nightmare and go on a Friday morning. Also, do the make your own pancakes once, just so you can say you did it. I do recommend the buttermilk batter topped with chocolate chips, hazelnuts and goat cheese. Do splurge and get the real maple syrup, don't use the maple flavored sugar syrup provided on the table. Do get one order of the chicken fried bacon, don't worry about how bad it is for you as you will most likely never eat it again. It is a fun experience though you really only need to go once. No need for a repeat visit. The novelty lasts the one visit.
(3)Steve M.
From what I can see there's a few things that make the Slappy Cakes experience if you're bringing little people (which as typically rolling with my seven year gangsta homie, I was). GET THERE EARLY. I don't mean like 9:00, I seriously mean like 15 min before 8:00 am when the joint opens. HIT THE COFFEE POT ON THE WAY IN THE DOOR. Service was fantastic and our waitress checked on us several times, but dude seriously? It's 8am on a Sunday, and your kid is gonna be spun out on pancake crack once the initial 'Ooooh daddy, I ate too many pancakes' wears off. Do yourself a favor and drink all the coffee you can (aka: Parenting pro tip). KNOW YOUR LIMITS. So the suggested serving size per adult is one pitcher of batter per person, seriously? That is A LOT of pancakes, and if your little person has decided to roll with a different batter style? You're gonna be weeping when your kid says "NO PANCAKE LEFT BEHIND, DADDY" (two pitchers equals a lot of f***ing pancakes) DON'T LET YOUR KID BE AN A**HOLE. I'm very fortunate that Boogie is pretty well behaved as the little people go but I kid you not, I saw a woman stand by and let her child pour almost an entire bottle of syrup onto the griddle. Our waitress was really cool and smiled with the look of mute terror in her eyes that anyone who's been on the other side of the table knows all too well. BE LIKE THE HONEY BADGER. Look man, I don't care if you give a f*** or not. But seriously, if you go here and don't order the lavender honey? Your taste in food will be suspect and chicks (or chicos) will no longer flock to you like geese. I went with one of their suggested combos: Granola, Green Apple, and Lavender Honey (because I'm a big hippie), and I strongly rate it in my list of fantastic life decisions (which granted, is a pretty short list so this one's really close to the top). I don't even like honey as a regular rule but figured I'd give it a shot. The only bummer was it was so f***ing good I didn't get around to trying the syrup. NUTELLA NEEDS AN ENVELOPE. My bestie in the Northwestie was with us and ordered their homemade nutella as a toping option, if you're going to put it in your batter (heh, heh that sounds dirty) make sure to put a little extra batter on top so it doesn't stick to the griddle (otherwise you're going to be like the syrup-griddle kid and chicks will no longer flock to you like...well you get the idea) DON'T BRING A BOOK. Our waitress was really nice and didn't make us feel rushed at all, but there's no denying the silent pressure that a line of waiting diners outside can provide. HAVE A FUN TIME. Seriously man, it's a pancake breakfast with your little person that you don't have to clean up after.The options are way fun, little people dig it, and if you're really lucky, you may score on... PANCAKE INDUCED NAP TIME. (a five star experience by itself).
(5)Kim T.
My boyfriend and I went here for breakfast on valentines day because mothers bistro was closed. It wasn't super busy which was nice but we didn't have enough time to male our own pancakes which I was fine with. We ordered chocolate chip and banana pancakes and then a spinach scramble with goat cheese and THAT was amazing!!! Pancakes were nothing new but the scramble was awesome. Service was not good. My boyfriend had to go to the bar area to get anything extra we needed. We had to get up to ask to get our waters filled everytime. And three minutes into sitting down, two moms and there babies were seated right next to us at the long booth area section. I totally get that when our busy things can get crazy but I was sorely dissappointed by the service. Also, when the restaurant is half empty, must two screaming babies sit right next to us??
(3)Gary R.
Looking for a great place to grab your kids' attention and still have a great meal? Well, there's a "Slap" for that! For parents with high energy kids like me, this is a fantastic experience for the whole family. It is tucked in a beautiful community just east of downtown Portland called Sunnyside. Get here early because a long line forms most days of the week. However, the sidewalk is free game for young kids to freelance their artistic side with side walk chalk provided. The concept is really cool, and frankly I am surprised it isn't more popular across the country. You sit at tables similar to an Asian hibachi style grill, but instead you pick your pancake batter type, all the fixin's to go inside or on top and you cook your own Slappy Cake! Bacon and other items are cooked in the kitchen and provided. The ingredients are mostly fresh, organic and tasty! Oh, and there is another great food cart scene adjacent to the restaurant. So one could theoretically put their name on the wait list and explore the cart scene to kill time. Just make sure you leave room for Slappy Cakes, because they put the "appy" in Happy!
(5)Larry W.
Save your money and time. There are many restaurants who will feed you well and care about you a whole lot more. The proprietor was blatantly obvious in wanting us to hurry up and make space for others. We thought we were getting through our breakfast pretty fast as it was, but she reminded me of a boot camp mess sergeant with her thinly veiled urging to get going. The wait person was very careless and caught up in the frenzied and impersonal treadmill. She had no chance to really care whether our needs were met. We tried to have fun making our hotcakes and getting into the spirit of the place, but the cavalier treatment left us all cold. The food is sub-par, cheap and not to be savored. KG SE Portland
(1)Bryan A.
I'm a huge fan of this place and have been more times than I can count. Good food, friendly staff, worth the wait if there is one.
(5)Maria R.
The hostess was not welcoming at all. She got menus and walked away, I didn't know whether to follow her or not. I waited til she returned and she walked us to our table where I told her it was our first time there. She said pick a batter and toppings and our waitress will take our order. When our waitress arrived she was sooooo much nicer at explaining the menu. Food was delicious. We waited for our waitress maybe it was too busy ,that i had to ask another waitress for my check. But my kids had a blast making pancakes!
(3)Anna B.
I want to love it, I really do. It's a fun idea, and a fun environment... it's kind of like eating in an Ikea kitchen display, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. The service is very friendly, but you might be cranky after waiting that long. The only cure for that, though, clearly- is a breakfast cocktail. And they have plenty of good ones. The food, though, was not amazing by any means. For starters, I refused to pay to cook my own food, so I passed on the whole 'make yer own' cakes thing. I did enjoy, however, providing commentary about all of the surrounding tables' pancake disasters, pointing out how everyone was doing it wrong. That part was fun. My eggs benedict was pretty meh. The house-made english muffin was pretty good but not toasted. English muffins need to be toasted, always, end of story. The hollandaise was a'ight, but the accompanying potatoes were sad, sad, sad. A star for an ok meal, it wasn't bad but it just wasn't very good, a star for good service, and a star for the bar offerings. Maybe I had an 'off' plate. If I didn't have a major aversion to waiting for breakfast, I might just try it again. But it's gonna take a minimum of three breakfast cocktails to get me to mess around with that hot griddle in the middle.
(3)Elio G.
the good: it's fun to make your own pancakes! they've got lots of options to choose from on batter, fixins and toppings. you can get some really good mixtures and a variety of tastes depending on the combination you try. the lavendar honey was delicious! the bad: the wait. we waited over 1 1/2 hours on sunday morning, so be prepared! we were visiting from out of town, so it wasn't that big of a deal cause we just ended up going to get bloody mary's at a bar first, then came back to eat. even after a drink at a bar, we still had to wait, so we got a snack at a couple of the food stands in the parking lot next to slappy's. so if you get a long wait time, i recommend getting a snack before your meal, as strange as that sounds! pancakes: they weren't the best pancakes i've ever had, but maybe that was just my pancake-making skills. either way, i think you come here more for the experience making the pancakes and trying different combinations.
(3)H M.
Making your own pancakes is really fun. The flavored syrups were so good!! The cocktails are also good. I totally come here with my friends even though we don't have kids.
(4)Jaben C.
I've been here twice; once at the bar and once at a table. I have to say that the table where you can cook your own stuff is vastly superior. I didn't realize how fun and silly it was to make my own shaped pancakes. Woohoo! We tried tha standard buttermilk and the whole grain pancake mixes. And when we managed to plug one of the bottles they fixed it without any issues. How do you clog it I thought, but I couldn't unclog it myself either. My only real negative is that the orange juice is quite over-priced it seems.
(4)Hannah J.
I thought the pancakes were delicious and the concept is fun! Great for a date or family time! Definitely repeating!
(5)E G.
Went here with a friend because she wanted to go and I expect it's because she likes to play with her food. Anyway, it was a weekday so no wait. If I'm going out to breakfast, I want someone to make it for me, fresh, and hot, not have to make it myself. But since I was humoring my friend, I went along with it. She ordered the gluten-free pancakes and I the pork belly benedict. There was then the presentation of the griddle be the server and a five-second how-to. It took half the bottle to get a cake that wasn't either burned, raw, or stuck to the griddle. Use more oil they said. Use a different part of the griddle they said. Ugh, what a waste! My benedict was mediocre. The hollandaise was drab off-white color and had no taste. The poached eggs were obviously made ahead of time and reheated which is okay I guess except that the yolks were no longer runny. The pork belly had little crispy bark to it. Then there's the problem with the hot griddle sitting there between us making it very uncomfortable to have a conversation and finish our coffees without needing a cold towel. I get the attraction for families and kids but for a good grown-up breakfast, beat feet somewhere else.
(1)Cheyenne C.
I'm seriously considering moving to Portland just so I can eat here all the time. where to star.... the guy who took us to our seat was the nicest guy and made us instantly happy. such a fun environment, and the pancakes..... oh the pancakes. I make vegan pancakes all the time and have ordered them many places and these were the best ones I have ever eatin. hands down. everyone needs to eat here. everyone.
(5)Brian J.
The most fun, unique, and delicious breakfast I've ever had! I had some friends visiting me from out-of-state, so I took them to Slappy Cakes. We had a blast making a variety of creating and unusual pancakes (yes, you make your own!). We made some with nuts and fruits, some with bacon and mushroom (mmm) and the kids enjoyed making some with chocolate some kind of nut butter topping. I was blown away by this experience. This is a must-see if you haven't been there yet. But plan on a LONG wait. It's well-worth it though.
(5)Sarah K.
Want brunch in Portland? You're going to have to prepare for a wait wherever you go. Slappy Cakes, fortunately, has a first-come first-served bar, so if the grumpy hungries are making you intolerable and you are with a small party, you can usually find a seat quickly. However, at the bar you miss the best part of this restaurant - the griddles at every table. Most people come with their friends, order a few types of batter and some toppings, and make crazy pancakes in creative shapes. I've enjoyed the other breakfast options, coffee, and cocktails as well (mmm.... bacon in my Bloody Mary). I may be an adult, but this establishment makes me giddy.
(5)Ashley C.
THE BEST PANCAKES EVER!! I love the concept of making your own pancakes, the people are friendly, and it is great for families. The toppings are delicious too :))
(5)Jess S.
I dig the Slappycakes, though I have only been one time so far. Along the lines of some of the other reviews, I would certainly never go when the place is extremely busy, so late morning on a weekday (when I went) seems to be best. We had to wait quite awhile for our drinks and batter bottles. The pancakes, however, were great. All three of us had the vegan batter, and the waitress correctly assumed we would want vegan butter, which she brought before our batter without us having to ask. She also didn't think it was strange that I wanted cow milk for my coffee even though everything else was vegan. The syrups on the table were very good, but the apple syrup stood out to all of us- it was delicious. They also serve Stumptown coffee and the waitress was always quick in offering me refills. One of my dining partners had OJ, which was something like $3 and only about 8 ounces. We did however receive ice water immediately upon seeing our waitress, which is a nice touch. We also had a side of potatoes to share, and they were fantastic. The only food complaints I have, other than the slightly longer than seemingly necessary wait, was they have no vegan chocolate chips, no white chocolate chips, and the toppings are a little expensive. For $1 (on top of your $5 batter), you get a small gravy boat of berries, banana, etc. One dollar for *maybe* half a banana or a palm-full of blueberries. I am inclined to say one topping should be included with the batter, then the $1 for additional would be quite reasonable. I'll go back for sure, but a little tweaking needs to occur to continue success. I hope it happens.
(4)Antonious M.
this ain't ihop folks ! this is a food boutique . slighlty upscale yet very down home . it's a very popular place in the morning so patience is a virtue . feel free to draw on the sidewalks with provided chalk and have a cup of joe while you are waiting . everyone here is friendly and work hard . i have had the bartender come from behind the bar to help wait on me . if they are really busy and you are a small party sit at the counter and chat up the chefs . there is so much more than pancakes here but cooking your own pancakes with friends is fun and tasty . the food is very bistro . biscuits and gravy have a kick , the scrambles are savory , chicken fried bacon in indulgent and a guilty pleasure , the bloody marys are served with bacon , and there is burgers , etc on the lunch menu .the high color pancake themed art , interesting music selection . high ceilings give this place a very different feel that i enjoy . they grow there own herbs , make their own pickles , etc . each meal will be unique and an experience . for me these guys have embraced me and shown me great hospitality and good food . this is my happy place to relax even when it is uber busy . smile when you come through the door and keep an open mind . remember good food is slow food and these guys are as local as it gets and refect the hipster laid back style that is portland . if you want an experience and not a cookie cutter corporate meal this is your joint :)
(5)Mike M.
Such a good menu needs to be seen and tasted by all breakfast lovers. I chose the veggie benedict and was more pleased than I could've ever expected. Meat lovers: get your hands on the bacon fat hollandaise. Creamy and rich, simply delicious. Chef has specials that are cheap and great to accompany the menu items. To top it all off they have a full drink menu and stay open 'til five. I already know when I'm going back; just have to choose the next item to devour.
(5)Sterling R.
There's just something about a place that serves a drink called "whiskey for breakfast." Also, making pancakes on the benihana style grill in the center of your table is pretty fun. Surprisingly more fun than you'd expect. The savory stuff was excellent. Totally worth checking out.
(5)K P.
Went with my 13 year old son today and we really enjoyed ourselves! The food was delicious, I had a potato and vegan sausage dish and my son made pancakes. It was very entertaining to watch his batter become a star, snowman, penny size pancakes and various other shapes with some added sides of bacon and chocolate chips. Portions are VERY generous - we will be back with friends and siblings this weekend. Great atmosphere, good service and good food.
(4)Stephen C.
This place rocks! I may have had doubts, but today I have laid them completely to rest. Amazing flavors everywhere we turned, from the buttermilk cakes with blueberries and lemon curd to the forest mushroom scramble. Cool vibe inside and fairly fun experience flipping slappy cakes. I say go for it, in a town now boasting many good breakfast spots, Slappy Cakes is standing tall among them. Do it!
(5)Darby S.
So disappointing! The tables were sticky, and leave hardly any room for eating because of the large built-in grills. I was a nervous wreck the whole time, afraid my kids would burn themselves. The maple syrup dispensers were sticky and our waitress hardly came by, so I had to eat half of my meal with sticky fingers, along with my two kids. The batter was grossly over-priced, and each $6.00 container only made about 4 small pancakes. My kids left hungry, and I spent over $30.00 between two orders of pancakes, some sides for the pancakes (1/4 of a brown banana cut up into a little dish costs $1.50), and breakfast for my partner, and two coffees. My kids drank water. So overpriced I couldn't swallow my pancakes. Our waitress gave me the impression that because she was sporting some cool tattoos that she didn't have to provide good service, and she didn't. The pancake batter tasted like cheap mix. I agree with another reviewer that it's I-HOP quality, except they get to charge outrageous prices because they're on Belmont and have hipster staff. I'm so sick of paying for shitty service & food in SE Portland. I would not recommend this place to anyone, and we didn't even have to wait in line. My partner's breakfast was cold & the toast was burned. The butter wouldn't even melt on his toast & then his potatoes were cold, too. Sucky experience & I had to pay top dollar. Left exhausted, sticky, and stressed.
(1)Mike R.
Fantastic idea and so much fun. Great colors, open area, and the pancakes you make are limited to you imagination. For two people we got a regular breakfast and 12 oz of batter and toppings. Perfect amount.
(5)April C.
having knocked off work before noon christmas eve, my BFF and i were desperate for something fun, maybe a little indulgent, and typically, wacky. the fact that you can get 'whiskey for breakfast' and a pile of pancakes at a nearby establishment seemed ideal. and for the most part, it was. why the 3 stars? the place was a disaster. when we walked in there was a bit of a wait (nothing at all compared to any given brunch hotspot on a saturday, however) and what seemed like a fairly full staff was buzzing about in all directions while tables sat empty, many full of dirty dishes. we thought, maybe, pre-holiday, it wasn't such a full staff, so patiently waited. we were seated in decent time, and our server was perfectly attentive despite the surrounding madness (though not incredibly knowledgeable about anything on the menu involving carnage so we gather, very vegetarian). the atmosphere was just completely chaotic and our first impression - a trashed table overflowing with used dishes right by the entry - was not encouraging. add to that the smokey 'heavy' hair as teresa noted, it was somewhat uncomfortable. as a designer i have to say the place, aesthetically, is quite cute. orange and white and wood and some nice pancake-related paintings...very cute. the point is the pancakes however, right? well, the pancakes themselves were awesome, that needs to be said. (we only tried the buttermilk variety) and while the list of things you can purchase to add to your pancakes as you cook them was interesting and somewhat extensive, you get very, very little for the $1 or $1.50 or whatever it was. i mean, what might have been a half a banana, for $1? really? and back to the whiskey... my cocktail ('whiskey for breakfast') was fair enough, but as with the banana phenomenon noted above, a barely decent portion for the bar price. my friends drink, however, the toddy (i forget the cute name) was completely overwhelmed by the heavy-handed spices added. some spice is nice but if it seems like you're sucking on a cinnamon stick, not so much... she had to ask them to water it down. that said, we later realized, those were some damn strong drinks. that or the pancakes were as intoxicating. so, in summary - cute concept, very yummy pancakes, decent design, but chaotic management. room for improvement, for sure, but not to be written off just yet. i mean, i've yet to try an afternoon 'slappy hour', right?! [major cute marketing points]
(3)Jav V.
I like the idea of this place a lot and I really like the way it looks, but in the end, it wasn't all I'd hoped for. First of all, my husband and I both smashed our legs on the sharp corner of the table getting in. It hurt real bad. I guess that is design flaw #1. Design flaw #2 is that the griddle takes up almost the entire table, leaving you with pretty limited space to maneuver dishes/condiments/utensils/drinks/etc, especially if there is more than on person on each side. Now, on to the drinks. They are awesome. Well, I only had one, but they all sound awesome. The Slappy Red bloody mary is so good, especially with a strip of bacon in it. The food, on the other hand, is just OK. On my first visit, I had the corned beef hash. It was kind of dry and bland. The potatoes were good though. On my second visit, I had pancakes, a taco, and fries. The fries are pretty good. The taco was not great. I probably wouldn't get it again. I thought the pancakes should stand out, since that is the main theme. They didn't. I have had many better pancakes in my life. Yes, cooking them yourself at your table and eating them immediately after is fun and all, but I still want them to be good. Also, you smell like oil upon leaving. I'll go back for more drinks and cause it's kinda fun, but I hope I will find something on the menu to love.
(3)Lauren M.
We went here with friends when we were visiting and its a really fun idea.My biggest issue is the wait and the fact they don't take reservations. With 2 small kids, it's difficult to keep them occupied and obviously a place like this is geared toward families. We arrived around 10:45 on a Sunday and were told that it would be about an hour. Once our friends arrived, we took a long walk after we had checked in on the timing again, and still, by the time we got back, I think all in all we waited about an hour 20 minutes. This is ridiculous for a casual breakfast place. The food, the pancakes (self-made) were good, although i think the batter is a bit overpriced. My husband and I split 1 bottle and then each got a breakfast as well, which was good. Service was fine. Overall, it can be a fun experience, but the wait is just so long -- at least 15 minutes longer than they say it will be, which after an hour, really starts to get bad. Parking is pretty easy around here and there is a food truck park right next door where you can get smoothies, coffee, etc.
(3)Lucia C.
Walking to this place was exciting. It almost like waiting in line to get into disneyland. During my 45 min wait at 11 am on a Sunday (You would expect more people to be at church!), I inconspicuously glanced over at all the various ways people were handling their tubes of pancake batter. By the end of the wait, I was completely ready to make an elephant-shaped pancake. My friends and I ordered a tube of the buttermilk pancake mix and the pumpkin pancake mix with hazelnut, cranberries, and satsuma ginger marmalade. (I highly recommend the marmalade- it's like a fancy version of orange jam) We also split the pork belly benedict, which the menu describes as a "confit of pork belly with pickle carrot ribbons on an english muffin with two eggs & a bacon fat hollandaise". basically blood clotting greasy goodness conveniently package with an english muffin. The whole experience was really entertaining. I dig the idea of using pancakes as a creative outlet. My elephant pancake ended up looking obscene, but my triangular shaped pancake deserved admiration. In the end, I think this is one of those "once is enough" kind of places. Although the food was fun to make, everything tasted excessively sweet and oily. Sadly, the pork belly benedict left me feeling disgusted, and I only had two bites. p.s for the adventurous they have a "slappy hour" hahahaha
(3)Shawn W.
We finally made it to Slappy Cakes! Fun place for the kids. (4.5yrs, 1.5yrs) And, no burned fingers on the table top griddle! We went basic on the pancake choice: Straight up buttermilk with maple syrup. Flavor was good, but no loft to the pancake. I suspect it might have been day 2 on the batter or just watered down. My wife had a seasonal vegetable Benedict that she loved. I had Toad in the Hole: 2 eggs fried in holes cut out of sourdough toast with potatoes on the side and 2 pieces of delicious, perfectly cooked bacon. Incidentally, this is the first time I have seen eggs prepared like this outside of my kitchen or the old "Jamie's Great Hamburgers!" restaurant that I cooked breakfast at years ago. I called them "Moonstruck eggs" because Cher made them for Nicolas Cage in the movie, Moonstruck.....Toad in the Hole was delicious! We went on a quiet, Thursday AM....I couldn't imagine attempting to go on a weekend with the crowds! Service was good...Our server gave us a good beginner explanation on how things worked. All in all, great place! However, it brought a few line cook flashbacks to me!
(4)Gary V.
The prices were fairly high for what we were given: two small, plastic beakers of goop, one small side of vegan sausage, one side of mushrooms, one side of "mountain berries" (uh... what? just name the f**king berries for pete's sake) and one side of apple slices- which were browning before they hit the table. The vegan batter was atrocious. It would not cook right no matter how many different methods I tried, no matter what part of the cooking area I placed the batter in. Aside from it not preparing anywhere as good as the vegan batter I make at home, Slappy Cake's vegan batter did not taste good at all. The buttermilk batter was significantly better, however. Firmed up nicely and browned correctly- like a pancake should. The servers and staff were friendly enough, but I wouldn't recommend Slappy cakes to anyone I know and like. Good effort on the creative dining though!
(2)L S.
We visited today and were first time visitors. Our group of seven arrived about 9:45AM on a Sunday morning after running the Shamrock run, so we were hungry! The good, we enjoyed tasty bloody mary's as we waited, the bad, not a lot of room to wait, which was a full hour wait, we felt like we were always in the wait staffs way where we found a spot to stand. The good, the atmosphere has great energy, the bad, the "male hostess" with long hair and glasses (name unknown, not a human being we would ever want to know), was incredibly impatient and short with our group when we asked the always normal question of "how soon will our table be ready?" To the management of the restaurant: this gentleman is NOT who you want up front representing your establishment. Our excitement to dine here fizzled after he sniped at our group multiple times. Our server though, she was AMAZING. She really worked hard to make our visit a good one. Good recovery!!! The cakes were great, the variety is fun, the service (except for the crabby hostess at the door) was superb!!! We'll be back again and we'll work around the unprofessional crab at the door.
(3)Liz R.
When I was a kid, I had an unhealthy obsession with those hibachi grill Japanese restaurants. They cook the food in front of you and make a volcano out of onions for goodness' sake! Slappy Cakes is Benihana all grown up and, while the food wasn't the best I had, it was definitely a lot of fun to try and come up with increasingly ridiculous shapes for our DIY pancakes. Plus, the real breakfast food we got to go with them wasn't half bad and everyone that worked there was incredibly nice. If you go, get only one bottle of batter for two people unless pancakes are the only things you're going to eat and steer clear of the novelty syrups because they taste like vinegar (the maple one tastes fine).
(4)Leslie F.
So I have to update my review. Even though we initially really liked this place it just became a huge hassle and disappointment. It's great for families and groups, especially if you have a ton of time to wait, but our experience just declined overtime to the point where my husband refuses to go back... even after wanting to go there every time we went out for brunch. They had a rewards program to get free food but every time we tried to use the rewards it became a huge ordeal and often times wouldn't get our credit applied, which was a lure of returning over other great places in Portland. That being said, the food is pretty good, when you have someone there that doesn't burn it.
(3)Christina T.
Last time we went to Slappy Cakes they had the oven baked pancake with lemon curd and rhubarb, which was amazing! I was so bummed they didn't have it this time. BUT, the cheddar bacon biscuits (I think called bacon pops) were good, as was the bacon jam to spread on it. I always enjoy sitting at the bar where you can watch them cook all the food and ponder what meal to order next.
(4)Joel W.
Yep, the cook your own pancakes thing is a little gimmicky, something you'd think Kosmo Kramer came up with. BUT, keep in mind that you don't have to make your own. I didn't make my own, but the pancake was really good. I got just a basic buttermilk, it was tender and moist, good stuff. Also like that they have a variety of syrups available. I also had some tasty pork sausage & I appreciate any breakfast joint with good sausage (that's what she said). The french toast brioche with apples is really good & CHEAP. Also have a good looking cinnamon roll. Slappy Cakes also has some amazing looking morning adult beverages. I had a taste of the Whiskey in the morning & it was good. And if you like bloody marys, their's looked amazing - came with a stick of bacon in it. You may have to wait awhile if you want a table with a griddle, but we sat right down @ the bar.
(4)kelly s.
So I love this idea, and it was really fun. Batter could have been more unique, however we all all know how hard it is to make pancakes right from home, and these come out perfectly every time, so I'm theorizing it's in the batter that they get a good consistency. A little pricey if you go for all the extras (not bad though), but I really love the concept and the space, food is a 3.5 (scrambled eggs are sometimes super awesome, other times were nearly burnt, otherwise would have given more points) - All in all, a kick ass place to go with friends, wish it was 24 hrs
(4)Traci W.
My husband and I brought our two daughters ages 4 and 8 for breakfast on President's Day. We arrived at 9:00 and were told it would be a 45 min wait. We had read other reviews and had been prepared to wait over an hour so this wasn't a bother. We put our phone # in and took a stroll around the neighborhood. 45 min later we got a text message saying our table was ready. We checked back in and within 5 minutes we were seated at our table. The atmosphere was bright and fun and our server was very welcoming. There are several different batters, toppings and fixins to pick from. The 8 oz bottles of batter are $6.50 each and the toppings range from $1-$3. They offer vegan and gluten free batters. We got 2 buttermilk bottles, blueberries, chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and whipped cream. We also ordered some items from their brunch menu. The forest mushroom scramble($10) was delicious. The biscuits and gravy($4) portion was smaller than anticipated, but tasty. We also ordered a side of Bacon($3). My girls thought this place was absolutely magical. They had so much fun making and dressing their own pancakes. We found that the smaller, thinner pancakes cooked better. We made letters, flowers and bears without problems but big round pancakes loaded with toppings tended to stick and they took forever to cook. Our server, Stephanie S., was fantastic! She did a great job of explaining everything to us and she was very attentive. The pancakes were good, but they were just pancakes. You go for the experience here and it's a great one. A must if you have kiddos! As we left around 11:15 we overheard the host tell a family it would be a 1 1/2 hour wait, so get there early if you go. I've heard that 8:00 and 2:00 are the best times to go on the weekends. I only give 4 stars because of the wait time, but they handled it really well. If we went again we would probably stick to just pancakes and experiment with a bunch of different toppings. Our total for this trip was $47 before tip. This included what is listed above and 4 beverages. I would definitely recommend.
(4)Marcela M.
Definitely a popular place--luckily was content with getting a single pancake (they're HUGE!) so could sit at the bar, avoiding the 40 min wait. Got the one with peanut butter batter which was yummy. Not sure if making my own pancakes is such an attraction so nice to have the options of getting a short stack made for you--very speedy service.
(5)Teresa J.
I'm giving two stars, which means "I've experienced better," even though I've never been to a make-your-own-pancakes place before. We took three boys, ages 7, 6 and 1.5, to Slappycakes on the day after Christmas. A friend told us about it and she wanted to treat. We arrived at 1:30 to find the restaurant about 1/3 full. Smoke from the griddles and cooked bacon was heavy in the air. With 5 adults and 3 kids in our party we sat at the long table and shared two cooking surfaces ("Don't touch! Very hot! Be careful!"). The experienced member of our crew ordered 3 bottles of buttermilk batter, 1 bottle of pumpkin. I opted for the vegan plate, and my man asked for a classic breakfast. I don't remember what everyone else ordered, but ultimately there was confusion. We wound up with a duplicate of one order and another order was missed. I had a bad feeling from the start, when nearly everyone ordered coffee but the waitress had to ask the one who ordered soda what she had asked for. Anyway, the boys dug it. After chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup they were chasing around like weasels. This bothered the staff not at all. My vegan plate (polenta cakes atop sauteed mixed veggies with a red wine sauce) was really quite yummy, and my man liked his eggs, potatoes, bacon and rye toast. As for the main attraction, I took one bite of a pumpkin pancake and didn't want more. I like that Slappycakes uses local, organic ingredients. According to the menu, they also have a garden out back, and they compost. So, yays for that. Boos for the air quality, the over-oiled griddles (fried pancakes?), the random service, the freakin' ORANGE color scheme, and the too-loud music. I won't be in a hurry to go back.
(2)Kevin V.
Kinda fun to eat here with children. Although, that's also what I don't like about this place. It's crawling with little children, sticky everything, tantrums, and their unabashed stares while you're trying to eat. I've been twice, and the servers both times seem very unhappy to be there... might have something to do with the screaming kids I'd have to assume.
(2)Alec C.
Just had a cheap, delicious and FUN breakfast over at Slappy Cakes. Make-your-own-pancakes right on the table! I went for the classic buttermilk batter, fruit, and jelly and it was all very tasty. They pre-oil your table-griddle and the server told us we wouldn't need any more oil for the second batch, but we learned otherwise. They will re-oil you at request. The only drawback to this place is my clothes smelling like I worked a shift in a greasy spoon.
(5)Brad L.
My wife, daughter and I planned a trip to Portland to eat at places we had seen on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. One stop was Slappy Cakes. We sat at the counter and the cook thoroughly entertained our 8 year old. The breakfast was great and the show was even better. I loved the parsnip batter!!!!
(4)Ryan D.
After a great may years living in PortlandI have become jaded to certain neighborhoods and their restaurants. Last year I was persuaded by my awesome children to make the long drive from North Portland to Slappy Cakes. I half went into it thinking it was going to be a combo of some weird gimmick and be entrenched in that weird SE/NE Portland hipster arrogance and bad service. I couldn't have been more wrong. Slappy Cakes has delicious food and great friendly service. Obviously the star of the show is the pancakes and the griddle..and my kids and myself equally have a great time making fun shapes and filling them with a great assortment of toppings and experimenting with flavors. It's actually a healthy fun family activity.But the under appreciated items may be the actual menu itself. From options like creamy grits to eggs with larodons I was throughly impressed. They sell high end down home comfort food. It's delicious and prepared with obvious dedication. I strongly recommend it. I was also wrong about the service. Attentive,friendly and genuine. In the one instance where an item was left out of my girlfriends dish..they moved quickly and were genuinely sorry and a cook brought to our table and apologized personally. Uhh.wow. I've never experienced another mistake there..but the way they dealt with it shows why they make so few. I love going here and we make it there as much as we can. I have even been known to go there without the kids (shhhh..:) ). And I'm glad they proved me wrong.
(4)Laura M.
I didn't cook my own pancakes. so maybe I missed the whole point of coming here, but my two cents: decent omelette: good, quality mushrooms, but the eggs were a little soggy, really peppy server, really, sticky-eww-why-did-I-rest-my-elbows-here" table.
(3)Beth P.
Tepid grills don't make great pancakes, or maybe I don't make great pancakes, I don't know. Added an extra star for tasty Lemon Curd! One more star for how happy it made my boy!
(3)Karen M.
IF YOU HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES - you may want to call ahead. They have GF pancakes, and vegan whole wheat pancakes, but not GF/Vegan pancakes. This is a big oversite and the server we asked about getting this option was not friendly about it - not even slightly. Making your own pancakes was fun, but the server's attitude will probably keep us from going back.
(1)Emily P.
What a fun experience!!! It's fun to make your own pancakes on the griddle at your table, but surprisingly, the pancake mix is super good too!!! They say the for $6 you get a tube of pancake mix that makes about 4-5 pancakes, but it made soo much more then that!!! My husband, our friend and I got a tube of pancakes and split another meal and it was plenty. And it was ALL fabulous!!! They also serve Stump Town coffee, which I am a sucker for. Highly recommend this place, but it is a little pricey for breakfast.
(4)May T.
Do you like to 'cook' your own food at restaurants? I do! And that's why i was so happy to hear about Slappy Cakes. Every table/booth has a built in griddle. A 5 oz bottle of batter cost $5 and additional toppings $1. I got bananas (probably only half of a medium banana) with my Vegan Whole wheat pancake batter. I entertained myself by making stars and hearts w/ my batter. Lot's 'o fun!! Cooked fast and fluffy. 4 syrups: 2 unlabeled, the other two marked: C and B; (kinda lame.) Their menu, minus the pancakes, is small but creative. I stop by around 1p and there were 8 customers there. (open 8am-5p) Waitress was super nice and very helpful. Because the griddle takes up 50% of the table, I couldn't spread out my newspaper; Small children and idiots should to monitored. Slappy Cakes wasn't listed under restaurants in my GPS so i had to drive really slow up Belmont to find it. (should have been smart and written down the address: duh!) It's on the same block as Movie Madness in a shiny new building. Good eats, will go again to show it off to friends and out of towners, nice gimmick. There are better pancakes out there in town,and that's why i scored it w just 3 stars.
(3)Kate R.
So much fun. I love coming here with friends. It's awesome to be able to make our pancakes, with tons of different topping options, and fun bottles to make shapes and designs on the griddles. Only downsides are yes, the wait can be awhile. The pancakes themselves are good, but nothing extraordinary. Tip! Sign up for their free rewards programs. I get lots of e-mails for weekly/monthly freebies. Love it!
(4)Frances M.
Okay this place is still in it's 1st week so I don't want to be too much of a downer. I gave Slappy Cakes 3 stars as more of a hope for a better future because as it stood when I was there on Saturday, it was a hot mess. The service was s-l-o-w. We waited an hour before eating and this was after being seated. Note that if there are open spots at the bar it's 1st come 1st serve & you may be able to order sooner, as we did. Ordering from the bar means they will cook pancakes for you but know you may have a longer wait on your hands after ordering. Also if you order ANYTHING other than make-your-own-pancakes you'll be in for quite a wait as well. Items we ordered included pigs 'n' a blanket, a gluten free pancake, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon & potatoes. My eggs were -filled- with shells. It wasn't just a little bit of shell. It was full on crunchy & I was horrified to say the least. Also my spouses pigs 'n' a blanket were raw in the middle. Not once but twice! And this was after an hour of waiting. Now for the good. The staff were incredibly apologetic. Not only did they comp our meals but the lovely bartender made us free drinks with her yummy house made lemongrass/ginger syrup. We were also given gift cards for a future visit. Seriously the staff really came through because if the service had been bad... we would have been pissed. Instead the kind folks made it clear they want feedback & hope to work out the glaring inconsistencies. As far as the other items we ordered the turkey bacon was hearty. The gluten free pancake & syrup options were divine. The potatoes were crisp flavorful but too peppery. Give this place another few weeks & my guess & my hope is they will shine. For now there is still some hard work to do.
(3)Jacob G.
Make my own pancakes? The heck? We I took my parents here since my mom's a pancake fiend and, well, it turned out good for us. We each got a bottle of batter and some toppings. Dad got bacon, eggs, and biscuits and gravy (he cooks all the time at home so didn't want to make his own pancakes). I admit it was fun making my own pancakes. This sort of thing lends to wanting to experiment so I made a bacon chocolate chip pancake that didn't exactly work out. However, the banana chocolate was good. I found a place that both of my parents liked so that was good enough for this visit. However, I'd go back again and try out some more pancake experiments.
(4)Melisa V.
went back for brunch today with my husband and three other friends. we had to wait about 15 minutes, which wasn't too bad. we fit perfectly around a table, but with all of our food and drinks it got pretty congested. this time, we decided to get pancakes as a starter though one person ordered them for his meal. I had the mushroom scramble, which was also filled with spinach, goat cheese and bacon. it was delicious. my husband was craving the country fried steak and could only eat half of it. I tried a bite and it was okay. definitely liked mine better. one of my friends ordered the huevos rancheros and that looked pretty good. our pancakes arrived with the rest of our meal, which was a bit annoying because we really didn't have a lot of space to put our pancakes anywhere after we made them. they were pretty tasty though. (with banana, blueberry & chocolate chips) plus, we couldn't fault our server because we didn't ask her to bring them early. the portions are a great size to share an entree and a bottle of pancake batter. definitely come prepared to share and you'll have a much better experience! also had a slappy red, minus the vodka (still hungover from the previous night). the vodka wasn't missed and I loved the mix of veggies that accompanied it. I was pretty envious of my friend's pink lady (sparkling wine + blood OJ).
(4)Liz K.
best pancakes ever! light & fluffy - just perfect pancakes. I've had a lot of pancakes, & these are the best. Their biscuits & gravy are just awesome too! It's our new every Sunday joint :) Thank you Slappy Cakes!
(5)Andrea B.
Very long wait with not much seating while you're waiting. The hostess doesn't stay put so its hard to find out how long the wait is, etc. We finally decided to sit at the bar so we didn't have to wait any longer. I got a sweet potato pancake which was amazing! I do wish that they had a bigger menu that included things like omlettes and french toast.
(4)Benja F.
Some points for concept. It's clever and nicely done. Some more points for decent standards (ie: egg based breakfast dishes) that were tasty. Minus bigtime points for charging me $1.75 for milk to fill up a baby bottle for my kid. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I'm going to have to deduct a few points temporarily as this place is currently a bit too popular and will have annoying lines on a weekend. That's not their fault.
(3)Laura S.
Went on a Saturday, my mistake. Wait time was over an hour. There were four in our group, 2 of us being larger folks. The boths are ridiculous and very uncomfortable. The hot plates at the table are basically right in your face and you are literally sweating at the table. I doubt I'd give this place a second shout out or try.
(2)Emily H.
I will go back just because the service was so good and it is easy walking distance from my house. Last Saturday morning we sat at the bar on the tail end of the entire restaurant having just been sat. I knew the food would take awhile, but it took A REALLY LONG TIME (close to 45 min in the end). The situation was saved because not only our server, but another server, kept checking on us, filling my coffee, apologizing for the delay and generally being very pleasant even though everyone working had that look of petrified gloom that overtakes a place when everybody knows they are hopelessly "in the weeds" for the next four hours solid. They could have been surly and ignored us. Instead they comped our entire meal without us complaining once, and asked for honest feedback, which we gave. They really want to do better, which gives me hope for the future. Sitting at the counter afforded us an inside view. The grill is way too small for the volume of business, as is the area for plating and organizing orders. Until they get a bigger grill, the food times are likely to be LONG when the place is busy. I think they underestimated how many people wouldn't order the "cook it yourself" pancakes. I had the corned beef hash, which I wouldn't order again. There was nothing wrong with it really, it just doesn't hold a candle to the hash at Zells, Bijou or the sadly defunct Henry's Cafe ( SE Clinton). The husband had the pigs in a blanket, and the bite I had was delicious. He declared them the best pancakes he has had in 20 years. I wouldn't go that far, but I will give Slappy Cakes another try in a couple of months to give them time to iron out the wrinkles.
(3)E A.
Went to Slappy Cakes last week, so my son could enjoy some pancakes following the 4th of July. We liked the whole idea of being able to make the pancakes ourselves so it would entertain child while I sucked down a Bloody Mary after a long night of fireworks and Sessions. I also ordered the vegetarian leek gravy, biscuit and vegan sausage. Went chubby style and threw my sausage into the amazing leek gravy. My son got the pancakes with blueberries. Pretty standard pancake batter, but the blueberries were very fresh and delicious. Overall great décor, great place for kids, reasonable pricing and a decent Mary.
(4)elaine t.
The novelty of paying for the privilege to make my own pancakes has worn off. However, the food is good otherwise. Don't go on weekends and you will be happier. Nice staff.
(3)Jeremy S.
Love the idea. I'm not the biggest pancake fan, but this place is fun.
(4)bekah S.
Loved the service, loved the atmosphere, and loved the pancakes! It was a fun experience and will go back all the time now!
(5)Ahlam S.
3 1/2 love the uniqueness. saw this place featured on Unique Eats and was dying to check it out. Staff is super friendly. atmosphere is very laid back and easy going. Great place for families, big groups or even a unique first date. Went in a group of 4 and one toddler. We played it safe and ordered the whole wheat and buttermilk batters. Pancakes were great and fluffy. The whole wheat had a great nutty sweetness to it. Delicious! Best part- you go at your own pace! Every bite is warm and perfect. No soggy cold pancakes at Slappy Cakes!
(4)Dana S.
Forgive me if the following makes no sense, as I just hit my head on a tree...hard. Srsly! BF and I went to Slappy Cakes at 2 p.m. on a Sunday and were seated immediately! Sleeping til noon has its perks. We started with buttermilk pancakes ($5) presented in a squeeze bottle, and ordered chocolate chips for extra $1. I'm a bit amazed that no children (or drunk assholes) have been burned yet. The griddle is pretty darn big, and there is just enough room on each side of the table for a plate. So yeah...squeeze...add chocolate chips...wait...flip...wait. There's not much more to say about the pancakes except they were delicious and fluffy and fun. One bottle between two people is enough if you plan to order entrees. If you're just looking for a pancake meal, go for a second bottle, maybe choose a different batter (pumpkin, perhaps?). Oh, I liked the variety of syrups at the table: classic, raspberry and apple! You can order real maple syrup for $2, but I actually prefer the cheap stuff... So the pancakes acted as our appetizer, I suppose. Breakfast is served all day (thankfully, because I'd like to continue waking up at noon, thanks) The BF ordered the veggie eggs benedict and I ordered the country stack. Mine was basically potatoes, vegan sausage and various veggies like peppers, onions and something I can't put my finger on but it was damn good, all smothered in cheese. It came with a side of toast, and in my case, sourdough. My one complaint is the lack of vegan sausage. It is cut into small pieces and it was hard to even come across any. Oh, also, maybe the potatoes should be seasoned a bit more. Other than that, the dish was the perfect accompaniment to pancakes, which of course are pretty heavy even if it IS the appetizer. BF enjoyed his meal as well, but I couldn't give you specifics on it. Overall this was definitely a fun place. It doesn't have to rely on a gimmick because the food is great. It'd be cool if the "Slappy Hour" menu had at least one vegetarian option, though. Oh also, when I picked up my bag to leave, it literally peeled off the seat in slow motion. This place is kind of covered in syrup. Expected? Not really, because it should be cleaned a little better after each customer.
(4)Chelsea P.
In response to Kou C. : I am so sorry about your experience at Slappy Cakes today. Unfortunately, there must have been a communication breakdown, because when you came in this morning I had JUST had coffee explode all over my shirt/chest/face and was in the middle of trying to get it all cleaned up. It was very unexpected, and the server who helped you was checking to see if I was ok. I'm very sorry if we ever gave you the impression that we were not sincere or ready to serve you, that is most assuredly not the case for either of us. I just wanted to apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you, but I honestly was caught up in a mess and was not able to come greet you at the door in a timely manner. I hope you come back another time and have a much better experience!
(4)Turner M.
This place is pretty grand. Who doesn't love make-your-own pancakes? Slappy Cakes is great for kids - most of the fun I had there was watching kids make their own pancakes. You kind of turn into a kid yourself. Although, if you're one of those nervous parents (the kind that puts your kids on a leash), than I wouldn't come here - but, the again, I'm one of those people who believe every kid should burn their hand on a hot griddle at least once - how else are they supposed to learn?? The downside is the fact I wasn't super psyched with the staff. I was a few pancakes in before I had to remind them about my drink order. And then they kind of messed up our tab. But let's face it, hipsters don't make the best wait staff.....
(3)Alex W.
My wife & I went to Slappy Cakes today and had a great time. We went at noon and waited for a good 45 minutes for a table, but it was worth it. (and they have coffee while you wait!) They have great cocktails and making the pancakes is a lot of fun. I was surprised at how much I liked the savory pancakes. We ordered mushrooms, blue cheese and scallions, as well as some blueberries and orange marmalade for pancake toppings. The traditional breakfast items were good, although the potatoes were pretty weak. The hostess didn't seem like she knew what she was doing, but those things work themselves out. I would definitely give it a try, quite an experience!
(3)Samantha G.
Slappycakes hasn't been open long, but I've been there twice and bought a gift certificate. I feel that I look good here. The decor is amazing. Whiskey for Breakfast will make your spit thick, you may hock a loogey-- but the gin gimlet and nonalcoholic creamsicle drinks are A+! Watch out for communal spatulas during flu season. Also, go on a weekday, or in the afternoon, for best results.
(3)Dyanne G.
Slappycakes is a short walk from our house and I had read about it in the SE Examiner so I had been wanting to check it out. My hubby and I had late brunch there on Saturday and \we enjoyed it very much. The decor was light and airy and I liked the touches of orange used in the stools and decorations. Tables all have grills to fix your pancakes on. I think this is a fun idea, but parents may want to rethink if you have young children. Although they can cover the grill for you. We decided we wanted a bit more then the pancakes so I got the Slappy Benedict, poached eggs on spinach and prosciutto over english muffins,served with breakfast potatoes. I very much enjoyed the Benedict, the hollandaise sauce was nice and light, but the potatoes could have been a bit spicier. My husband got the chicken fried steak with eggs and potatoes. This was a hardy looking breakfast and he said that it was very good. We will partake of the main attraction, Pancakes, on our next go round. Prices are in line with most of the independent breakfast places in Portland, our dishes were $8-11, 8 oz of Pancake Batter is only 5.00 + any extra fixings. So in a group of people you could get a bunch of different batter ( pumpkin, buckwheat) and fixings and put together a nice mix of pancakes. Service is a bit sketchy. I did have to wait about 15-20 for my Latte, which came with the meal. Seemed the bartender does all the specialty drinks and there was a large party that had come in before us. But all new restaurants have to go through a bit of a start phase before they get the rhythm going. I will say that the meal was served right a way and was nice and hot. The bathroom was clean. We will most definitely try it again. They also service Lunch ( breakfast all day) and a "slappy"hour.
(3)Carmen O.
FUN! This is the place you bring your friends and have a really great time. A total morning PARTY!
(5)Steve J.
Took my daughter here for breakfast, had a really nice experience. The service was really excellent. Very friendly and accommodating. The biscuit and veggie gravy was surprisingly good. The leek was a nice touch , with a good richness to it.
(4)Catrina M.
Good idea but there are better breakfast places in portland. Server Kathryn was pretty terrible
(2)David H.
Been to this place twice in other words gave them 2 chances. Last time was the kicker. Watch my food sit up on counter for 10 minutes before the waitress had the presence of mind to grab it and bring it to me. I had the huevos rancheros and if you can imagine it pretty much tasted like shit after sitting at the counter for 10 minutes. In short slappy cakes is overpriced and gimmicky with sub par service.
(1)Heather G.
It's a great concept and the pancakes are good, but nothing can make up for the horrible service. I came here with my friend last month and got the worst service of our lives. Our server started off by being really inappropriate and calling us "sugar mamas". Then someone dropped our batter and toppings, but no one oiled the griddle or came to explain how to make the pancakes. We waited ten minutes and finally just decided to try making one on the unoiled griddle. Of course everything got stuck and made a huge mess. Finally our server comes and tells us we should have been more patient, refuses to bring more toppings, and doesn't clean up the griddle, just throws oil around the areas we hadn't used. I told him I didn't want to eat my gross burnt pancake and needed a new plate. He said "please and thank you would be nice. Yeah, I'm talking to you, frog lady." I would've just left were I not totally starving. We told another server what happened and she gave us new stuff and fixed the griddle, but we were still charged for our meal. Will never go back again.
(1)Betsy K.
Worst experience ever! Don't do it! You will wait for 2 hours only to be told " oh just 10 more minutes" While people all around you who put their name in after you get seated. There are open tables all around and waiting to be cleared. Food is fine, but NOT worth the 2 hour wait. Go next store to the foodcarts
(1)Glenn L.
Sounded interesting but wasn't worth it. First bottle of cakes stuck to the grill because the idiot waitress didn't have the grill turned on. She gave us attitude like it was our fault and completely ignored us from then on. Now our kids are really hungry. Waitress was no where to be found so we had to ask a different waitress for a replacement bottle of batter and we had to re-oil the grill ourself. In the end it took us almost two hours to get through breakfast and the cakes weren't anything special. The kids didn't even have fun. Do yourself and your kids a favor - buy some batter and cook some at home. You'll have a much better experience, your cakes will be just as good if not better, and you'll save some money.
(1)jim s.
I've never been one for eating pancakes at a restaurant. I figure that's one thing I can make at home for 1/100th the cost. I finally gave this place a try though as it's in my neighborhood and people seem to like it judging by the crowds and numerous clueless patrons blocking the sidewalk out front. My verdict: not worth the hassle. The food is middling, the service is glacial, the presentation is gimmicky, and the overall atmosphere is ~terrible~ unless you like screaming toddlers and moms talking on their cell phones while their kids go berserk. If you're not a soccer mom, I'd recommend checking out the food cart pod next door instead, paradox cafe down the street, cup and saucer on hawthorne. So many places to choose from in this area, I can't imagine choosing this place.
(1)Stuart P.
Let's get down to it -- you're cooking your own pancakes. Once you get past that, Slappy Cakes is kind of fun, even for a more - ahem - mature adult. I'll admit my pancakes didn't have funny shapes, but they did have bacon in them. The batter is quite good, as are the ingredients--good, quality mix-ins make it worth the wait (and yes, on a weekend, you WILL wait).
(3)Jesse J.
A good friend of mine was visiting from Nevada and I had heard about Slappy Cakes from a friend so we decided this was the place to go for breakfast. I must say we were not disappointed. Pancakes were wonderful and it was so much fun making them at our table. I have to eat gluten free and often GF pancake batter is, well, not the best. Theirs was fantastic. Some of the best I have had. My friend raved about the chicken fried bacon and the mimosas were very tasty. Service was prompt, friendly and engaging. The atmosphere is very cool as well. Two thumbs up!
(5)Karina A.
I definately would come back to this place ONLY for the eye candy. Holy god~ it seems that in order to work there you must be very good- looking. Other than that, the vegan pancake batter was alright and toppings were very minimal. Sorry, but if I'm going to pay 1.50 for two strawberries, I'll stay home. Very fun to make the pancakes and at least it was a nice breakfast with the girls.
(3)Raechel S.
The pancakes were very very thin...very oily. Tasted like fried donuts. Service was horrible, I shared a small plate and fork with my boyfriend. They never checked on us and couldn't ask for another fork and plate until we went Looking for someone after almost being done. We'll not be going back or recommending to anyone.
(1)Claire C.
My 12 year old and I love Slappy Cakes. She gets the $5 batter and the added choc chips and bacon and goes crazy making itty bitty cakes, while I slurp on my Slappy Red (spicy bloody mary) and eat my "wilted salad." Good coffee, friendly service. We haven't tried to go during the breakfast rush, but my daughter eats pancakes around the clock and I really love that salad! Try it!
(4)Brandon R.
We tried to squeeze in a 4th bar chair up to the counter, but an employee put a stop to it. She said that she needed to keep the serving area clear for completed orders... Understandable. About 3 minutes later another group of 4 has the same idea and is left alone. Seeing this, I was a little upset so I asked to speak with the manager. To my surprise it was the employee who gave us the boot in the first place. After she proceeded to argue with me, another employee intervened and provided an alternate solution. Long story short, line staff was very accommodating, but the restaurant needs to reevaluate it's leadership.
(2)Tiffany B.
How fun would it be to bring my little one here and make pancakes at our own table for breakfast, I thought... hmmm Well we arrived after 10ish on a Sunday morning, put our name on the list and patiently, but anxiously, waited for our table. We spotted the free coffee while you wait... but no cups. Plenty of tables opened up, the line was out the door, and the staff was hanging around the bar/kitchen BS with each other...not a good sign I thought, but we continued our wait. It took them a good 15 mins or so to clean those tables and get people seated. Our total wait was 45 mins... OK, by now, the over 21 kids needed Bloody Marys... and those were some damn good Marys!!! We were excited to see they offered Gluten Free pancake mix too! So we ordered the mix, some sweet and some savory toppings, and dove in as little pancake chefs! My daughter had a blast as we did too. I think the price is a little steep and the service could use some improvements, not sure if I'll be back, but it was a cool experience.
(3)Ashley G.
I've had the same thing every time I've been here (which is about 4 or 5) times: vegan pancakes with banana and a side of the real maple syrup. Slappy Cakes is always jam packed on weekends, so expect a LONG wait if you have a party bigger than two. I've almost always gone alone and can usually find a spot at the bar to sit at so I don't have to wait. This option does not allow you to make your own pancakes at one of the built in table griddles, but you can request that they make them on the grill. Two ginormous pancakes with no add ins will cost you $6.75. I'm pretty sure they recently raised their prices. I think their vegan batter is pretty good. They have several other types too, including a gluten free batter. You can pick from any number of sweet and savory add ins for your pancakes. There's an extensive non-pancake menu as well. I like the decor and concept of this restaurant. When I went last weekend, I was seated directly in front of the food prep/ grill area. Those guys do a great job keeping the food coming out in an extremely fast-paced environment. Sometimes though I think it's best not to watch food preparation... I saw one of the chefs reach into his pocket, check his texts and then resume food handling without washing his hands.
(3)Sarah H.
Are you effing kidding me? This place is such a ridiculous gimicky Mongolian-grill-meets-IHOP joke, and the service is even worse than most places in Portland, which if you think about it is pretty hard to do. Please, out of town guest to Portland, do not beg your friends to take you here.
(1)Sam N.
Novel concept. Delicious food. Well worth the 1 hr Sunday morning wait.
(5)Kiley G.
I came and sat right by the cooks. Christopher and Rick are great super funny and bomb cooks. The place was packed for a Monday morning and everyone seemed really pleased. Our waitress nikki suggested the ambrosia drinks and they kicked our butts in an awesome way. They definitely know how to "do it right"!!!
(5)J K.
VERY VERY busy on weekends, so be prepared for a long line and a wait. It is a great place for kids since you can order the batter and cook them at your table. You can squeeze the bottle out to draw different shapes, and you get your choice of different toppings as well. For those who do not want pancakes, they have other breakfasts (egg plate options, oatmeal, etc.) to order as well. Kind of on the pricey side, but worth it for the creativity and fun.
(4)Mandy K.
My husband and I saw slappy cakes on the foodnetwork, so we knew it had to be a stop on our foodcation to Portland. I loved the vibe there, laid back and relaxed, but with a funky (orange) decor. I will admit, part of me thought " why am I paying to cook my own food?" but that thought quickly disappeared when we entered the restaurant. This place truly brings out your inner child! I loved the concept... choose your batter ( we had buttermilk and whole grain), then your mixins (apples and bacon) then your toppings (lavender honey and lemon curd). They bring the batter in squeeze bottles and the fun begins with the griddle on your table. We loved making hearts, happy faces, writing words, etc. Not only was it a blast, but the food was delicious! My only complaint is that the whole grain batter is really sticky and hard to flip. So if you are looking to release your inner five year old, visit slappy cakes. And if you are feeling really adventurous, try the chicken fried bacon!!!
(4)Gab G.
Great brunch spot. Been here a several times with kids and they love it. The lavender drink is yummy! The food is good. The atmosphere is great and the music they play is fun! I would give them a 5 BUT the heat from the flat grill makes it a bit warm during the spring and summer months making it a bit uncomfortable in there while dining.
(4)Guy K.
This is the only restaurant in Portland my kids don't bother me for their DS games.... need I say more?
(4)chrissy S.
Love it ! You get to create pancakes at your table. Choose the batter, toppings, we did chocolate chips and banannas. The grill is on the table so keep that in find for the little ones. My 4 year did great ! We will back:) check their website for hours not open for dinner.
(5)maya g.
YUM. Breakfast lover? Get the Truck Stop and delight. Homemade fruit syrups, crazy good pancakes, crispy turkey bacon, etc. Wish I still lived near by...
(5)Allison P.
Simply fantastic. I had PB pancakes with blueberries and pecans. MM! Next time I want to try the wheat ones. And although its kinda hard to mess up a fried egg, it totally hit the spot. I'm not sure what it was but it was dang good. The coffee was bottomless and fresh. The staff were very friendly and right on top of our needs. Loved the decor. I would recommend arriving early if you have a party of 4+. It was hopping on a Sunday morning.
(5)Tyler B.
I'm willing to try anything once and with that I will not be returning. We over paid for mediocre pancakes that we had to cook ourselves. I realize now that the reason I eat out is to avoid cooking. Then our daughter burned her hand on the griddle while we focused on the pancake cooking.. Finally the juevos rancheros we ordered from the kitchen was super bland and they barely fit on the table. The whole place is just awkward. We also left reeking of "kitchen", which is common at breakfast, but was overwhelming.
(1)Michael J.
I doubt I will go back. Pancakes were OK, but the menu is too complicated and they didn't offer what I was hoping to eat: oatmeal pancakes. Our server had to go back to the kitchen 4 times to answer our questions. Prices were definitely more than what I expected for a simple breakfast.
(2)Theresa S.
I was really excited to try Slappy Cakes. I had a really good visit and will probably visit again, though not in regular rotation. Let's talk food and drink, shall we? Both of my meal companions got chicken-fried steak. They both say that the breading could have used more defined seasoning. The meat, however, was fresh, probably a hand-pounded sirloin. They also said that the gravy was not seasoned to their liking. Fried potatoes came with the chicken-fried steak. They were uniform, piping hot and terrifically golden brown. Eggs: My chicken tinga came with sunny-side up, which were perfect. Medium eggs with one chicken fried steak were perfect. Over hard came to the table completely overdone, crusty on the outside. Chicken Tinga was a chicken, salsa, and cheese dish topped with two eggs sunny-side up and layered on a handmade sope. The sope was excellent! The chicken was locally sourced and arrived at the table piping hot. I would get this again and probably ask for an extra sope. Pancakes: The buttermilk pancake batter was delicious, and probably the best part of our meal. My dinner mates tried all three syrups, preferring the house-blended apple over the other two. We used two orders of batter to make about 3 thin pancakes for each of us. A bonus is that our waiter gave us very clear and helpful instruction about the griddle. Red Slappy: The house's version of a Bloody Mary. ($1 more for a crispy strip of bacon floating in the spicy mix.) The drink list boasts a lot of Oregon liquors, New Deal vodka in this instance. I liked the spiciness of the Bloody Mary mix because who wants a boring Bloody Mary, but I enjoyed it even more when my waiter brought me extra tomato juice. The drink was $7. Extras: Beautiful, clean decor, a four-panel triptych of pancakes, really good service--attentive and thoughtful. Certainly the food is high-quality. Increased affordability would be a plus. Great coffee!
(3)Bert B.
Breakfast was great. I've been a few times and the pancakes on the table is fun and different. If you have time to kill go ahead and try and eat here because its a wait. If you have fewer friends the bar is easier to get to and quicker, the waitstaff however seem to be overwhelmed most of the time.
(3)Jason P.
Not worthy of my business, we waited an hour for a squeeze tube. Not worth it. I can honestly say I hated it.
(1)Cyd L.
What a fun place to eat! Not only did the kids have fun, but it was also enjoyable for the adults. Pancakes are the main attraction, where you order different types of batter and toppings. The griddle is built-in to the table just like a tepanyaki grill. The kids had fun adding various toppings and flipping the pancakes. It could get a little messy, but it was delicious! There are other breakfast items on the menu and even lunch entrees. There are also lots of sides like bacon and turkey bacon. Quite a fun experience. We'll definitely be back!
(4)Aaron V.
A bit of a contradiction in common sense. Piping hot griddle in the middle of a table thats surrounded by your small impulsive children. The place was asses-to-elbows with families wanting to make their own pancakes. They also make food for you, which if you want to get seated in under an hour, will be your only option when you grab an open seat at the bar.
(3)Chris S.
Had a good time, super long wait, pancakes were average but fun to make. Service wasn't all that great. The help didn't seem to really want to help. They have a great idea with a pretty cool atmosphere, but they get 3 starts from me for the lack of service.
(3)Nathan C.
Melt chili butter. Mix with pancake batter. Make chili pancakes. Amazing!
(5)Jennifer F.
Totally awesome!!! Husband surprised me took me here for breakfast! =) We cooked our own pancakes, yum peanut butter batter with fresh cut bananas. Was fun and totally worth the stop.
(5)D D.
We got there late on a Saturday (approx 1 pm) so didn't have a wait. Initially, I was a little skeptical - go to a place where you can make your own pancakes? How different is that from doing it at home? But it's fun - and there are more flavor combinations for the pancakes than would likely be available at home (pancake batter flavor and ingredients to put in the pancake). We had a to-die-for sweet potato coconut milk bake. Tried to get the recipe but it's a secret. I highly recommend you try it. It's different from a traditional breakfast item but oh, so good. Took my 2 kids and they really enjoyed it. Just be careful with the hot griddle but the restaurant was very accomodating and put the wood block next to my son so he couldn't reach the griddle. Coffee and drinks were good too.
(4)Whitney A.
Great for the kids, make your own pancakes and pick your own toppings, right at your table! I order eggs Benedict with spinach, prosciutto, and sundried tomatoes, one buttermilk batter for my children ( 3yr and 10mo.) feeds everyone to the point where we are stuffed, all for under 20$. Would recommend to anyone with children who love pancakes.
(3)Taylor P.
This place was super fun! We went on a Monday afternoon so there was no wait - the place was pretty dead since it was within an hour of closing time. I saw Slappy Cakes on Unique Eats and bookmarked on Yelp for the next time I was in Portland. I could see where the griddle could get very hot at your table but we went on a cold day so it was fine. The service was decent. There were so many choices on the topping for pancakes it was hard to decide! We also read so many great reviews about the huevos rancheros we ordered those, the chicken fried bacon, and made our own pancakes. The pancakes we made were the best item. I was not in the love with the bacon - it was definitely made earlier in the day and slightly reheated which was not good so maybe if you came at a time it is fresh it would taste better? I will still give "a-ok" 3 stars for this place. It's a cute idea. I would feel nervous bringing a child but if they are still around this must not be a problem. Again, really cute idea! I would take someone from out of town. Oh and they had several delicious sounding grown up drinks!
(3)Lara J.
Not just a fun novelty, the pancakes you make are actually quite delicious, as are the menu-items! The wait is a little daunting, but worthwhile. If, like me, you're in your 20s and child-less, this may seem like a strange choice for brunch, but it's actually really fun for people of all ages.
(4)Demian A.
Excellent breakfast spot, nice ambiance and fun place where you can cook your own pancakes on your table, their benedicts are also very good. My only complaint was the service, I was tempted to not leave a tip, though I could tell it was only our server who sucked. Overall highly recommended
(4)Ricky R.
Fun Portland atmosphere. Servers are fun and nice. Food was food. Candied bacon is to die for. Had buttermilk pancakes which were good but with tons of options and do it yourself made the great. A friend had the Multigrain. The are harder to male but were awesome.
(4)Shirley W.
I had high expectations for this place but for adults you're better off going to the Screen door or Broder cafe. I waited close to an hr to get a table with a griddle to make pancakes. When we got the table,I realized it was a bad idea since I was with my friend and her 18 mos son who liked to touch everything in sight. This place is all about making your own pancakes but to the lazy people like me, it was too much work after the first 2 pancakes made. The other food there was average and a bit pricey, $11-12 for eggs benedict. If you have children between the ages of 5-10 then it's a fun place to take them.
(3)Brian G.
Very tasty combination of kid-friendly food and adult food. Sweet and savory choices. The morning cocktails are terrific as well. We had a large group but called ahead...thank goodness. Great fun for all.
(4)Devon D.
The most enjoyable way to make pancakes. Slappy's is tasty and hassle free, and allows one to sample ingredients out of the plain/blueberry/chocolate chip pancake comfort zone (though you can have those too). Go savory with goat cheese and mushrooms topped with maple syrup or stay sweet with butterscotch chips and apples!! yummm.
(4)Duane C.
Ok, yes there was a wait, but it was Sunday and on the weekends in Portland, BRUNCH IS KING, so of course there was going to be a wait. Here is what I knew before we left the house: they supply the batter, miscellaneous tidbits to add to your pancakes and YOU cook them on a flat top built in to your table. Yes, I said YOU cook them. The idea of cook your own meal is not new and of course sitting around the cooking surface is not either, but here is the secret to the success of Slappy Cakes. Whether you are age 3 or 103, the kid in all of us loves it when our creativity can go bonkers in the kitchen without someone telling us what you can or can't have on your plate. We like the idea of pancake batter, mix ins as basic as berries and nuts, savory gems like crumbled bacon and bleu cheese, and a hot greased flat top at your disposable to make your Frankenstein. Mom cannot stop you from putting bacon, bananas, and cheddar cheese all at once in your hot cakes, unless of course she is paying. Even then, I would implore all of you culinary Picasso's to sweet talk dear old Mom into ordering a squeeze bottle of batter for herself so she can cook up plain pancakes to her heart's content. Have faith kids, dear old Mom may still come around before the end of the experience and let a bacon bit or two accidentally make its way into one of her flap jacks. I recommend trying the peanut butter batter. It is nom-tastic especially with bacon. I would love to try bleu cheese and bacon next time. Yes, there will be a next time. The rest of the menu looks good too. The Slappy Benedict looked tasty, but just reading the description of the Pork Belly Benedict makes my mouth quiver with wanton lust for bacon fat hollandaise. The side of biscuits of gravy came in a healthy sized bowl, very nice. I tried the savory bread pudding with leek gravy. I love garlic, I love mushrooms, and I love bread pudding so it was no surprise that I enjoyed it. The gravy was an especially nice touch. Obviously you don't have to cook your own breakie here, but if you don't then this place will have just as much or as little charm as the place down the street. Get a regular breakfast if you must but bring a friend so the two of you can share it AND a bottle of batter. If you are a glutton, leave your friend at home and OINK IT UP! Lastly...GO NUTS...IT IS OK AND FUN!!! A very special MAHALO to Sarah's fam for treating us to such a fun morning at Slappy Cakes, the next time we are all there it is my treat. I promise. A HUI HOU!
(4)Adam A.
The pancake batter is delicious. I realize you could stay home and make pancakes, but its fun to be out and doing something different. Plus, using a squeeze bottle gives you way more control so you can make pancake dinosuars and unicorns like you never dreamed of. Everything else I have ever eaten here has been great. The cocktails are pricey, but worth it, and I have never hit the bottom of a cup of coffee without it being refilled. My one complaint is that I always overeat when I come here.
(5)Julianne M.
Loved this place. Super fun to come with friends and they even have a liquor license. Just thought I would throw that in. I had the chicken fried steak and it was cooked perfectly. Gravy was a tad bland. Im a stickler on eggs and mine were just right. Not too crisp but still fully cooked with a little ooze. Yum! Only complaint is the soda choices. Diet Rite? Give me a break.
(4)Julia S.
Conceptually this place nails it so directly on the head it's a wonder there isn't a sharp edge sticking out the other end...or is there? The fun of making your own pancakes is pretty hard to resist. Though there is something just a little disconcerting about this place, and I'm not referring to the long wait (but what breakfast joint in Portland doesn't?), tart syrups (however advised so by our helpful waitress), and tepid tabletop griddles (coated in canola). The feeling I get reminds me of the scene from Labyrinth where Jennifer Connolly's character, drugged and disoriented from being thrown off her search, finds herself escorted into the familiar safety of her bedroom. Just as she starts to let go and fall into the comfort of all her favorite objects, she realizes that it's not really her bedroom, it's just made to resemble it and only distract her further. If you saw the film you know that moment of realization, and it makes you feel tricked because you fell for it too despite knowing in in the pit of your stomach that it was too good to be true. Well, Slappy Cakes is like that. You walk in & it's big! You wait because though the list is long, the large, open atmosphere begs you to stay. Its brightly accented with skylights so us sun-starved Northwesterns don't fall into further despair. The whole place is so Portland with its rustic modern seating, cutely patterned with a punchy Sixties print enclosed by blocky wooden booths and tables. Enameled orange on the surrounding decor pokes its retro-optimism out at you. The menu beckons you to your ol' brunch standby, a Bloody Mary, but, wait, this one comes with bacon! Get out of my head already, Slappy Cakes!! Don't get me wrong, I love the decor, I love the concept and that is also exactly what makes me feel dirty. Like I was suckered in by slick surroundings that feel so spot-on I'm left to wonder if a focus group was involved. Go and ignite your griddle along with your creativity as you experiment with fixins made to order, just don't be surprised if you feel a little violated once you get home. The pancakes might not have been the best, but you only have yourself to blame since you were the one to make them! Anyone else smell a franchise wafting through the air?
(3)Lee M.
Great spot to make your own pancakes. They have batter in bottles depending on how many pancakes you want to make and all the sides and toppings you like. I actually had the country fried steak which was probably the best i've had from anywhere. All of the workers were nice and the vibe was great.
(4)Nathan G.
Had an excellent experience this morning. Service was quick, knowledgable and friendly. Food was incredible. Definitely gonna go back.
(5)Alfred K.
Fun fun fun! I'm a sucker for DIY restaurants and Slappy Cakes is no exception. It took a bit of practice before my pancakes stopped looking phallic, but hey it's all part of the fun. The vegan batter was quite tasty, but the buttermilk batter definitely makes fluffier pancakes. Too bad the lemon curds were not vegan - it looked more like lemon custard but I liked it nonetheless. The warm mushroom and root veggies salad could have used more dressing but overall it was very tasty as well. I wish they would open a tad earlier... 8am is kinda late for breakfast. And why aren't there blueberries on the fixins menu? The painting with blueberries being dropped into pancakes is a pure tease!
(4)Suzanne F.
Slappycakes is an easy walk from our house and there were 3 certain individuals who had been bugging me forever to try this place some time. Given that our household comes to a complete standstill if there's no bread (hmmm...fresh chicken AND duck eggs, plenty of oatmeal, lotsa flour, yet no one can fathom a morning without toast!) we headed over EARLY to Slappycakes. We were quickly seated at a large table (opt for another table if you go - there will not be room for several people to comfortably make pancakes). The decor is cute - modern, lots of orange chairs, long benches, artwork. They were blasting some James Brown, which is A-Okay in my book. We were served quickly, and given the scoop on how things work - most of us opted for the buttermilk pancake batter, which comes in an 8 oz. squeeze bottle. It was very good - you have many choices for mix-ins. Desmond opted for bacon crumbles (a boy after my own heart!). Owen chose the pancake batter with pumpkin - I tried it & it was good - not too spicy, but with a decent kick. The Big Man & I chose some buttermilk batter with an add on of satsuma ginger marmalade - it was unusually good! We also split a Classic Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, some fried potatoes (not great) and what is possibly the world's smallest English muffin - picture the tiny 'silver-dollar-sized pancakes', now transform that to a hocky puck-sized English muffin. As The Big Man said, "LA sized portions?? In Portland??!" So the English muffin left something to be desired. Everything else was good. It became very crowded, with our server buzzing around, asking if we were finished (3 times). It was time to go, yet I don't think we were lingering - just wanted to finish what was on our plates. Would I return?? Well, let me just say that this is NOT a Pancake Breakfast. This is more like pancake tapas . If I want pancakes, there are many options in PDX. If I want tapas, I would go elsewhere. It is pretty unlikely I will be ordering tiny pancakes and liquor in the same meal. Worth checking out if you simply must have pancakes & you like to make 'em yourself...but not in your own kitchen, and you don't like to clean up the mess and you want the option of mixed drinks at 8:00 a.m. Go...see for yourselves. It might be your cup of tea. It's just that with 3 boys, I can't afford $40.00 pancake breakfasts when people are still hungry.
(3)Chris S.
I would actually give it 3.5 stars if I could. Real fun and interactive experience (cooking your own pancakes). Different batters to choose from and things to put into your pancakes (blueberries, chocolate chips). Peanut butter batter was yummy. A bit expensive for what you get and more than I usually want to spend at breakfast. Service was very average and a bit slow overall. Will go back because it was so fun and my 4 year old daughter loved it.
(3)E Z.
Hooray for slappy cakes! It was fun to make our own pancakes, and very affordable. There's a bit of a discrepancy between the $5 for the pancake batter and the $10 for any other place on the menu, but everything was excellent quality and tasted fresh. The atmosphere was spacious, sunny, and welcoming. We were also excited to walk around back and see the garden in which many of the ingredients were grown. We'll be back!
(4)Chris S.
Such fun!
(4)sue t.
I'm surprised that we could walk out of this place and didn't have to be rolled out. Julie decided that for her birthday she wanted to try Slappy Cakes so she, Chris, Joe and I met there at 2:00 for late hangover brunch. We waited for no more than 10 minutes or so before sitting down at a booth with a griddle in the middle of the table. The first thing we decided on was to split a pitcher of Bloody Marys (which for an extra buck, Chris got a strip of bacon in his) for $15 which were absolutely spicy and delicious. Fast forward an hour and another pitcher came our way. Chris and I each got the biscuits and gravy (vegetarian option for your truly) plus one bottle of pancake batter each, Jules got two different types of batter and Joe got one. Along with the ton of add-ins we got, our table was overflowing with gluttony! Chris made mammoth meat and cheese pancakes, Julie switched between savory and sweet pancakes, Joe made dessert pancakes and I made tiny fruit and nut pancakes. We tried all of the batters (buttermilk, vegan whole grain, peanut butter, and ginger) but I think that my decision with the ginger batter was the best. It was not overwhelmingly ginger-y but just enough to compliment the blueberries and pecans I had in my pancakes. We all decided that we would be back but swore that we would focus only on pancakes and 5 bottles of batter for 4 people was WAY too much. Besides the food, our waitress was superb. She was quick, attentive, and encouraged our pancake shape making contest. Super fun birthday celebration breakfast.
(5)christopher s.
I enjoy any type of establishment that is also an experience. Some foods, like pho, inherently provide an experience.other times with other foods that are normally served as is, like pancakes, you have to add a little something special to make it an experience. Slappy cakes did a good job with it. I felt sorry for them, because it must be really really annoying to clean up those table griddles. Especially with someone as bad at making pancakes as me. My sizes were all off, though, I wasn't going for perfection, much to my server's dismay. My batter was great, and I went with a more savory direction with cheeze and chorizo. I also tried some of another plate that another person at our table had gotten, which was also good. This place is obviously doing something right, cause it was packed(if you are coming on a sunday afternoon, expect to wait for at least ten min, so skip out on sunday brunch if you happen to be an entitled bastard or in a hurry.) I would go there again, but I think next time I'll order food the old fashion style, less messy.
(4)P G.
I love the concept of this place and my kids ate a lot of pancakes. Their entree's aren't that bad either. We ordered the Fried Chicken Steak and it was pretty tasty. Recommend going early, like when they open, to avoid waiting. They open at 8 and we got there at 7:50. and by 9am, that place was packed with a line out the door. Not fun when you have little ones with you. Would definitely try this place again. The kids enjoyed putting their own toppings on the pancakes. As did I.
(3)ToniAnn M.
Well color me Slappy! A solid three star rating with potential. Proceed with caution, and reasonable expectations. The place has barely been open 2 weeks, & they are still ironing out the kinks. Here's the scoop. A family friendly place for sure. I almost felt like I should have borrowed someone's kid to fit in a little better. However, we were there, 4 of us adults, sans kiddos, & we had an excellent time! The wait is tolerable, & the food is pretty much on point. My suggestion would be to do this: Order the do-it-yourself pancake thing as a little pre-breakfast appetizer. At $4, really, you can't go wrong. Split it with a friend/spouse/kid/whatever...... & then take advantage of one of the delightful dishes on the full service menu. This works out nicely because the food did take a little while to come out, & the pancake batter was brought right away..... so you have something to do, something to snack on, & if applicable, something to entertain & feed the kids! Don't forget the little fixin's for your cakes! A little crispy bacon & some chocolate chips perhaps? Anyway, we hooked up with the Huevos Rancheros, Hash, & Crabcakes Benedict. All very nicely done. Good flavors, appetizing presentation, & portion size was perfect. Not too small, & not overwhelming...... a nice change from the "we'll put so much breakfast food on your plate you'll puke & not want to eat breakfast again for 2 weeks! & the beverages. A decent cup of coffee, nothing to get all jazzed over, the other typicals.... milk, juice, soda....... & the cocktails. Thanks be to the Baby Jesus........... is that a strip of Bacon in my Bloody Mary? (aka the Slappy Red) Yes, it is bacon! Right next to the celery, monster green olive, & lime wedge. Everyone knows a salad bar in your drink it awesome........ & bacon in anything is even better!! The hubs ordered the Slappy Screw..... a nice little twist on a ScrewDriver...... a little Cinnamon/Sugar around the rim..... niiiiiiiiiiiiice! Service is friendly & efficient, the place is bright, clean, & fun. yes, maybe bordering a little over the top with the color scheme.... but it works. Go check it out...... have fun! Tell 'em Slappy sent ya!!
(3)Addie B.
I wonder how people can complain about waiting, lol ?! You're the one waiting, you don't have to, I would go home. If it's that busy it must be worth trying. They have great coffee, wait staff, yummy vegan sausage and what a fabulous idea to let us make our own slappy cakes! I love the art they have on the walls and you should see the huge ceiling fan they have, it's kinda large : ) Who doesn't want to flip their own pancakes?!
(4)Susan C.
Great fun spot, crazy lines on the weekend. Bring the kids, but the younger ones may not be safe to make their own pancakes on the hot grill. Thought the pancake idea was a bit overrated, but the tofu scramble was heavenly.
(3)Samuel H.
Slappy Cakes has you cook your own food BECAUSE THEY CAN'T COOK. I was looking forward to trying this "cook your own pancake" place but then I had their food. It was AWFUL. If you can't cook a basic two egg breakfast you shouldn't offer one. The potatoes were hard and tasteless, the english muffin tasted like a rubber tire. Horrible. The saving grace of this place is the gimmick. It was fun cooking my own pancake. It tasted GREAT but of course, I cooked it myself. Bottom line: great location, space and gimmick but revamp your menu and train the cooks to make simple basic breakfast fare. It's not that hard people.
(2)CaLiLu H.
Slappy Cakes is definitely kid-friendly! I love the concept of making your own pancakes and my nephew had lots of fun here when I took him there this weekend. He had fun decorating his pancakes with strawberries, bananas, and chocolate chips! One bottle of buttermilk batter was more than enough for him, my husband, and me. We also ordered the chicken fried steak and the traditional breakfast to share. Overall, the food is pretty good. The only downside has been the service. Although the servers are friendly enough, the food from the kitchen takes forever to arrive and on more than one occasion they have forgotten some things we ordered. Slappy Cakes is a great place to try out if you're in the mood to get creative with your pancakes, but for serious breakfast food (without the screaming babies) it wouldn't be my first choice.
(4)Lisa S.
My charming dining companion and I were a little apprehensive about Slappy Cakes, since there are no 5-star reviews on Yelp, but after a bun-busting hike up Mt. Tabor and back, we decided to have a couple of pancakes for dinner tonight. And what a great experience it is to cook your own, at a griddle right in the middle of your table! I love dollar pancakes, and as far as I know, there is nowhere else to get them in P-town. But now, I can make my own little tiny crispy pancakes. I also hate under-done pancakes, but here I can grill them as long as I want to! And add my own toppings? Stellar! We started with a bottle of buttermilk batter (shared between us), a lovely wine-tarragon apple sauce and walnuts for the toppings. The table was already stocked with 4 different syrups and butter. After that was gone we were hooked, so we ordered a bottle of pumpkin batter, and chocolate chips as the add-in. The griddle stayed hot but not too hot to smoke the oil or burn us. I liked being able to wait a couple of minutes between pancakes. It forced us to eat slowly and really savor the food. After that bottle of batter was gone we ordered the savory bread pudding, which was an amazing concoction of veggies cooked in the bread, and sausage gravy to pour over it. I wanted about 4 more plates of that. The whole entire bill for two people? $15. And we were stuffed. And there was so much more we wanted to try - the "Slappy Hour" menu includes a $3 grilled cheese, a $4 Slappy Joe, and the aforementioned savory bread pudding for only $2. Inventive drinks, great service, fun music, cool decor, wonderful looking food on all the menus (check out my photos)....the best part? Slappy Cakes stole one of the pastry chefs from a very upscale local restaurant. She makes the bread pudding, the brioche for the burger and countless other nummy things. Need vegan or gluten-free? They have those options too. They have an herb garden in the back. They source everything locally. They grind their own beef. They choose everything seasonal, fresh and delicious. They are working on structuring their own composting. They rock!! We were nervous about the lack of people there tonight. The manager was very honest and shared with us that they did make some mistakes on the menu when they first opened. Those kinks seemed to be ironed out now, and they have in place the right kitchen staff. I can't wait to go back here for a Bloody Mary and more Slappy Cakes goodness!
(5)Nathanial G.
I really liked Slappy Cakes and would go back. I went with some friends and loved the mountain-lodge-like feeling of the restaurant. It was warm and cozy, would would be a nice place to visit in the dark heart of winter. I ordered the maple bacon pancakes with the peanut butter batter. I expected the PB batter to be gimmicky and weird. It was not. I want a recipe for it. The maple bacon was a nice flavor - much more delicious than I expected. A friend got the huevos rancheros, and those were good. My other friend got a bunch of random sweet toppings for her pancakes. those too were good. So everything I have tasted at Slappy Cakes was delicious. The service was middle-of-the-road. Not outstanding, not wretched. Everything happened in a timely manner, my water was refilled regularly, and I was happy. I left Slappy Cakes feeling like a delighted child, and wanting to return.
(4)Bree G.
I really like the idea of making your own pancakes at the table! It's a fun restaurant with great food. The first time I was there I ordered the do it yourself pancakes with peanut butter batter they were awesome. The second time I got huevos ranchero which was equally as good. Oh and the chicken fried bacon?? Yea do yourself a favor try it..it won't disappoint.
(4)Kit P.
The tables have a griddle in the center! Okay. Now we're over that. The pancake batter is good. $6 a bottle good. The handmade sodas and cocktails are quite fantastic. And that's about it. The staff here has no idea how to earn a tip. They serve you cold coffee, and forget half your order, then if you pay in cash, they don't bring your change. We sat and waited for the $17 owed back for an hour. No one came back to the table, no one paid attention when we tried to call someone over. It finally wasn't worth it waiting around anymore. Good pancakes with a fun diy aspect, but not worth being stolen from.
(3)Maile K.
The atmosphere made me feel like a kid again, but it was a little crowded. The sweet potato pancakes with some sausage was really good!
(3)Karli K.
This is my daughters favorite restaurant. We had a bad experiment here once with a griddle that didn't work, but the manager went out of her way to make it up to us. The pork confit is sooooooo good. We go there for our birthday breakfasts as a tradition now. There is a wait on weekend mornings.
(5)Lauren K.
Although this isn't one of the most highly rated breakfast places around, it's definitely a cool concept, thus making is note worthy. I went on a Friday and showed up around 11am. There was a short wait but you can't expect anything less in Portland. The above average places are popular and there's always excess demand. The wait could be anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours; pick your battles or just go somewhere else that's less tasty and subsequently less popular. Or go for the gold and prepare to wait! On that note, we had a 20-30 minute wait for a table. There were a number of families with kids there but none that were obnoxious, loud, or generally off putting. In fact, the families there seemed like regulars - one of the kids went straight for a hidden toy basket right below the welcome counter. Not gonna lie - I was impressed. While we waited for a table, I noticed that the entire back row of the restaurant was empty. I'm assuming they were a bit understaffed and couldn't clear the tables any faster but that's just bad business. I have no problem waiting if the place is full but I can't STAND waiting when there are at least 4 empty tables piled high with dirty dishes for more than 10 minutes. Maybe Slappy Cakes should assume the "bus your own table" model to help with turnover. It wouldn't be that unusual in Portland. As for the food, the pancake batter is really excellent. We took the waitresses suggestion and made smaller pancakes, dousing them with chocolate chips and shaved almonds. We then poured a little more batter on top to really seal em in there. When we pulled them off the griddle, they were fluffy, delicious and perfect. Definitely some of the best pancakes I've ever had (though that may be due to the fact that I got to choose how MUCH of a topping I wanted instead of receiving a mass of chocolate with a little bit of pancake). We also ordered eggs, sausage, and some biscuits with sausage gravy. The savory stuff was tasty enough but nothing to write home about. One thing that was a bit gross - the gravy had the most gigantic hunk of sausage meat hidden under its gravy goodness. It was a pale pink color...you know, like an undercooked piece of pork? After seeing that hunk, we pushed it aside and continued with everything but the biscuit. Am I glad I went? Yes. Was it satisfying? Yes Did it rock my world? No. Would I recommend it? If you have exhausted the other Portland staples, definitely.
(3)Frank H.
I hate this place. It's fun as a gimmick maybe once or twice but after a few times the fun wears off. Unless you come very early or very late, the wait to get a table is pretty interminable. Part of that is probably due to the popularity of the place but a great deal has to do with the inefficiency of the staff. First of why does it take forever for the staff to clear a table so that the next party can eat? Are there not enough financial incentives to get more seatings in? I saw a manager-type, walk in and surveyed the scene, and quickly walk out again despite the fact there were tables needing to be cleared. The front of house people, other than telling you your wait time and displaying post-modern ennui, seem to have no other purpose. Thank goodness there is a pod of food carts nearby so you can sate your hunger while you wait. Secondly, yes there are menu items, but most people are here to do the DIY pancake thing. Why does it take forever for the waitress to first take your order and then to bring your bottles of pancake batter? Are they growing the wheat in their back yard, harvesting it, milling it and then mixing it with the eggs they have to get from their own free-range chickens roaming on the roof and the milk they get from their GMO-free cows in their barn every time you order a bottle of batter? And what is this controlling attitude with the oil? After a few pancakes, the griddle is sticky and crusted. But the bottles of oil are nowhere to be found. And of course it takes another eternity to flag down a server to squirt some more oil on the griddle. Most of the attraction of this place is for the kids. There are a *lot* of small children at this place. But if you really think about it, would you really let your small children stand by an open stove at home flipping pancake? You probably wouldn't let them close to the range. So why is it OK to subject them to the same risks and pay someone else to do so? My hat off to the owners though. I mean what a great business model when you can pack a restaurant, make your customers do most of the work, and and then have them pay you a premium for the privilege of doing so.
(1)Jenny K.
So much fun! 5 stars for fun! You order your choice of batter, savory or sweet toppings, and make pancakes on the griddle at your table. Whoever invented this deserves a high-five. I ordered the sweet potato pancake batter with scallions, mushrooms and bacon with a spicy bloody mary. The bloody mary was really good! Had just the right amount of spicy kick! And I loved my sweet potato batter. I made just sweet potato pancakes and had them with butter & maple syrup. Then made pancakes with all of the fixings and enjoyed them without butter or syrup. Prices are decent, it's located a few short miles from downtown and service is prompt and friendly. They close at 2pm during the week and 3pm during the weekend, so plan accordingly!
(5)Brandi M.
Been here, done that. Fun concept (my kids loved it) but then again, they weren't paying the bill (I'm embarrassed to say how much it was). Beware, the toppings and options; let's just say that we could have eaten brunch at some of the best places in town and spent less.
(3)Jenn A.
Hello toddler magnet! I usually avoid these places like the plague because I am allergic to unsupervised children, but the fine print on the menu reminds parents that kids are not allowed to run around or misbehave because of the hot skillets, etc. When we were there at 9am on a Saturday morning, there were lots of kids but none of them were running around or being rowdy. We still had to wait for a table, although we got one sooner than expected because we didn't want to make our own pancakes. My banana bread french toast was incredibly tasty, the chicken fried bacon was too rich for my blood, and the bites of goat cheese and blueberry pancakes stolen from my husband were quite delicious. While the food and service were good, the overwhelming number of children paired with cost and wait time makes it unlikely that we will be back any time soon.
(3)Amanda Y.
Oh sweet baby Jesus I love Slappy Cakes. SCs is my best friend and my go-to breakfast/brunch joint when I am in Portland (where she lives.) We've been here a few times, and we're always very satisfied with our food and our service. We don't like the long lines and waiting, so if we can snag a seat at the bar (21+) and just let them cook our 'cakes for us, we do that. The mochas are amazingly delicious, but I wish they had multiple types of milk (no non-fat!) Whole wheat pancakes are soft, fluffy and hearty. We like to share one pancake, they are pretty big, and order a few side-orders of eggs/sausage individually. Will continue to go back time and again!
(5)Carly M.
I read about this place in a magazine and when we moved closer we knew we had to go here! The wait was 45 minutes when we came on a Saturday in late July but that was expected with a place this famous. We waited and we are so glad that we did! The whole atmosphere is just cool, I loved being able to make my own pancakes and just enjoy breakfast with my family! Being able to pick your batter, topping, and mix-ins was really nice, it makes it very personal and you get what you want! We got the buttermilk batter and chocolate chips and blueberries(which my daughter ate before we could use them in a pancakes but oh well) with the real maple syrup and peanut butter as toppings. I also got a side of bacon and let me say I would eat their bacon everyday forever, it was cooked to perfection! Making our own shapes and just enjoying time as a family made this place totally worth the wait! We would probably try and come when it may not be as busy but I would wait the 45 minutes again to eat here again for the fun experience it is!
(4)Roanna L.
Nothing special in terms of pancakes, but the experience of creating your own pancakes is truly unique and fun if you're in the company of friends or kids. The fixers and toppings are classic, but do not look over the housemade nutella and lavender honey! Griddle was a little too low power, and the gluten free batter burned and stuck without the aid of much butter. Pancakes aside, they prepared a flavoursome Eggs Benedict, so will visit again for the other cooked breakfast dishes on the menu.
(3)Leslie C.
FUN PLACE FOR KIDS - although the wait can be rather excruciating (for the kids). Especially when you can peer into the place and see tons of families and pancakes (or dough) being formed into what many call pancakes! Couple Suggestions- 1- the Wait is long, make sure its not raining when you go, as there is limited indoor waiting area- 2 - if things get a little out of hand, dont worry, everything washes off clothing etc. its a great place for the young ones to come and enjoy them! 3 - Be careful w/ the griddle - as they can be HOT and not very comfortable to the "touch", if you feel my drift as for everything else, its GREAT! Tons of choices on the menu and everything tastes good. We stuck to our guns and got the Chocolate Chip and Peanut mix and it was delicious (well at least the ones I made, the kids were a little more interesting). Interestingly enough, we seemed to enjoy the pancakes here than many other breakfast/brunch places, as the batter seem to cook rather thin! Price- well price is always a sensitive subject for any mom on a budget - with juice and sausage/bacon, and a couple "bottles" of pancake batter, this can run you upwards to $20+ if you dont keep an eye out on your FUN! If you come here occasionally, its definitely worth the wait and the fun - and on the flip side, your kids will see the skill you put in everyday to cook up a great meal ;)))
(4)Shauna P.
The food is delicious, I only gave it a 4 because of the long line wait and then slightly slow service as they are always so busy on the weekends. I love making my own pancakes with fresh ingredients on the griddle in front of me....I'm a fan of blueberries, bananas and delicious apple sauce.
(4)Vanessa A.
Best pancakes I've ever had. Have the kitchen make them for you, don't bother with the tabletop griddle. Other breakfast items are also fantastic, like their various eggs benny and the huevos rancheros. Wait is virtually always an hour unless you are a small group that can snag a seat at the bar. However, they will text you when your table is ready so you are free to hit the food carts next door for some coffee or a pre-breakfast snack. Every time someone visits me in Portland, I bring them here, and I have yet to disappoint any of them. I cannot oversell this place. You will never have better pancakes.
(5)Krysten I.
The wait was about 45 mins for a group of 5 on a saturday morning. I walked around and found a hawaiian food truck in the little food truck lot next door! I was so excited! And then I saw that there was almost nothing on the menu that was hawaiian. Oh well, I wasn't on planning on eating there anyways.... I am not a huge fan of pancakes, but I can def cook pancakes. :) I ordered the pork belly benedict and the bf ordered the prosciutto benedict. Everyone else ordered pancakes. The pancakes were def fun to cook, although the server gave us our toppings and pancake mix without spatulas. The pork belly benedict was really good, better than the prosciutto one for sure. It comes with this yummy cabbage slaw thing. For some reason both the bf's and my eggs were poached hard.....maybe we let them sit for too long? the potatoes that come with the benedict are pretty bad by themselves. After you dump some salt, pepper, ketchup and hot sauce on them, they taste okay.
(4)Jody h.
My son and I went there yesterday for Spring Break. The wait was about 45 minutes. Like others said, the food and especially the pancake batter is amazing. They also make their own English Muffins that are so, so good. If you like English Muffins, you need to get one. Staff was super professional and friendly and it was probably the cleanest restaurant I have been to in Portland. If I didn't have my six year old son that liked to make the pancakes I would come here more often because it looked like there was no wait for the tables w/out the griddles or the counter, you could just walk right in. Our bill was $23 dollars for a kids breakfast and a full adult breakfast (eggs,bacon, toast and potatoes.) That also included coffee, juice and an extra order of bacon. So the prices was really good. Go there now and get a pancake! Thank you.
(5)Don B.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Slappy Cakes isn't just for kids. I thought it was, which is why it took me so long to try it out, but I've come to find out that it can be enjoyable for adults as well, if you do it right. Step 1: Make sure everyone in your party is 21+ Step 2: Make sure nobody in your party cares about making their own pancakes (if you're all adults, you know you can easily do that same thing at home - without the wait) Step 3: Pry your way through the loud crowd of families waiting for grill tables and head straight for the bar. Step 4: Sit at the bar and enjoy your meal - generally without a wait (it's a seat-yourself situation). Sure, you don't get to make your own pancakes, but unless you have kids with you, do you really care about that? I go out so I don't have to make my own food at home. And even if you sit at the bar, you can have them make the same pancakes for you in the back - just choose your fixings and go! And yes, they have some interesting pancake fixins (Bacon! Blue cheese!). If you don't want pancakes, the non-pancake section of the menu has a lot of interesting items on it, some of which you don't see often in Portland like chicken Tinga and my all-time favorite toad-in-a-hole. I grew up with toad-in-a-hole (aka egg-in-a-hole aka gas-house eggs) and rarely see it on menus, especially in Portland, so I was super stoked to see it on the Slappy Cakes menu. The food is generally pretty good (nothing mind-blowing) but the prices are also pretty high. Most of the breakfast item prices run around $10-$11, which is a couple of dollars more than most breakfast places in town. So if you want to get your hands on some Tinga, you're going to have to pay for it. For those prices you could go to Country Cat and get "some serious gourmet shit" (as Jules would put it) without much of a wait. If you're willing to brave Montavilla, that is. The one cocktail I sampled was the bloody, which was spicy and stiff but lacking in the depth I usually like to have in my bloody. I'm guessing the scratch mix is primarily tomato juice and hot sauce. I'm a fan of having some other seasonings in there to give it some body. But it's made with New Deal (a favorite vodka of mine) and served with a smile, so I can't complain too much. Some of the other cocktails looked interesting as well. Our service was great when we sat at the bar - prompt and attentive. Our wait was nil (while those waiting for grill tables were still waiting when we left at the end of our meal). Our food was decent. Our bill was a tad steep. For that, I think an A-OK 3 star rating is quite right from the perspective of kidless folk looking for a solid breakfast. If the prices were a couple of dollars less expensive (which would be fitting for the quality of the food), then it would be a 4-star experience.
(3)Jen K.
An interesting experiment. Notice I didn't say a completely successful one. When I first heard about Slappy Cakes, I jokingly pondered if diners would have to sign a release prior to sitting at a table with a hot griddle. Not surprisingly they have their legal bases covered in fine print on the menu, "Tabletop griddles are hot! Please use carefully at your own risk. For safety reasons, children must stay seated and not reach across griddle." Consider yourself warned. Without any guidance from mom, my boys would be perfectly happy at Shari's, IHOP or Biscuit's for breakfast. And apparently so would some of the writing staff at The Oregonian. But while I am still able to exert some influence, I try to push their boundaries a wee bit and find food they'll like with a little Portland style. My kids love to cook their own food at Korean BBQ restaurants, so I thought this would be a good fit. The oddest part of our visit is that I walked in thinking this was a family restaurant, but left not entirely convinced this is the best choice for kids. I think their happiest customers may be those wanting to have a little childish fun mixed with adult beverages. I hit it at a very good time, mid-week and zero line. I ordered two types of batter: the standard buttermilk and the more interesting peanut butter. They come in easy to use squeeze bottles. Syrup is provided, but everything else is a la cart. So for a dollar or two, you can start adding sweet and savory items to mix in the batter (berries, bacon bits, chocolate chips). These mix-ins come in relatively small portions. The syrup is where things got a little funky. You have your basic 'Aunt Jemima' type maple syrup, then they also offer house made strawberry and blueberry. Two employees warned us in advance that the berry syrups are vinegar based and we may not like them. They were right. And while I appreciated the heads up, I have to wonder why they don't offer something that many of their customers would like? The side order of bacon was two pieces for $2.50. Cooking on the griddle took a little bit of effort, but was mostly successful. Since we stuck with the 'Pancakes at your Table' menu, the price was fine, but it wasn't unique enough that we'll be back anytime soon. Still, better than Shari's.
(3)Danielle B.
Their vegan batter is delicious! The service was wonderful - everyone so nice and helpful.
(5)Brendan T.
I can't even imagine the liability insurance on this place! The two stars are for our very nice server and a pretty tasty house Bloody Mary. As for the pancakes and off the menu items we had...nothing special. I'll let others do the cooking while I'm eating out thank you very much!
(2)Melanie G.
Had a special morning out with our daughter. We had so much fun creating our pancakes. We had good service & the food was great! What a special way to spend the morning together celebrating. Enjoyed the entire experience! Can't wait to go back again.
(4)Frank O.
I really wanted to love this place!!!!!! I mean it was cute and the service was great!!!! Every one was really nice to us and our kids!! BUT MAN OH MAN WAS THE FOOD BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pan cakes where awful, really awful! we had buttermilk with blueberry and chocolate chip.... If I was hi and had munchies maybe this would have been better but the gluttony involved in no way shape or form was worth the calories. pancake batter did not leaven, they where like bricks, doughy and heavy with no flavor. The chicken fried bacon really tasted of deep fryer and not so much bacon or even good crust. I had pork belly eggs Benedict (pork was excellent!!!) hollondaise was missing acidity and salt which was paramount in cutting some of the flabbiness of the dish. the potatoes where simply deep fried not crispy nor seasoned (BUMMER!!!!!!!) check was huge for the bad experience we had. No way we will go back! Sorry guys! great concept nice place but bad food!!!!
(2)Skyler I.
Food was good. They tack on an 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more, even though we had four adults, a child and a toddler, and they really didn't have anything to do because all of the food is cooked at the table. It was good, and I'd return
(3)Rebecca C.
The good: fun way to have breakfast w/family and friends, many different types of batter (we had the multigrain and liked it), various toppings. The bad: our waiter (AA male) slighted us with attitude the moment we were seated. I inquired what the "Harmony Herbal Tea" was made of. His response, "I don't know, its herbal." Me: So, it could be peppermint or chamomile or any number of things. Can we find out?" Him: "I don't know, I don't drink tea." Me: "Right, but you're our waiter." Him: "Let me grab the bottle and you can look at it yourself." That's how our meal started out at 8:30am this morning and it went on from there. He was the best waiter when we didn't have to interact with him. Expect your used dishes, glassware, napkins, etc to pile-up on the table because they don't collect it until you're finished eating. With a hot plate situated on the table, this leaves little room for your plates and glasses, creating a hazard. The hotplate, as you are informed when you are seated, is only heated in the middle. So you'll have to be patient for the pancakes to cook, especially if you're dining with a large group. It's expensive. Our meal rang up around $50 and we're two adults and one toddler.
(3)Lissy F.
Order the Pork Belly Benedict and thank me later.
(5)Josie H.
Slappy Cakes has amazing gluten free vegan pancakes. You can cook your pancakes yourself so you can ensure there is no cross contamination. But the price and the wait are not worth it. We had to wait an hour and a half for a table. The gf vegan batter is the same price and the same size as the other batters, but makes half as many pancakes. The toppings are over priced for how much you get, 12 blueberries for $2. Overall the food was good but not worth the wait or price.
(2)Anj M.
I moved from Portland to Atlanta, and Slappycakes is one of the things I just consistently crave from home. I actually once scheduled a return flight around making sure I had enough time for breakfast at Slappycakes before leaving for the airport - it's that good. The pancake batter is consistently delicious, and making your own silly designs is a lot of fun. I love that they have a good selection of savory toppings as well as sweet, so you can really personalize your breakfast. A part of me feels ashamed every time I order the chicken fried bacon, but I figure they made elastic-waisted pants for a reason, and that reason is so that I can enjoy this bacon. The biscuits and gravy here is HANDS DOWN THE BEST biscuits and gravy I've ever had, and I've been living in the South for a while now. Both the vegetarian and the sausage gravy are the business, and if they only made business casual muumuus, I would eat here every single day that I'm home. *edit* yeah, the wait is sometimes super long, but i'd rather wait for delicious food than be seated immediately for way-less-delicious food elsewhere.
(5)Marina B.
This place is okay. Typical breakfast food with vegan and gluten-free options. I don't get the whole paying to cook my own food thing, which seems to be the big appeal of this place. Our server was really awesome and friendly. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but wouldn't turn my nose up at it.
(3)Phuong K.
I came here on my recent trip to Portland. Its a great place to take little kids here since they get to make their own pancakes. So I went here with my cousins and niece/nephew. I think its such a great concept. The kids love it and you can pile on a bunch of different toppings for your pancakes and make it the way you like. Besides the pancakes here you HAVE to get the Pork Belly Eggs Benedict. Its amazing here. I love pork belly and I love Eggs Benedict...and once you combine the two...it equals amazing! if you're not in the mood to make your own pancakes you can order premade pancakes here...but where's the fun in that? This place gets really packed especially on weekends so make sure you come here nice and early to avoid the wait.
(4)Chris L.
My wife and I loved our visit to Slappy Cakes. The concept is totally unique and the experience was very fun. We got there early in the morning, but not enough to get a table in the first wave. After waiting around for a table to free up (and drinking lots of good coffee), we got seated and began making our pancake creations. We got a couple different kinds of batter and a number of varied toppings, all of which made for interesting and tasty pancakes. We will definitely return, especially if we are entertaining out-of-towners who want to see some unique restaurants in Portland.
(5)Andrew A.
A pancake fresh off the griddle is like no other. Moreover, when your choice of batter includes buttermilk, peanut butter, vegan, and whole grain, it's hard not to crown Slappy Cakes the best in class. Their expertise in hot cakes is offset by just average menu alternatives. Of the many items I've tried, not one has been stellar, especially the chicken fried steak. Oh well, pancakes is the game here and the only thing I order. Service is cool and hip, lattes and cappuccinos can be hit and miss. Be prepared for a long wait if visiting during the weekend; I usually head straight for the bar seating.
(4)Julie T.
I am torn on this one. I give it a 3.5 overall. Following is the breakdown: Concept = Five stars Food = Four stars Service = Two stars This is a *great* concept restaurant, and anyone with children must go to this restaurant for the pure joy your kids will experience designing and flipping their own pancakes and adding toppings. A plus is that they also have food for adult palates, which was decent. However, our waiter was unattentive at best. Brought the batter, and then no spatulas? No butter? We found ourselves searching for the waiter on several occasions, and we had to ask for things that a good waiter would have brought without asking. We did also interact with other servers, and they seemed more attentive, so perhaps it's just a new person being broken in?
(3)Karl W.
Watch those morning wait times, they can get VERY long, sometimes even waiting to sit at the bar. Interesting idea but not enough to hold my attention very long and not enough to make up for the wait times, for me anyway. I've been here twice in the five years I've lived in Portland and I was overwhelmed by the amount of people they cram in and underwhelmed by everything else. Check it out if only to say you did but I'm not promising anything.
(2)SacTown G.
Five stars for fun for the kids! Food, service and prices are four stars! Really a great experience. We were expecting horrible food but really it was good. Two of us eat gluten free and two of us don't. We just each kept to our kids of the griddle. I ate the GF cakes and they were very good. My wife and son enjoyed the regular batter. Prices are very reasonable. We each got our own thing of batter but we easily could have gotten by with one less. The bacon is THE BEST EVER! I don't even like bacon and I got the candied bacon. WOW! Oh ya, parking is not great but it's a nice neighborhood so a little walk won't kill you. Lastly, I read about long lines but it wasn't bad. We were there at 9:30 Sunday morning and only had a 30 minute wait. Seemed pretty good prime time to me! Well worth the wait!
(4)Tom M.
I knew that it was going to be busy, it's brunch in Portland. I knew that it was going to be fun, griddles in the table is a great novelty. I DIDN'T know that they had such a great selection or such wonderful service. Not just our waiter, but everybody working seemed to be having fun and that is a wonderful atmosphere, especially for a place with so many kids!
(5)Jeanette L.
SERIOUSLY? DIY PANCAKES...SERIOUSLY? Portland is so cool. Slappy Cakes was LEGIT. We went for a friend's bday so we got to try a few different batters. I got the gluten-free one and it was just as delicious! (added bananas and chocolate chips...NOM!) The concept is great and it's executed well! Lots of space for making the pancakes and all the extra ingredients and options you could ask for! Super, SUPER fun.
(5)Jose M.
This is really an awesome way to have a breakfast and play with your food, just don't come here by yourself. Because it's much more fun with friends. We came there in a big group and they're able to accomodate all of us. The place gets really crowded very quickly. So make sure you come early. Of course, since you make your own pancakes, the result may vary. But that's part the fun, and it makes you want to come here over and over again.
(4)Annie B.
Pork Belly Benedict with apple cider cole slaw and Bacon Fat Hollandaise If that does not turn you on, then how about chicken fried bacon? Slappy Cakes is a great place for all that is good and holy in breakfast. Pros: 1. Lots of combos for pancakes and non pancake options. We did a peanut butter pancake mix with apples, bananas, butterscotch chips. One squeeze bottle of mix made about 8 small pancakes, which was plenty for 2 people, granted we had ordered other stuff too. 2. Get the non alcoholic drinks. I loved the Ginger Mint Julep, it was fresh and not too sweet. 3. Great service. Our server was sweet, helpful, and gracious. For example we ordered the chicken fried bacon, but we were almost done with breakfast and it still hadn't arrived. We asked the server if they had already fired the bacon order then we would take it, but if it hadn't been fired, could we please cancel it. She found out that it hadn't been fired and cancelled the order but later brought us a sample of it to taste. NICE touch. Cons: Be prepared to smell like a short order cook after eating here. They put the oil on the griddle as it heats up so the place smells like fry oil and therefore you smell like fry oil. They only have the stevia sweetener and regular sugar. My husband put some stevia sweetener in his coffee and it was so foul, he got another cup of coffee and put regular sugar in. I wish they had a place like this in my town.
(4)Chris M.
Boom. Love this place. If you dont have any kids, or idiot friends who act like kids, it'll make no difference, once you're seated at Slappy Cakes, everyone feels young again. This place is fun, unless you're Mr. WIlson from Dennis the Menace. Its not fancy, you're a slob so you'll probably get pancake batter on yourself at some point, and you'll leave smelling like breakfast, but its worth it. Let that creative side your high school art teacher said you lacked, finally come to fruition here at Slappy Cakes, I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet potato pancakes. Aaaaaannnnd, the Shirred Eggs are also uuuuuuuuhhhhhh-mazing (WARNING: yolks not cooked, if that matters to you). BEST of all...the staff. Hostessesesssessess and wait staff were all amazingly friendly and seemed to enjoy their work. They lack hipster disdain, an excellent quality. They were patient while we made choices on batter and toppings, took their time and chatted with us at our table and encouraged us to take our time while we formed various wildlife out of pancake batter. Only tip...go early, it was 15 minute wait, 30 minutes after opening on a Sunday morning. Worth it.
(4)Marie L.
3 stars for the food. Wait time was crazy long, even for a weekday. 5 stars for the experience and the friendly staff. My fam had a great time making pancakes and adding toppings.
(3)Samantha R.
This place is so good! Very friendly and helpful. The waiter gave us tips for cooking the pancakes and kept checking in on us. Very busy place, so wait time could be awhile. Great place, and very kid friendly.
(5)Tom S.
Summary: Overpriced, inedible pancakes. Food: Poor Service: Good Value: Poor We went on a Sunday morning, arrived about 8:45 and had only a half hour wait for a table with a griddle. Hint: I've been told that it's better to arrive around 9 or 9:30 when the first wave of customers is leaving then to be there at 8. Pleasantly crowded, mostly families with young children. The table was sticky when we sat down. Our waitress was pleasant, attentive and helpful. Yea, you get to cook your own pancakes. Oh boy. The batters and ingredients are all fairly expensive. $3 for a few blueberries seems steep. The real problem, both the whole grain (vegan) and buttermilk pancake batters were awful; they tasted like store bought mixes and were too salty. Long after we left we still had a bad aftertaste in our mouths.
(1)James C.
Amazing food! We arrived at 9:00 AM on a Saturday and we're seated in 5 minutes. Our server was very knowledgeable on the offerings and was upfront when we asked her opinion on one of the batter flavors. We opted for the buttermilk with chocolate chips and peanut butter. The chicken fried bacon was nothing short of AMAZING! Who would have thought that one of the best meats could be made better? Plan on spending more than you would at Denny's but it is well worth the money. The restaurant is considerably loud, but what do you expect when you have alot of people in a small space? All in all it was a great meal!
(5)Diana R.
3 things: 1. If you're trying to be healthy and get the whole wheat/oat pancake batter.. get more oil on the grill and expect to wait a while for it to cook!! They end up making you starving and are a little sweet to the taste... 2. COUNTRY FRIED BACON. Had a half of one slice of bacon. Nearly died of amazing food coma of heaven. delicious and salty and terrible for those of you with high blood pressure. I on the other hand never eat salt so it was JUST FINE FOR ME! ahahha 3. Adding goat cheese and mushrooms to your pancakes really IS a good idea. The idea of goat cheese sounded disgusting but nope, my sister said it was delicious and YES IT WAS. I only had one little thing of mushrooms though and another huge thing of coconut. Stick to savory tastes! This place is awesome and I can't wait to go back next time I'm in Portland!! Hopefully I won't be too rushed out and can have that amazing pork/ham/eggs benedict plate that was TO DIE FOR. This is the best place if you like food. and lots of it.
(4)Andrea T.
This is a fun place for sure, but the line is ridiculous...so get there early if you don't want to wait an hour and a half. The atmosphere is great, except I'm not a fan of the community table because the table is big enough that its hard to interact if you're sitting across from your partner, and awkward if you're sitting next to each other. The food is good, but the novelty is what gets you there and brings you back for sure. Don't miss this if you have the time!!
(4)Kelsey K.
Slappy Cakes? More like Sloppy Cakes. So I've been four times now and I really want to like this place. The first two times were great, my pancakes were fluffy and the service was good. I told everybody the place was awesome. I had fun and thought I found my new breakfast joint. The third time I went the place was swamped so I wasn't upset with sub par service but my vegan pancake batter was so wet that the cakes turned out to be flat, thin and soggy. I ordered the vegan pancakes twice before and they were so fluffy and tasty. I let the server know and she comped them so I figured it must have been a fluke. So I went back today, a Tuesday at 11:30, and the restaurant was not very busy. We ordered our food and I let the server know that last time my batter was too wet and my pancakes were bad, she said that there was a time that the vegan batter wasn't "right" and that it had been fixed. We got our food and my batter was the same; wet and awful. My date needed ketchup, I wanted a refill on my coffee and I hated my food but our server never came back to check on us, I would have ordered something else, oatmeal or fruit or something because I was really hungry. She just walked by but didn't bother to ask us if we needed anything or liked our food. I nabbed ketchup from an empty table nearby. The only time we saw our server after she took our order was to drop our check and say "whenever yr ready". Not a "thank you", or a "how was everything" nothing at all to show that she appreciated us. I ate the sloppy cakes because I was really hungry but I won't go back again.
(2)Michael F.
Now this was a fun restaurant for my wife and I to visit... I can imagine if we had kids, they would love this place... Who wouldn't want to make their own pancakes right at the table? A lotta fun, and some good memories made here... We ordered the peanut butter pancake batter, and it was sooo delicious... I'd highly recommend this batter.... We ordered banana as a mix in.. I might not do any mix-ins in the future, just because the peanut butter batter is so good I don't want to take away from that flavor.. but the banana chunks mixed it worked out pretty well. Our waitress kept our coffee and water glasses filled to the brim every time she passed by, and she was so plesant at each interaction with us. Bottom line, next time I'm in Portland, I'd go back... and bring friends!
(5)Joyce L.
The wait for a table was long no matter what time you go during the morning hours. The toppings were a bit pricey but they had a wonderful selection of batters. The experience was okay but the service was good.
(3)Stefanie D.
Ugh - I had to go to this strange restaurant for a kids sports banquet thing-y...We should have skipped it. Awful - our griddle would not heat properly so it took over an hour for 6 of us to cook 2 small pancakes each and the did not taste very good (we tried every batter except Gluten Free) - the sweet potato batter did not tast any different than the buttermilk batter, just a different color. Our "special" price for the banquet was $10 per person and we each got 2 small pancakes and some juice - needless to say we left hungry, irritated and smelling like burnt cooking oil. YUCK!
(1)Kirsten G.
This place makes eating pancakes fun! I'm actually not a pancake person, I never crave pancakes. But when we went to check this place out, I found myself actually excited to eat some pancakes. Probably coz you get to make your own. Yes, i know the idea seems dumb, why make your own pancakes if you could go to Denny's and order some already cooked. But that's just the thing here, you go for the fun of it. It's like you get to be a kid again in this place, invent your own shapes, build your own flavors, and just have fun. And the pancake batter they have is really good too, and you can even order different flavored batters. You can order various toppings like nuts, fruits, whipped cream, bacon, cheese, etc. So you can create sweet or savory flavors, according to your preference. I highly recommend this place for families (especially with little kids) to go to. Great atmosphere, and a fun way to eat your breakfast.
(4)Ollie W.
Loved it! Will definitely be going back again! We came in past breakfast, more towards 12:30-1:00 PM and were prepared for the hour long wait as I had heard was typical for a Sunday especially. No wait time, were seated right away, which was a big plus since we had 3 children in our group. Kids had a blast making their own pancakes as did the adults consuming a few pitchers of their bloody mary's which were awesome! Sweet potato batter was a hit as well and with the amount of toppings they have to offer, what's not to like?!
(5)Kiley W.
It's a fun experience, but the food wasn't all that great and was way over priced. The staff was friendly, but they seemed really unorganized because they delivered three items we didn't order to our table and when we told we hadn't ordered it they took them to another table. We ordered bacon and it was three dollars for two pieces that were not very good. We were not all that impressed.
(3)Kelsey H.
Perfect idea for Portland. People aren't rushed or behind due to waiter service, they are able to do it themselves in their own timely manner. Food is delicious; it's not just pancakes! They have scrambles of all sorts and they are large plates. Yes, there are a lot of children around, but get over it or go eat breakfast at your house. Spectacular place for a quiet, relaxed morning breakfast :)
(5)FE L.
Today was our first visit to Slappy Cakes. I can't think of anything about the experience that we didn't like. I took my sons who are 5 and 7. They loved being able to make their own pancakes. Even if the fun of making your own hadn't been part of it, the cakes themselves were very tasty. I had a side of bacon and it was one of the best I've tasted. Without a doubt we will visit this fun place again.
(4)Amy S.
Slappy Cakes, oh how I love you. The grill in the middle of the table is a fun way to do breakfast though as someone that can cook I would have loved to have a little more control of the grill and maybe butter instead of oil for the grill. We chose to go for broke and got the chocolate chips and crispy bacon fixin's to go with our buttermilk pancakes and organic maple syrup. Yum. Yum. Yum.
(5)Ann K.
Date Visited: Sunday 10/17/10 (Lunch) On a Sunday, the restaurant closes at 3 p.m. I've been told it gets pretty crowded on the weekends, so I was hoping we wouldn't have to find another place to eat. We arrived at 2:30 and I guess it's a great time to arrive as the restaurant was about half full. We were seated and given our menus. I was pretty determined to make my own pancakes, to see what that was like. Spazz decided to order off the menu. Someone came by to oil the grill and instructed me to avoid the edge of the grill (as the batter won't cook). I was also given the spatula and my sides of banana and walnuts. Our server showed up with butter (I had asked for Earth Balance and didn't know she had given me regular butter at this point - she came back and replaced it without me asking if it was Earth Balance) and my squeeze bottle of vegan pancake batter. I was told it would take about 5 minutes for this batter to cook thoroughly (the longest of all their batters). She said that when it was ready to be flipped, I would know it because it would sorta hover over the grill and not stick when lifted. Further instruction was that, for the bananas and walnuts, it was important to drown them in the batter. I poured some of the batter and then put on the bananas and walnuts. I then took the batter and covered the toppings with more batter. I was disappointed it only made 2 small pancakes. Impatient me allowed maybe 4 minutes before I started to play with it. It did stick a little, but I kept loosening both pancakes. I eventually flipped the first one and though our server was there to witness it and say it was a good flip, a part of the pancake didn't flip and I had a little bulky side that I was helpless to do anything about. The second one was flipped with some help from Spazz and turned out a lot more even. Again, I was impatient and tried to loosen the pancake before it was time. Some stuck to the grill. Eventually, Spazz got served his sweet potato casserole thing. I didn't finish too long after he was served. I was warned the homemade blueberry and strawberry syrups were tart, so I only tried a small drop of it. Yep....too much for me. I stuck with their pancake syrup instead of splurging $2 for their organic maple. Where's IHOP's Butter Pecan syrup when you need it??! My pancakes, despite my awful culinary skills, were yummy. I don't know about $5 (plus $1 each topping) for what only made 2 small pancakes, but I guess that's actually somewhat normal for restaurant pancakes. I got to have them whichever way I wanted and I just love banana nut bread (which is what they basically tasted like). I couldn't actually finish both pancakes, so Spazz got some. His meal was supposed to have come with vegan sausage, but there was none in his dish. When he inquired about it, he got a side of them and it was reflected as an added side on the bill. They straightened it out in the end, but it was still confusing to know what went wrong. All in all though, we were pleased with our visit. It was a decent neighborhood, next to a bunch of food carts. It's a bit far for us, but then what vegetarian and vegan options aren't far for us? Anyway, we'll go back again in the future. This place seems like an ideal place to go in the winter as the table grills keep the dining area nice and warm.
(3)Devon H.
After wanting to try this place for a long time, I finally got to go today. We were a group of 8, which worried me because even on a Monday morning it was really packed. To my surprise we were seated within 5 minutes. We sat at a griddle table, because that is the whole point of the place! Our server was perky, cool and attentive enough without being annoying. We ordered the whole grain vegan batter, along with our mix'in's ( banana, hazelnuts, chevre, chorizo.) We did some savory pancakes and some sweet. *The only minor problem is that the vegan batter takes twice as long to cook and tends to stick more, but as long as you have pancake skills in the first place they'll turn out just fine. We also tried the chicken fried bacon, which is even better with extra maple syrup poured over it. Be sure to drink lots of mimosa's or bloody mary's, so the idea of making phallic shaped cakes seems like a good one! I could easily see how on the weekend Slappy Cakes could be a madhouse with a really long wait, but overall I'm down with this place.
(4)Chip B.
Great concept but not impressed with the service. Great for kids if they are old enough to sit and not put their hands on the heat. My only suggestion is to order plenty of batter so you dont sit waiting for your server. A line doesnt always mean its worthy.
(2)Cherany O.
Incredibly fun place to bring kids! I'm not sure it would be worth the wait if your party only includes adults, but I came with friends and children, and the kids were the ones who immediately agreed they could wait an hour to sit at one of the tables. When we were finally seated, the waitress was friendly, the food was delicious, and we all had a blast making pancakes. The kids were visiting from another state, and they'll never forget the experience. They were giddy with excitement over it! Reasons I did not give the place 5 stars, despite the wonderful time we had: an hour wait for a table (understandable on a late Sunday morning, but made more bothersome by hearing the hostess tell everyone who was tired of waiting that they were next, when there were actually three or four names ahead of theirs on her list), slippery floors (I nearly fell twice), no napkins at the table, aside from the ones the silverware was wrapped in (big pet peeve of mine in restaurants, especially where sticky/messy foods are served), and having to track down our waitress constantly for more oil (a small bottle left at our table would have been nice). Overall, the fun far outweighed these things, so 4 stars seems appropriate. A helpful thing to know is that the toppings can easily be shared with others at your table; two people at our table ordered the same toppings, and we didn't even use the full amount one person ordered. Next time, we'll all just pick one thing each and share.
(4)A E.
This place was SO MUCH FUN!! And I DIDN'T bring kids! You wont have to wait if you get there as soon as they open. We were seated immediately. The staff was friendly and helpful. The place was PACKED and not once did we feel rushed. Our food got to us in a timely manner and the prices were very reasonable. To all the pretentious, overly critical people who've been leaving bad reviews because you can't imagine why someone would pay to cook their own meal... loosen up, unbunch your panties... and learn how to have fun. I suppose you don't like fondue either.
(5)James M.
Good for kids and the pancakes taste good but don't come here with a group of 6 or more because as is customary they will automatically charge an 18% tip and provide poor service. Also only order the country fried steak if the like stringy beef that's harder to chew than is to cut. Did I mention it was chewy? How about bad tasting? Did I mention that if I wasn't allergic to dogs and I had a dog that I wouldn't even feed this steak to my dog? And while we are talking about dogs, if the steak had been made from dog meat it would still not be edible. But it would likely taste better than what showed up on my plate. If it had tasted good I would still be pissed because the size of my steak was half as big as my nephews. Bring the kids for pancakes with butterscotch chips and don't come in the summer as it's too crowded and too hot. If you go don't be a dolt and poor honey on the griddle with the pancake batter. Are you a dolt? Then stay away from hot surfaces altogether. That is all.
(2)fon z.
If Peewee Herman had a restaurant this would totally be it. We've been coming here for more than a year now, and every time we're here, I just feel like a kid again. To the point where I find myself competing with the kids around me to see who can create the funnest pattern of pancakes. Sometimes I win, other times we tie. This atypical pancake house serves you pancake batter in a squirt bottle. The table has a grill in the middle where you can create your pieces of art that some people call food. They have a few interesting flavors, but we mostly come for the experience.
(4)Brian M.
So I took my friend here, who was visiting, I was intreaged by hearing about the griddle tbles and the chicken fried bacon. We got seated emeatedly by our chicklet esque waitress, a pycho beach party reference. I always love paying more for a social experience of cooking your own food at a restaurant, i might be a fool but i am a sucker for this type of thing, I ordered the pancakes and of course , a side of the chicken fried bacon. My friend got an egg plate with the basics of sausage and toast and i think their might of been a hash browns too. My batter and fixins, chocolate chips and almonds came fast as our very friendly waitress started up the grill. The pancakes were good, I also ordered a mocha that was brewed from stumptown beans, it was good, but a little too much with the chocolate chip pancake and the mixture of different syrups that I pored over them. My friends order took a bit longer, excluding my chicken fried bacon. but when it eventually came my friend was happy with his meal and actually, for a big guy, could not eat all of it, big portions here. My chicken fried bacon sounds more epic then it really was. It was like eatting a coconut pron, but bacon, a sweet batter, and even though it's about 4 dollars for two pieces of bacon , it was well enough, the bacon was thick but the batter did not have any flavor and just made it more filling, maybe they should fry it a bit longer. But I would try it again, but not too many, it's not worth the heart attack over. The decor is cool, with pop art of pancakes and of the waiters. I would suggest this place, and would come here again, it's a pretty cool experience, I am not sure if it's truly a 4 star or 3.5 stars, but I would recommenced to go and put your two cents in.
(4)Megan R.
Love this place! Ok, I have to admit, when I told a friend that we were going here, he just told me that if I wanted to make pancakes then I could just go to his house and make pancakes. Some people just don't understand. Its not just about making it yourself. It's the fact that you can choice any type of toppings you want. Some that you wouldn't even think about unless you were there. And yes, making yourself means you can make it as big, little, crazy, however you want. I had fun. My favorite combo was white chocolate chips and granola. YUM, you don't even need the syrup that way. Ok, so here is a few tips. 1. I would say that 2 people could share a tube of batter. However, if you have an eater like my fiance then you may need to order 2 or some extra sides. 2. I read reviews about people complaining about pancakes sticking to the hot plate. This did happen to us, but not till the very end, and at that point, I just threw a little bit of the butter on it that I got from my pancakes, and it worked just fine. 3. Try and get there early. We got there at about 9.3. They said a half an hour wait, but really it only took about 10 min. However, when we were leaving we did notice a huge line. This place can get a little pricey depending on how many toppings you want, so just be careful. If you are on a budget then it can get a bit expensive. I would have to say that this would be great for a group who is splitting the bill. That way each group can get there own sides and they all share. Just a suggestion
(5)Cortney R.
The Slappy Benedict was fantastic. My friend had the chicken fried steak, which was blissful, and the memosa with a hint of grapefruit was YUMMY! Service was truly special and on the was out, we heard people asking specifically for her section. I miss Portland and the amazing breakfast places!
(4)Crushinator X.
Not sure the draw here. There's often a line at breakfast/brunch. Pancakes, like coffee, are already a profit center for breakfast menus, this place cleverly takes it even further. Stingy, non-pancake options are salty yet bland, and c'mon, the pancake batter is fine but for each side you order (really the point of pancakes, if you're going to cook them yourself) you get half a banana, a few berries, a tiny cup of each other element. Plus you're doing all the work yourself! This should be really cheap. But it ain't. And it's not like the batter is so good that you get something like the specialty pancakes at Zells or Sanborns. Space is nice, noisy, obviously this is great fun for kids. But nothing special here, except the cook it yourself gimmick.
(2)Jason R.
My recent visit to Portland from Las Vegas led me to this fantastic place of wonderment! Because Slappy Cakes is unique and fun please expect to wait, it's worth it. I went with my sister and her family and my wife and two boys (2) and (6 months). It is a very family friendly place, lots of kiddos making thier own pancake creations. The staff is eclectic, happy and eager to please in every way! The patrons sitting next to us were celebrating a birthday and thier server was having all kinds of fun taking pics with them. If you're heading to Portland, go to Slappy Cakes. If you live in Portland, get your a** down to Slappy Cakes!
(5)Kim A.
My fiance had heard about this place from a friend so we decided to check it out. It's kind of a cool concept...but really if you think about it, it's not THAT original. It was super busy when we got there, but I'm not going to hold it against them because 1. it was late morning on Sunday and 2. it was the day before Valentine's day. We decided to sit at the bar because I'm not s huge pancake person and I didn't feel like waiting. The bar is first come first serve but you can't make your own pancakes. I'm so glad we didn't wait an hour to drop chocolate chips and blueberries in pancake batter. The rest of the breakfast menu is great! I had the pork belly benedict. It was soooo good, and I've never seen that offered on a menu before. The pork belly was served on cider marinated slaw with a bacon fat hollandaise...seriously delish. My fiance had the country fried steak and loved it. He said the gravy they served on it was the best he's ever had. I would love to go back again...maybe if the wait isn't as long I'll try making my own pancakes
(4)Jasmyn M.
Sort of like a Benihana of pancakes but you get to be the chef! Hot griddles are in the center of most all of the tables. You can choose to make your own pancakes, where you get a bottle of batter of your choosing (buttermilk, wheat, zucchini, etc.) and toppings of choice (priced separately). There are also options for the non-chef folk to have them make pancakes for you or if you really, really, really just want a savory egg dish. I give the place 4 stars for the food. We were pretty boring and had the buttermilk batter with some blueberries and maple syrup to "jazz" it up. I thought they were pretty darn delicious. We ordered a side of the maple walnut bacon which was absolutely heavenly (a must-have for the bacon lovers out there). Mimosas were pretty solid with a good OJ to bubbly ratio (more bubbly, less OJ). Biggest downside was the price (hence 3 stars). We ended up spending about $40 for two, which seems a bit ludicrous for breakfast when you're really only eating pancakes. I think it's possible (and probably sufficient) to split one bottle of batter between two. A line was already in place at 7:45 (opens at 8am) on a Saturday morning but once everyone was seated by 8:15 there were still empty tables. Fabulous for kids who are skilled with squeezing ketchup bottles and spatula use.
(3)Nicole A.
We didn't want to wait for a table with a griddle, so we sat at the bar. The bartender guy there is AWESOME. He was very friendly, took our orderly quickly, and even shared leftover drinks when we asked what the H he was making. I had the short stack whole wheat pancakes with bacon. They were enormous - I would've had just one, but didn't know since it was my first visit. The pancakes were really good and I enjoyed the thick cut bacon. My coffee was delightful and the cup was never empty, thanks to the other bartender lady that reminded us of Rosario Dawson. I'll definitely want to go again the next time we're in PDX.
(4)Paul L.
The service was relatively quick even though the place was quite busy. Pancakes seemed to taste like baking soda a bit too much for my liking. The condiments/add-ons are not exactly cheap, and the quantity could be more.
(3)Steve L.
Great fun! Kids enjoyed making their own pancake concoctions. Oatmeal was great. Great friendly service.
(4)Fred P.
Great idea, mediocre execution. Cooking the pancakes at your table is great for kids and can be fun if you get creative with toppings and batters. If you don't want to make your own pancakes, the menu food is also quite good though we found there were some misses (a side of brioche with congee? some bread with your rice? huh?). Here's the mediocre execution -- the counter space is too small so your plates will be half on the grill, and you barely have enough room at the table for all the toppings. Also, the grills seem to have uneven heating and our server insisted on putting oil on the grill before our meal, causing the oil to smoke!?! (not a good idea). We had bad service, but it seemed we just had bad luck and the worst seat in the house, so I will only ding one star for that. So despite all that, we'd definitely try it again -- 3 stars.
(3)Kou C.
The employees are fake!!! I cant stand fake people. I went there to have breakfast for the first time they sat around talking with each other not greeting me I had to finally ask if I sat myself. When my food came out it was terrible and thats what I told the server that my food was terrible instead of asking me what was wrong or if I wanted something else she said you can see your way out. Fake people Fake smiles terrible food and over priced I will never go back there and do not recommend
(1)Kate F.
loved the decor - especially the groovy prints on the seats (a good match to the hostess' 60's frock!) and the cool artwork featuring what looks to be happy employees against solid backgrounds. orange lights - yummy! and what a novelty to make your own pancakes at your table. i actually ordered the Slappy Benedict - but sadly, it never arrived (our server neglected to put in order). i waited patiently thinking my meal must take longer than usual - while my boys ate up their happy cakes. when we realized my order had not been made - i just ordered an egg and toast so we could leave (boys were finished and baby was soon to wake). a bummer, to be sure - but at least they comped my meal and provided a $5 certificate for our next visit. will def. go again on weekday to avoid the long wait - it's good - but not worth the hassle of waiting!!
(3)Becca H.
We saw this restaurant on TV just a few days before briefly passing through Portland. It was so much fun to make our own creations at our table. Our waitress was attentive and helpful. We'll go again.
(4)Amanda S.
It took a lot of arm-twisting to convince my partner-in-crime to wander into this breakfast establishment. He had a hard time believing that a restaurant could actually thrive by ordering their patrons to make their own food. Besides, the staff seemed missing-in-action and the patrons looked irritated. I insisted that the eggs benedict was the best I ever had, and he was just being a hater. Within twenty-five blood-sugar-crash minutes, I was a hater too. We arrival around 12:30 pm on a weekday. It wasn't the least bit crowded (lots of empty tables, completely empty bar area) but there was still a wait to be seated. When we were finally planted at a table we waited...and waited...and waited. At first I found it strange that there was a large pod of hipsters deeply engrossed in conversation behind the counter - then I realized that was the staff. Huh. The only other couple seated in our area was rapidly entering a state of flat-out rage because they couldn't get someone to bring their bill, and after that couldn't get anyone to take their money and bring change. Twenty minutes later our water glasses were empty, we'd studied the menu to the point of memorization, and had thoroughly inspected the grill and considered what sort of amateur surgery could be conducted with such heat, and still no sign of a waiter. The poor saps next to us were still desperately trying to pay their bill, expressing frustration Portland-style (muttering and furrowed brow). My partner's previously ignorant assumption of the staff's incompetence and snobbery was escalated to flat-out fact, and we abandoned ship. Less than a half-hour later we were seated elsewhere, drinking coffee, and eating eggs. Hawthorne, Belmont, and Division are packed solid with delicious eating establishments. Don't waste your time at this one.
(1)Gene B.
Well, let me preface this by saying, I got lucky, I was seated right away. If I had to wait a couple of hours to get seated, the tone of this review might of been different. First, I love, love the name and second I am very amused by the concept. Cooking your own pancakes from a griddle in the middle of your table? Love it! But sadly the experience didn't quite pan out. I had the standard buttermilk batter, they give it to you in a squeeze bottle, but somebody forgot the salt in the batter and the pancakes had a nasty, cloying flavor. I assume it was an off day, but still the one thing you would not want to screw up here, would be the pancakes. The rest of the breakfast was pretty standard and my waitress was extremely nice and helpful. Great coffee, too! But if you're going to wait 1+ hours for breakfast, invest that time waiting for the Screen Door or even Pine State Biscuits, but not, sadly, Slappy Cakes.
(3)G M.
Booths + Pancakes--- does it get any better? Fun atmosphere, and make it yourself pancakes. YUM. The carrot/cardamom pancakes were delicious, and so were my Huevos Rancheros. The 4 people I went with all really liked what they ordered. It's brand new, so it still has some kinks to smooth out. But we got there at 9am on a weekday and were served quickly-- it did get a little more crowded the closer it got to 10am, but that was to be expected. We will def. be going back.
(4)sara j.
This place is great! We had buttermilk pancake batter. The chicken fried steak was delicious and scrambled eggs were perfectly cooked and fluffy. And the potatoes were crispy and moist. Great coffee too! Can't wait to come back the next time we are in Portland.
(5)Kate N.
Slappy Cakes isn't breakfast, it's an event. Don't plan on going on the weekends unless you have 3 hours to blow. That being said, it is worth the wait. My friends and I went at around 11 on Sunday. Bad idea. The wait was an hour and a half. We weren't in a hurry so we had a few mimosas and patiently waited for out table. When we finally were called we were STARVING! We all ordered different types of pancakes. I went with the vegan multigrain (which is actually really good) with blueberries and chocolate chips. A side of potatoes that were SO GOOD, and a few mimosas. I will definitely go back but will try to make it on a weekday instead.
(4)Matthew D.
This place was very cool. It seemed to be a popular place with the kids. My lady and I tried the tomatillo bloody mary and loved it! We would give this place five stars but the food was just okay. Otherwise a great place to have a good time !
(4)Erika B.
Arrived shortly after opening on a Saturday to avoid a long wait. We were a party of four and seated immediately. That was the extent of the fast service at Slappy Cakes. We ordered 4 bottles of pancake batter and were told that they were considered appetizers and that they would be served prior to anything else that we ordered. We were okay with that concept initially, until we realized that we were waiting a really long time for uncooked pancake batter to be delivered to our table. Prior to the delivery of batter, our server came and generously oiled our griddle and then gave us a quick briefing on cooking the pancakes. Our pancakes stuck to the grill despite the oil. Turning up the heat to the highest setting helped a bit, but not much. It took a long time for the pancakes to cook.....way longer than on my stove at home. The end result tasted fine, but really weren't anything special. We also ordered two sides of bacon, which consisted of two slices of bacon per order. The bacon was too well done and much saltier than I prefer for my salty meat fix. I could barely finish my one slice portion. The table also shared a plate of Huevos Rancheros, which was pinto beans and eggs served over fried corn tortillas with sour cream, salsa and avocados. The four of us couldn't finish the one plate. It just wasn't that good. The eggs were sunny side up, but supposed to be over medium and the avocado was unripe. Overall, it was a fun experience. It is a great, bright space with large cartoon art of pancake making progression covering the walls. Slappy Cakes is still new and judging by the long line in the rain outside as we were leaving, there are alot of fans. I might give it another try after they have been at it for some more time.
(3)Andy R.
fun place where you get to create your own pancakes then grill them up right on your own table. good selection of food too.
(5)Mae I.
slap me with some of those cakes! pro: the atmosphere was great and the pancakes were goood! i like that you can choose your own batter and toppings. also, i really liked our waitress! she was friendly, cool, and personable. there's also lots of eye candy. why were there so many good looking people there? even the staff were guapos! the con: we waited about an hour to be seated, but i guess you'd expect it from a place like this.
(4)Ariana M.
Wow, so much potential, but so much room to improve! I love the idea, and the space itself is great! However, when my daughter and I went there this morning we were left annoyed and disappointed. First of all, when we walked in, there were plenty of tables open and no one else waiting. There is a sign that says to sign in and wait to be seated. We signed in and waited and waited. A few people came by and even looked at the clipboard, but no one even made eye contact with us or said hello. We were ignored for a full ten minutes, then someone came and cheerfully seated us. I have to say, everyone there was equally cheerful and polite-- but they just kept dropping the ball! We had to go find out own place settings, we had to ask for knives, butter, even the spatula. We ordered coffee, a tube of batter, two toppings and bacon. The bacon was pretty dry, and our serving needs were extremely low, considering that we were otherwise making our own breakfast. So it surprised me that it would take so long for someone to just come by and fill my coffee! Or that we would be halfway through a pancake breakfast before someone could bring us a little butter! Seriously, this seemed rather half-assed to me. The idea is good, the space is great-- just get it together!
(3)Bradley Y.
Probably just a bad morning, but the waitress was terrible and the Pork Belly Benedict was bad. A waitress even spilled maple syrup on our griddle and didn't bother to do anything about it. I guess burnt maple syrup on a pancake griddle is acceptable. I guess it's fun if your 6 year old. Otherwise, go to Pine State.
(2)jill n.
Not able to get them to answer the phone to let me know if they are open on Jan 1 or 2! Can't you at least leave a message on your recorder??!
(1)Melissa G.
When I first heard what was opening up here, I thought, wow...a place where you make your own pancakes...why not just open up a new cart - its the new restaurant fad, isn't it? I couldn't help but shake my head with pitty whenever I had to pass them before they opened...yet, I was intrigued by a man dressed in a completely white suit who was greeting a huge crowd of people at the door. It was their open house. Well, of course I went in...there were mimosas to drink! And samples of yummy cinnamon rolls, lots of non-veggie mini croissantwiches that looked good, and really tasty crab cakes. I also tried a ginger-something pancake with lavender butter...oh man, that was good. So I had my boyfriend meet me last Saturday (they'd been open a few weeks now), and the menu (excluding the drink menu) totally changed - none of the above was on it!! Apparently, they change their menus seasonally, but everything on there looked pretty ordinary. The grilled veggie benedict was small and eh - could barely taste the chanterelles. Their potatoes were odd cubes and tasted like slightly herbed french fries. Their pumpkin pancakes were eh. I think I'll stick with Screen Door or Mother's for breakfast. Their Whiskey for Breakfast drink however earns a 5-star rating. That, if anything, will bring me back.
(2)Amy W.
We had heard all the hype of Slappy Cakes from friends and had to try it out! We waited until our 8 year old daughter had a weekday off of school knowing the wait on the weekends was at least an hour or more. So we were a little surprised when we walked in on a weekday morning and the wait was 45 minutes to an hour. By the time we got seated we had two very hungry girls (my daughter and her friend) ready to eat. At first, our male waiter was nice enough, explaining to us how to use the grill. I am strictly gluten-free so I ordered the gluten-free batter for myself, while the girls and my husband ordered a chocolate batter and peanut butter batter. We decided that we would cook all of my gluten-free pancakes on the grill first, not to cross contaminate with the other batter. Unfortunately, this ended up to be a gooey, pile of batter mess! We specifically cooked the pancakes in the middle of the grill as we were told and we even turned up the griddle hotter so the pancakes would cook better. No matter what we did, it was just a big mess! I finally had to track down our waiter to come over to scrape our grill and start all over again. He seemed very annoyed with us that we could not get it right the first time, but he even stated (AFTER the fact) that the gluten-free batter was trickier to cook with than the other batters. I finally decided to have the cooks make my gluten free pancakes in the back so the hungry girls could get their pancakes on the griddle faster. Unfortunately, the annoyed waiter did not scrape our griddle very well and the regular batter quickly started sticking to the grill. No matter what we did (adding lots more butter to the grill/more oil), most of the pancakes ended up sticking to the griddle and becoming a big mess! The girls were good sports and quickly realized they would not be able to do any of the flipping of the pancakes because they were sticking so badly. We thought this would be part of the fun for them to do the flipping, but that did not happen. At the end, the girls were actually cheering when we could flip a pancake that didn't look like a big pile of batter. We did get a few decent pancakes out of the whole experience, but not enough to make it worth it. In general, the waiter seemed very annoyed with us the whole time even though I tried very nicely to explain what was wrong and to get his help. "Snarky" would be a very appropriate word to describe our waiter for this whole experience. There were two positives to our experience at Slappy cakes: one was that my gluten-free pancakes from the back came out huge, beautiful and very yummy! If we were to ever return, I would definitely order my gluten-free pancakes from the back and not even bother with putting them on the griddle. The second positive of our experience was that our waiter did take off the bill some of the fillings and my gluten-free batter that did not work. Of course, I would expect for them to take these off the bill since we did not eat them anyway, but I was happy that I did not have to argue this with the waiter. All in all, the girls left full and happy, but my husband and I left a little frustrated and exhausted with the whole experience.
(2)Kenneth B.
Ok, this might get billed as a kids place, I'm not saying that it wouldn't be a ball to go here as a kid, but adults will enjoy the heck out of this as well. We went here for breakfast and I am glad we did. I bit noisy because of the size and the many kids that were here. But certainly not anything that was too much to handle. The idea of you making your own pancakes and sharing your own concoctions with the rest of your party was truly fun. Certainly if your entertaining children this is a must stop for breakfast. Prices are reasonable and they do have other menu items that are prepared for you i.e. eggs, omelets, etc. The shirred eggs were awesome as well as the homefries we had. Service was good but not great, but it was busy!
(4)Grace L.
Had a blast making pancakes with my hubby. Hazelnut candied bacon was so yummy. Make sure you get there at 8am when they open a big line already when we got there at 7:55.
(5)Shannon K.
I make pancakes at home all the time. There is something very different about doing it here! They turn out perfect! My favorite is using the lavender honey instead of syrup, amazing! The rest of their menu is great too. The only complaint is really loud (what do you expect, kids are having fun) and waiting for a table, but that's not even that horrible.
(4)Lucky B.
Fun concept. Go in the colder months and the griddle will feel awesome. Love the flavor combinations. we had sweet parsnip batter with goat cheese and bacon add ins. It was SOOOO good.
(5)Jonathan S.
I am surprised I liked this place. When I was informed that we were to have breakfast here, the prospect didn't sound exciting. Wait a ton of time to make my own pancakes? really? Well, it was worth the little wait. Seems as you buy the pancake batter by the bottle, there is no per person minimum. They make a great starter/appetizer as you wait for the rest of your breakfast. The chicken fried steak was pretty good and the pork belly benedict was raved about by two people in my group. I tasted the parts without the yolk and thought it was done well. My message? Don't be scared off by the pancakes, the rest of the breakfast is a treat.
(4)Lisa B.
This trip was our second time to Slappy Cakes. This time I enjoyed it more. The griddles do not heat evenly across the whole heating element. So not having three people trying to make pancakes it worked out better this time. The concept is brilliant and I hope the one they have opened or are opening in Maui does well. Kids love this place - and on this second trip there - first time was in 2011 - my son still gets a kick out of picking his batter and choosing his fillings. My order was the creamy grits with pork belly and I ordered the side of candied bacon with hazelnuts. The bacon was good but too sweet for me - but my sister and son (especially loved it) - my grits were done to perfection as were the eggs served on top - and the two slices of pork belly was just enough. For an out-of-towner I like it -- if I was a local - which I used to be - left in 1981 - I wouldn't be that into the novelty - but it gets a lot of business for sure. I love the concept and I really enjoy the atmosphere - food and wait staff.
(4)Sarah B.
One of my favorite places to have breakfast in PDX! Great atmosphere and delicious food. The servers are always on point there, coffee is full, water is taken care of and I have all the fixins I need for the grill, no matter how busy it is. This is a great place to go in the summer if you want to get a breath of fresh air but not necessarily sit in the sun/outside. They roll up the front entry area so that there is no wall between the diners and the sidewalk, awesome when we get those nice sunny days! Bottomless Stumptown coffee for $3 is a plus, and the non-alcoholic breakfast drinks are just as good as the boozy ones. The Hibiscus Cooler with grapefruit juice and seltzer is one of my favorites! Try savory pancakes for a change, they are so good! I usually do goat cheese, mushrooms and sausage or bacon. You get quite a bit of batter in one bottle, so we usually get one of those and then share an eggs Benedict dish, which is the perfect amount of food for two people. Great place to go on a breakfast date, interactive and there are other great spots in walking distance if you want to continue on.
(4)Jennifer P.
Went here while staying at a cousin's house for a weekend wedding. The wait is incredibly horrible and I'm not incredibly sure if it's worth it. We had a party of about 8 and were seated after about 2 hours. The concept of Slappy Cakes is great. You order the batter and any toppings you want and you are free to make the pancakes to however your heart desires. We ordered the buttermilk batter and the zucchini batter. honestly, the only difference was the color. There was really no difference in the taste. Maybe one tasted healthier than the other? I guess. The batter was not amazing. The pancakes didn't come out big and fluffy. They were actually pretty flat and dense. For toppings we had a lot. I'm not even sure I remember which toppings we ordered. I know for sure we had: Almonds, hazelnut, chocolate chips, chorizo, and bacon. They were all delicious on the batter. Especially bacon and chocolate. Overall, the concept is really the only thing I would rave about. Other than that, the wait was too long and the batter was just okay. I would rather just make my own pancakes and add my own toppings at home.
(3)Cam-An N.
I LOVE this place! It was a fun experience and the food was delicious! It can be a long wait, so go prepared to wait. We went after 9AM and waited about 40 minutes for a table for two. You get to choose the type of batter you want...I went with the vegan batter since I don't eat dairy. I chose chocolate chips and bananas to go with my batter. They bring you the batter is a squeeze bottle. You squeeze some batter on the griddle and put your fixings in and flip when ready. What can be better than a place with good food that you customize to your liking and that you can play with when you're making it?
(5)Geoff K.
I really want to love Slappy cakes, but they always make it so hard. A restaurant with a great concept is often hampered by poor service with waiters who often seem like they are out to lunch. Still if you stick with the make your own pancakes you simply can't go wrong: Pros: - Fun make your own pancakes with a great number of toping options. - Nice atmosphere, good space that its easy to sit and enjoy a long brunch at Cons: - Very poor service - Items outside the pancakes can really be hit or miss - Not open late enough for their interesting cocktail menu Know that this place gets SUPER crowded on the weekends, so go early or go mid week.
(3)Marc W.
I really enjoyed myself. Which is unusual for me going to a place with so many kids. But I expected it, and turns out it's not really that distracting. Definitely a place to take children, but even those without kids should try it at least once. It's fun making your own pancakes at the table. I fell back to my favorite standby - buttermilk batter with blueberries. And they were good here. Many places serve pancakes that are too dry, or has too little taste, but the buttermilk batter was a good tasting batter. (a bit thin, but has to be so it can flow out of the squeeze bottle). I should have been more adventurous. Next time, I will... starting with the peanut butter batter and maybe some chocolate chips. Or maybe the sweet potato batter with one of the savory toppings. But here is the surprising part - the regular breakfast items were really good. My wife had the Slappy Benedict (eggs benedict) and I LOVED IT!! Really flavorful. I had a couple poached eggs, which were perfectly done. And we got a side of -- hold on to your cholesterol medicine -- Country Fried Bacon. Yeah baby!! It was really good. How can anything that includes bacon and be country-fried not be good? There are many other breakfast items on the menu that looked tempting. The staff was friendly and quick; our server Veronica H was super - friendly, helpful and attentive. There are a lot of other great breakfast places in town for a more adult crowd that I need to try out, and probably will before going back to Slappy Cakes. But I have to say that for what they do, they do very well. I'll more than likely be back and recommend if you haven't been, add it to your list.
(4)Christina P.
Come on, seriously, the place is called SLAPPY CAKES, how can you NOT like it? And now that I've been, I feel bad that I kept calling it Flappy Jack's :) I was too tired to cook my own food, so I had a Slappy Benedict. I LOVE hollandaise sauce, so this was a no brainer. I also had the strongest drink, ever! So the best morning of my life. Okay, the egg was perfectly poached, and there was plenty of sauce to go around. My complaint? Don't call something proscuitto when it's really a slice of ham. Proscuitto should be sliced much thinner. They also have a nice variety of hot, hot sauce. I didn't dare try it, but my cousin was in love. What else was I in love with? The art on the wall, of pancakes :) Makes you smile every time. Not in love with, but totally expected? All the servers are hipsters. Yes, I know I was in Portland, but I'm just saying it like it is. I half wondered when the last time was that they all took showers, and doubted that their clothes have ever been washed. The griddle, that was super cool. Although, my firefighter cousin was amazed that it was inset into a piece of wood, you know, a flammable material... My other cousin got the sweet potato pancake mix with bacon and goat cheese. Goat cheese, yes please! I had to get my own side, of course, for my benedict. Yeah, it doesn't really go together, but I love goat cheese that much :) I really liked her pancakes. And since I criticized her boyfriend's pancake making skills, he wouldn't let me try his vegan batter with vegan butter, vegan sausage, and almonds. Vegans make me crazy. You can't eat cheese anymore! It would be the end of my world. But he couldn't make a perfect circle to save his life, and was flipping too early or too late. Train wreck. I guess that's what happens when you deprive yourself of meat. Just kidding Cassidy, I still love ya.
(5)Rachael B.
I really liked Slappy Cakes when they first opened. It was fun to make pancakes on the table-top griddle while waiting for plates of food to arrive. But now, the pancakes are really the only good thing there. The menu was re-done not long after they opened, and now I don't really care for most of their food. The potatoes have been consistently over-cooked and under-seasoned, and the eggs never seem to be cooked as ordered (over-medium eggs came out with the whites runny, scrambled eggs weren't really scrambled and were pretty dry). On the other hand, if you only want pancakes, Slappy Cakes can deliver. There's an entire menu of mix-ins to choose from. I like mixing something sweet with something salty (like chocolate chips and bacon bits), and their lemon curd is delicious, too. The regular batter is light and slightly sweet (I haven't tried the other kinds). If you decide to make them at your table (you don't have to, they'll make them in the kitchen for you if you ask), be careful not to burn yourself...it's pretty easy to do. And watch the kids. That griddle is damn hot, and sitting at my table, I constantly worry about other people's hyper kids in the next booth falling onto the griddle!
(2)Wil M.
This is one of my highlights of coming to Portland! I describe it as "the mongolian bbq of pancake establishments". You order tubes of batter and mix-ins for your pancakes, and make your own pancakes right at the griddle on your table. Fantastic! I had the gluten free batter in a couple variants - pecans and goat cheese, cherries and white chocolate, bananas and chocolate chips. All totally delicious (and very generous portions for the price - one tube of batter is about 6 bucks, but makes 7 or 8 small pancakes). Turkey bacon? Ridiculously delicious. Thick cut. Full of flavor. I haven't tried the other menu items, but everyone in the restaurant always seems happy with what they're having. The serving staff are all having a great time - they really seem to enjoy working with each other and seem to believe in their business. The guy with the crown is rad. If you're coming for breakfast or brunch on the weekend, be prepared to wait for a bit. Totally worth it!
(5)Jeff W.
I'd probably rate closer to 3 1/2 stars if possible. We went here awhile back in our efforts to find another good little breakfast/brunch spot. As most breakfast joints in Portland, if you don't get there early you will be in for a bit of a wait. We had a nice long wait at Slappy Cakes, but the fun atmosphere, very cool interior and great company was the perfect antidote. If I had to pick the one thing I enjoyed most about our visit to Slappy Cakes, it was great design of the restaurant interior. Very cool. I think Slappy Cakes is more about the experience than the amazingness of the food. The product they sell is a combination of the two. The different batters you can choose from was very nice along with a great variety of other accompaniments. We ended up going with blueberries and honey with their buttermilk and buckwheat batters. All were very good. You can definitely taste the quality in their garden fresh fruit, etc. It was quite warm at the table because of the griddle, but was definitely worth it. We had a great time hanging out while we made our very own pancakes. Sure, you could do this at home -- but it was so much more fun here. Also, this would be a great place to visit if you have a bit of a larger group so you could share a bunch of toppings and really experiment. If you've got kids, I would think this place is an absolute must!
(3)Sean G.
Toad in the hole was amazing. (eggs in a basket) the make your own pancakes also are fun and exciting to make. I will be back again!
(5)Kate R.
One of the great places in our neighborhood! Get there early for the weekend breakfast.
(5)Amy E.
Despite all the raving kids you get by coming to Slappy Cakes, I really do enjoy their food, and the service has always been friendly and prompt. Today, however, my boyfriend and I witnessed service above and beyond the usual. We were sitting at the bar enjoying our coffee and the entertainment of watching a busy Sunday morning breakfast rush. At one point a server stopped to answer the phone, and then proceeded to take a to-go order for what must have been a party of 8-10. The server was pleasant and took great pains to get the lengthy order correct. I have to say, I was pretty stunned that someone would have the gall to place such a huge to-go order at 9 am on a Sunday morning, especially at a breakfast place that always seems to be jumping on the weekends. Not long after we finished our breakfast (delicious, as usual), the orderer of the to-go order arrived. She was grumpy looking and demanding -- she asked for more items, and had additional specification for the items she did order. Here's the amazing part -- the Slappy Cakes staff (at least 3 people were helping this woman by now) were unfailingly polite (even friendly) and helpful. At this point, I would have considered civil to be the maximum required, but they continued to help this semi-rude woman with her crazy order and additional requests. I would generally recommend Slappy Cakes for breakfast for the food (and yes, the novelty of making your own custom pancakes at a tabletop grill), but now I have to recommend them also for really good service. I am fairly pessimistic about service at Portland breakfast joints, but this was a rare and pleasant exception. Be sure to give the Toad in a Hole a try, and definitely order the side of gravy. That meal is one of my top-five favorites breakfasts in Portland.
(4)Michael E.
Great breakfast place! We brought some out-of-town guests here for brunch. Great food. Great bloody marys. Great art on the walls. And the employees were all dressed like ninjas.* I made a pancake-shaped starship Enterprise that would've made JJ Abrams cry. It tasted like butter and heaven. We'll be back to try out the rest of the menu. *the employees weren't actually dressed like ninjas.
(5)Shelley M.
This is a blast -- Mongolian grill meets breakfast! If you order squeeze bottles of batter (there are several kinds; I had buttermilk because I was sharing with a four year old, and four year olds aren't adventurous eaters), you can cook your own pancakes on a grill at the table. I went with an artistically-inclined friend who made amazing shapes (including a giant squid -- it took three of us to flip it, but man, it was gorgeous!) and it was awesome to watch other patrons come and look and take pictures of what she'd done. Definitely go very early, as soon as they open, because the wait for a table can be brutal. (We went at 8:30 on a Sunday morning and had no wait.) The flip side? Once you're seated, no one will try to rush you off.
(4)Kaitlin P.
Slappy Cakes is fun, although definitely not the best place ever. We went on a weekday so there was no wait and were seated right away. We decided to share a round of self-made pancakes and also ordered an order of huevos rancheros. The pancakes were delicious (but really, how could they not have been? They had bacon and chocolate chips in them) but the huevos was less than stellar. It tasted like chili. From a can. Dislike. Their regular breakfast items are priced a little high for what they are, but that's breakfast for you, I s'pose. Our server was peppy and friendly and I can guarantee that if it had been a weekend morning, post-boozy night out, she wouldn't have been my favorite person. But, it wasn't so I liked her.
(3)Amber S.
This restaurant is one of those places that all depends on the kind of person you are and what you like. It's either the coolest place ever, or kind of a joke. Went with a group of 12(!) on Saturday. We sent some folks out early at about 9:30 to warn them about/make a reservation for the impending onslought. The rest of us arrived at 12:15 and were promptly seated (ha!) at a long ass table. Uh oh-the table is sticky as fuck. Am I at Denney's? So, yeah, there are griddles at the tables. I was a tad hungover and the griddle stench (not to mention the heat) was a bit nauseating but I suppose the hangover was my own damn fault. Everything on the menu looks rich to a fault (Chicken Fried Bacon). I happened to look over and see someone eating something that looked way less fat and decided to follow suit and get the Huevos Rancheros. Thank God I did. It was actually absolutely delicious. The salsa was awesome (do they make it there?), the beans were bomb. The tortilla was frickin' good. A+ Also ordered in our group: Chicken Fried Steak. The most cartoonish serving I've ever seen. It was 4 inches tall! But it was tasty, gravy was noms. Pork Belly Benedict. Enough with the pork belly already Portland. Way too huge and greasy. Biscuits and Gravy. Good. Vegetable scramble. Excellent! Not so heavy, not deep fried, not filled with a bunch of lard. Bottom line: I can't believe I'm saying this but...avoid the meat! Go for the Huevos Rancheros, or the Veggie scramble. Both are outstanding. Ok, pancakes. You can order buttermilk, peanut butter or zucchini batter. All the cakes are good and sure it's fun to cook them in front of you. But they ain't cheap. And why do they grease the griddle with vegetable oil and not butter? They trust you to cook your cakes but they have to grease the grill for you. Just leave me some butter and get out of my way! All the ingredients are $1-1.50 per so it can get spendy if you plan on gettin' all jiggy on your cakes. Bottom Line: They seem to be TRYING to get on that stupid list that pops up on the internet every few years listing the worlds most caloric restaurant meals. I'm all for a bunch of fatty food but this was just over the top, way too heavy. The griddle left me smelling for the rest of the day like I just did a 10 hr shift as a fry cook at Shari's, and the place felt like it wasn't clean (in that Chuck-E-Cheese kind of way). And what's the deal with the bathroom lights? Meh, try it so you can say you did. I hear there is a very long wait typically so I don't think I'll make it back Oh, I should mention that the service was actually excellent, especially for a large group with the gratuity already included. Our server was a professional, on top of everything.
(3)Denise O.
I love slappy cakes! It's a bit over priced for pancakes as it taste just like any other ordinary pancake, but I love the experience. It's just great to make fun shapes and choose your own toppings. Worth the try!
(4)E G.
The good: the forest mushroom scramble was extremely flavorful. My husband and I would return just for to eat it again. The concept of Slappy Cakes seemed like a good idea but...this brings us to... The bad: we won't bring our kids back until they are much older. It was absolutely terrifying to have to be on guard the entire time. I think this could be fixed if the hot surface were a little farther from the edge of the table. Even though my kids listened to our warnings and didn't burn themselves, I think mixing little kids and hot surfaces is a dumb idea. My kids are 8 and 6 and I won't go back there for at least another 4 years - if they are still around.
(3)Frank J.
I wasn't expecting much. I figured it was a fun kid-friendly self service pancake place. And basically, that's fairly accurate. If they just focused on being that kind of place, I would have rated them at least 4 stars. The reason this place ranked lower in my opinion is because of the other-than-pancake menu. They have some interesting ideas like a pork belly grits, or chicken fried bacon. The problem is they were poorly executed. The pork bellies are very thick and extremely fatty. The grits was heavy and a little bland. The bacon was okay, but a bit too much batter and overly sweet. I had the traditional huevos ranchero that was at best, sub-par. The service was also not too stellar. I wanted to like this place, but unfortunately, I don't think I will be returning.
(2)Beth W.
Straight-up GROSS! Gross, sticky tables. Gross kids EVERYWHERE touching EVERYTHING. (This place is just asking for a lawsuit with all those burners in the tables.) Gross Benedict with leaks and asparagus Gross veggie gravy And plan on burning your pancakes. Because you're not a chef and you don't know how to cook them. It's also, not surprising, REALLY hot inside. Again, all those dumb stoves in the middle of the sticky tables. BOOOOOO! Leave our neighborhood, Slappy Cakes. Why couldn't a normal place have opened in that complex that's been empty for years? I left Florida 'cause Disney World sucks.
(1)P C.
We have been twice during the week and the service was excellent. The food is better than average. The prices can get steep with the add-ons, but overall a cool place. The weekends could be a totally different vibe though.
(4)J J.
I loved this place in every way. It's just fun AND good food. Get out of bed before 9am and go try it :)
(5)