After a long, tiring badminton practice, I usually head home to gorge on everything available in my fridge. However this time, I headed to Walker Bros., The Original Pancake House, located on Dundee Road. Freshmen Julia Moran and Riya Shah came along to satisfy their starving stomachs, while helping me decide if this place was worth the time and money spent, too.

Seeing a lengthy line to get seated was a bit discouraging as we were all famished, but surprisingly, the line moved quickly. We were seated 15 minutes later, which is pretty impressive considering it was a late morning on a Saturday; a time when many people are craving some stacks of delectable, mouthwatering flapjacks.

Once seated, I admired the vast display of intricate stained glass windows and rare brass fixtures. The restaurant maintained a classic theme of solid oak wood, with several Greek figurines situated around random nooks and shelves.

I was served coffee that seemed fancy and special from the description of the menu, but was truly bland, watery coffee you would get at any other diner. After ordering our main meals, the breakfast was served in roughly 15 minutes, which is impressive considering the bustling crowd and busy servers.

When glancing at the menus, I was overwhelmed by the number of choices there were available. To be frank, there were too many options under each category that could have been cut down. After some deep consideration, I ordered the Santa Fe Omelette with a side of buttermilk pancakes, Moran got the Crispy-Crunchy French Toast, and Shah went for a classic Belgian Waffle.

When the food arrived at our table, we were all in breakfast heaven. The food was splendid with no mistakes made. My omelette was packed with several veggies, and cheese, served with homemade salsa. The eggs were cooked to perfection, making the omelette light and airy. I was lost in the trance of the oozing gooeyness coming from the Habanero cheese. I also never considered salsa to compliment eggs, but it entirely did so as it added some zest and spice to the meal.  

Moran was very pleased with her Crispy-Crunchy French Toast. In the end, the meal lived up to its name and was the right amount of crispy and crunchy. It balanced out all the flavors of sugar, cinnamon, syrup and butter, and she honestly thought it couldn’t be this perfect at home.

Shah decided to try the Belgian Waffle to make a simple comparison to other breakfast restaurants. The waffle had all the right textures and a simple yet flavorful taste. It was fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and the whipped, salted butter was a great compliment to the sweet syrup. The waffle was as similar to my side of the classic buttermilk pancakes, which I had boxed up for later since all of the portion sizes were considerably large and filling.

By the end of our meal, we were all stuffed and ready to call for the bill. The entire meal came to be an astonishing 37 dollars excluding tip. For everything we got meal and service wise, 37 dollars was definitely worth the experience.

After this experience, it makes sense as to why Walker Bros. has been running in business for over 50 years and now has seven locations sprawled across the northern suburbs of Chicago. Next time you want to enjoy a hearty meal, some classic dishes or catch up with some friends over delicious food and a comforting atmosphere, Walker Bros. is definitely a place worth considering.