We were looking for a brunch spot that opens early. I mean, really early. I found this spot that opens at 7am! Works for me! They had a parking lot, but not very large. They do valet parking that starts maybe one hour or so after they open? When we arrived shortly after they opened, it was still self-parking which was more convenient for us. I have driven by this place several times later in the day, and they always had cars lined up, spilling out onto the street.
The inside was very cheerly, we were greeted with a welcoming smile within few seconds of entering. The area around the entrance was quite interesting. Especially the area to the left.
If you pay attention, this area had kind of “picnic in the park” type of feeling, with green grass, blue skies with white clouds, a wooden bench and a bicycle. The only thing is that everything was upside down! How cool is that? I heard this is their Juice Bar section. If you want to have your juice up in the sky, (or in this case, down in the sky?) you can do that here!
They have more seating to the right, with round tables and metal chairs. then the space opens up to a much bigger dining area. They had regular and high tables, all with the same metal chairs. I liked how they had a pop of color here an there with vibrant metal chairs.
The space is rather large, with even more space towards the back. They had some booth tables, but not too many of those. We were lucky to get one of the booth tables as it was still nearly empty.
For those who want a bit more quiet setting, they had semi-private area all the way to the right. I liked the old-fashion newspaper wallpaper on the wall around this section. Pretty cool.
They had the same feel of the old-fashion, monochromatic style with their menu. We wanted some coffee, but then we realized they do so much more than just simple “coffee” here. We decided to go with Caramelo ($4.95) and Nut n’ Honey ($5.95).
Caramelo ($4.95) is made with espresso, caramel, steamed milk & whipped cream. First of all, it was BIG! And just look at this beauty!!! If you thought you are not much of a coffee drinker, this might change your mind. It had loads of whipped cream, and the caramel drizzle that dripping down like caramel dream… The coffee itself was not that sweet, which was nice combination with the sweet whipped cream and caramel drizzle. Awesome!
Nut n’ Honey ($5.95) is made with espresso, hazelnut, honey, steamed milk & whipped cream. This one had more flavor in the coffee, and a bit sweeter. Both of them were made with excellent coffee, strong enough with deep aroma. Great way to start the morning!
Their food menu was massive, it goes on for pages! They all sounded good, but since this is a Pancake Factory, we decided to try some of their pancakes. When we first came in, I saw Chef’s Specials of the day on the chalkboard. I decided to try the pancake of the day, Fried Oreo Cookie Cheesecake Pancakes ($16). Yes, it is a mouthful, and the pancake certainly lived up to its name. It was HUGE! Three pancakes stacked up neatly, with three fried Oreos cut into halves. It had a nice amount of cheesecake cream.
I drizzled some of their special, original pancake on top and went right in!
The pancake felt a bit dry, but fluffy and light. With a little drizzle of syrup, and with the cheesecake cream, it was nice. On top of fried Oreos, it also had lots of real Oreo crumbles too. A really cool thing about this dish was that there was a REAL cheesecake slice underneath the fried Oreos! Nice touch! I was done when I got half of it. Very filling and satisfying, and yes, sugar rush!
My hubby chose more of a savory pancake, so that we get to try both sweet and savory kind. After looking through around 30 different pancake offerings, we decided on Tres Carnes Pancakes ($12.95). This one is made with their buttermilks pancakes baked with ham, bacon, pork sausage & cheddar cheese. Oh yeah!
Again, three pancakes stacked, very fluffy, but a bit dry. It had a good sized meat chunks in it. Bacon was sweet, perfectly cooked, not too crunchy, not undercooked. Ham and sausage had different distinctive flavor, and all very tasty! We couldn’t finished this one either, so we took about a half of it home.
Their bathroom is located in the back of upside down Juice Bar. It had a few bathroom stalls, but not many. Clean and organized.
Our server Vicky was really nice and friendly, helpful and polite. We had a very pleasant brunch here. Even thought you get your check at your table, but you pay at the register near the entrance. This place get packed by 10am from what I hear, so it would be best to go early, before it gets crazy busy. I would love to go back and try more of their tasty food!
Brownstone Pancake Factory – 860 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ 07020