Lumes Pancake House and Restaurant in Palos Heights, Ill., is a huge family restaurant serving up equally huge portions for breakfast and lunch daily. There are five sites for this family-owned restaurant group -- Chicago on South Western Avenue, Frankfort, Batavia, Orland Park and the Palos Heights location I visited.
The service is fast and friendly and the food! You can have your heart's desire because they've got it covered. For breakfast, they offer egg combinations galore, 15 types of five-egg omelettes (the Hawaii Five-O made with pineapple, bacon, ham and Monterey Jack cheese is to die for and you have a choice of toast or two giant buttermilk pancakes), skillets, frittatas, plain crepes or with fruit fillings (you've got to try the Symphony Crepes stuffed with cream cheese filling, strawberries and bananas, and drizzled with melted chocolate), waffles, blintzes, pancakes and potato pancakes. Seldom-seen German pancake, apple pancake and Dutch Baby take 30 to 40 minutes to prepare (hunker down with coffee and the paper while you wait) but, oh, it's so worth it. For something lighter, hot and cold cereals, scrambled egg whites or a plate of fresh fruit are yours for the asking.
For lunch, start with soup, or a soup and salad combo. I had the chicken noodle and it was simply superior. Salads exist in all-veg or main-course varieties with meat or chicken (check out the Avocado Lotto stuffed with tuna salad). Sandwiches run the gamut -- hot and cold, clubs, burgers many ways, wraps, subs, panini, chicken breast many ways, and Patty Melts (juicy 1/2-pound burger on grilled rye bread wth cheese, grilled onions, pickle and a choice of regular or waffle-cut fries).
The best part is everything I've mentioned above is less than $10. There are free refills on coffee, soda and iced tea. A kids' menu for 11 and younger features items priced at $5.99 and less with complimentary small milk or drink. The parking lot is large and even though this place is bustling, the service is so fast, you and your car will be in and out before you know it. It's a great place for a business lunch when time is an issue, or for a leisurely meal with the kids.
I'm a family-restaurant connoisseur and this one, me likey! If you're a fan of large portions of good, simple food in a friendly, spotless environment, this is the place for you.
Lumes Pancake House and Restaurant
Address: 12401 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights, IL 60483 (check website for four other locations)
Phone: 708-361-7744
Hours: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Website: http://lumespancakehouse.com
Price: $
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