Natalie made our day when Roland and I checked out Briana’s Pancake Café at 572 Randall Road in South Elgin. She greeted us as we walked in and said we could sit anywhere we wanted. The choices are many for a small place. There was a counter with stools, booths, and little tables for two, as well as a long table for larger groups.
We chose a small booth and were very comfortable. Briana’s used to be a taqueria a few months ago and is now a new breakfast and lunch restaurant that is blossoming like the spring flowers.
We were there bright and early for breakfast and started out with coffee and a very large menu. We had so many choices: one-, two-, or three-egg dishes, omelets, wraps, skillets, scramblers, pancakes, waffles, and crepes.
Meat choices were the usual bacon, sausage, and ham, but also included corned beef hash and chorizo. In addition to toast and pancakes served with your entrée, you could also choose potato pancakes, plain crepes (served with warm maple syrup), or French toast.
Roland had scrambled eggs with hash browns and corned beef hash. He chose potato pancakes instead of toast. They arrived with a serving of applesauce and sour cream. All he added was pepper to his eggs, and he was very happy with his meal.
I ordered a chorizo, green pepper, and onion scrambler (which arrived with a side of salsa) and hash browns. Instead of toast, I ordered plain crepes. I know…crepes with chorizo? I wanted to try as many different items as I could. I gave Roland one of my crepes, and he gave me one of his potato pancakes so we could each have a taste.
The potato pancakes were delicious, not overly greasy, and with a hint of onion. The crepe was very thin, tender, and sweet enough that I did not even use the syrup. Roland commented that he enjoyed his favorite breakfast meat – the corned beef hash. The chorizo in my scrambler had just enough of a bite to it for breakfast.
Prices range from $5.95 to $8.95, and you get plenty of food for that. Coffee cups were refilled as often as we needed.
The décor is plain for now, but Natalie assured us that she is hoping to add more to the walls than the two flat screen TVs there now and hopes her ideas meet with the owner’s approval. Take-out menus are being printed soon. Everything was clean, and the service was quick and efficient.
Briana’s offers a lunch menu, which is being reworked. They do offer quarts of homemade soups to take home. I hope that item stays. Burgers, salads, and sandwiches–both hot and cold–round out the huge lunch menu. And, of course, you can order one of their bountiful breakfasts all day.
Their hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. They do have a kids’ menu. Treat the grandkids to a new breakfast place for a nice change.
Start coloring outside the lines. Pass up that other pancake house restaurant on Randall Road and travel just a little bit farther south. Give Briana’s a try, and watch it “blossom” and grow into one
