There’s a small pancake shop in Solvang where the tourist go. They find themselves waiting to be seated because they saw it has 4.3 stars on Yelp. It’s the same place where the locals go because they know they can sit in the restaurant half an hour after they’ve finished eating just to talk to the waiters. As a tourist this was especially true in my case. I was probably one of many who discovered Paula’s Pancake House through Yelp. Walking by, I couldn’t take my eyes off it as I approached. It was easy for a city-girl like myself to get captivated by a design that is different from what I normally see in Los Angeles. It looked slightly similar to other restaurants in the quaint Danish village, except this one stood out. The difference between this place and the rest, was the line of people waiting to get in. Looks like I made a good choice.

Since I wanted to sit at the counter instead of a table, there was no wait. While there, I scanned over the menu. My eyes darted back and forth between the breakfast options, but somehow an older gentleman to my left reading a newspaper pulled my gaze. A nearly impossible task under any other circumstance. As I waited for the waitress to return, I started to quietly watch him and even gave him a name as I pieced together his story. Frank (as I called him) sat without a plate in front of him, but had a small pile of used napkins, and a cup coffee growing colder. He must have finished eating a while ago, but wasn’t ready to leave and embrace the rest of the morning just yet. By the way he spoke to the waitresses, I could tell he comes here often and the way she responded to him, I could tell she was fond of him. He’s a regular, and for Frank sitting at Paula’s counter reading a paper with a coffee that started to become cold is the only way he wants to begin his day.

I on the other hand, started my day with a Latte ($3.75) with a shot of caramel syrup. Was it the best latte? No. Instead it was a familiar one. No different in taste from a latte I would grab on the way to work in Downtown. However this one was different in the feeling it gave. It was sprinkled with chocolate, layered carefully, and paired with a sugar cookie. Even better, each sip had an tacit and gentle warmth that made me want to stay a bit longer. I could only imagine that it was the same warmth that was probably in Frank’s now cold coffee.

It was easy to create a life for Frank as I sipped my latte. He was a retired school teacher just outside of Solvang. The kind of grumpy teacher who was hard on his students because he knew it would make them better. The years would pass and as his students would navigate life they would eventually realize that though he was tough, everything Mr. Frank taught them was right. Frank might have been stuck in his ways, but it was only because his ways were always right. As those thoughts began to unfold, my order arrived. It was the Paula’s Special ($8.95) a Danish pancake covered with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. It was similar to the texture and the weight of a crepe, but twice the size. I loved how light and thin it was, I loved how bright and fresh the fruit were, and I loved the way it tasted all together. While I thought I would like each piece individually, the taste of the totality of the dish was incredible. It was fluffy, sweet, and deliciously filling and before I knew it, it was gone. Just like Frank.

With an empty plate in front of me the waitress came to take it away. I couldn’t believe how simple and gorgeous the pancake was which made it easy to love every bite of it. With nothing but morning on my side, I took a few sips of my latte and didn’t mind that it began to grow cold. I pulled Frank’s newspaper close to me, began to read a few sentences, wiped my mouth with a napkin and placed it on the counter. As I began to talk to the waitress I took a look to my left and caught a young woman watching me. I initially squinted at her wondering what had her so focused on me. The it hit me. Maybe she just made up a name for me, ordered the Paula’s Special, and was beginning to create a story about my life like I had done with Frank.

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Address: 1531 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463
Phone: (805) 688-2867
House: Daily – 6am to 3pm
Social: Website and Facebook