When the Line’s Too Long at Pancake Pantry

When the Line’s Too Long at Pancake Pantry

If you were standing beneath the Pancake Pantry sign, you’d be waiting at least 30 minutes for a table, according to a PP waitress. Your wait would be shorter if you visited Monday-Thursday or after 10:30 a.m. almost any day. But note: they close at 3pm.

But did you know there’s ANOTHER LOCATION downtown? Yep, same menu at 220 Molloy Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue, S. in SoBro. It’s open 6am-2pm daily.

Long a favorite of Music Row types, Pancake Pantry gained national exposure umpteen years ago when Joyce the Beloved Waitress appeared on “The Tonight Show” and dished that Garth Brooks was a regular customer. Since then, tourists have flocked in and most stars are eating breakfast elsewhere.

If you hit it at the right time, by all means, order a stack. Buttermilk and chocolate chip are big-sellers but I always go with buckwheats (the short stack is plenty for most folks) and a side of amazing soft-and-crunchy hash browns. Love the ham-and-cheese omelet too. I hate to go negative but my last visit was a bit disappointing; my friend’s silver dollar pancakes were smaller than their former standard and my buckwheats weren’t quite their moist selves.

New for 2021: Expanded hours so you can dine until 8pm Thursday-Sunday. The evening menu  includes meatloaf, pork chops and other dinner fare.

Don’t want to wait at Pancake Pantry? Consider nearby alternatives.


Biscuit Love

Their food truck garnered so much press that they went bricks and mortar. The Hillsboro Village location shares a roof with the Grilled Cheeserie, another food truck that opened a physical eatery. Not quite as popular as in its earlier years, it still has a following–and iIt’s a bit faster than Pancake Pantry. The East Nasty, one of its bestsellers, is a fried chicken breast smothered in sausage gravy. Alert your cardiologist before eating.

Grain and Berry

This healthy haven is around the corner from Pancake Pantry at 1806 20th Ave., S., the same building as the Moxy hotel. Expect smoothies, superfood bowls, flatbreads,  avocado toast, parfaits and other foods my southern body wouldn’t understand. Your nutritionist recommends this place. Probably your cardiologist too.

Fido

A few doors down from the Pantry is one of the most buzzed-about coffeeshops in town. Both the baked goods and sophisticated entrees are much-celebrated. Order at the counter and they’ll bring your order to you. Warning: if the line is trailing out the back door and into the parking lot for weekend brunch, you could be in for a 30-minute wait or longer.

Ruby Sunshine

Proud of its New Orleans pedigree, this chain boasts beignets and benedicts along with more standardized fare including burgers and fried chicken. Still, breakfast is the headliner and my wife’s multiple visit attest to its quality. It’s also one of the few spots in Hillsboro Village serving mimosas, bloody marys and such.

Dunkin Donuts

Surrounded by the Vanderbilt campus, this location seems inevitable. Two blocks north of Pancake Pantry on 21st Avenue, it’s hidden in a combo retail/office building  across the street from Mapco. There’s free parking behind the building. If you want true Nashville doughnuts, head south 2.4 miles to the perennial (almost cult-like) favorite, Donut Den.

Urban Juicer

A few steps closer than Dunkin Donut, the locally owned Urban Juicer has five other locations in the midstate. In addition to juices, they’ll set you up with a smoothie and shots of protein along with a succinct menu of salads, bowls and soups.

Brown’s Diner

Legendary for its basic burger, Brown’s now offers breakfast–eggs, pancakes, biscuits, hash browns–you know, real food. It’s less than a mile south of Hillsboro Village and has free onsite parking. Located across from Kroger and behind Mapco.

Over by Belmont University on Belmont Boulevard

Just south of the Museum of Iconic Guitars, you’ll find a few other places but note: parking can become an issue during the day when school is in session.

Bongo Java

Local owned but with several outposts are town including the first floor of the Omni Hotel, they’ve got a concise menu, a variety of drinks and hot apple cider as good as any cobbler I’ve ever eaten.

Proper Bagel

Slick little upscale bagel shop and market that hails from New York. A variety of salads and sandwiches inside a cottage. Our friend Joanna thinks it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

Other very-Nashville stops for breakfast:

  • Monell’s. Germantown. Come with a lumberjack-sized appetite at their two all-you-can-eat locations (Germantown or near the airport) or order cafeteria-style at Cafe’ Monell near 100 Oaks.
  • Loveless Cafe’. West Nashville. The timeless gold(en) standard in Nashville biscuitry, it’s a bit of a drive out west but they’ll feed you good. Got a hankering for country ham? They can help. And the peach preserves–heavenly.
  • Elliston Place Soda Shop. Midtown. For decades, business deals have been cut over a breakfast plate here. A banker friend considered it his satellite office.
  • Big Al’s Deli. Germantown. Don’t let the name food ya. Big Al throws down a southern breakfast. I still think about the scrambled eggs he made me on my first visit.