A-Frame: The Legend of the Hidden Pancakes

Spread the pancake love


“I can fucking EAT. So if we do AYCE pancakes, buckle up for a looong first date.”

I went to A-Frame in Culver City on a first date on a weekend morning. We arrived just before they opened, which is definitely something you should do unless you want a long wait. There is also the distinct possibility you will be seated at a communal table, which is a prospect that always terrifies me. This could have added an additional fun element to the date, but luckily we snagged a solo table. A-Frame was transformed from an old IHOP building, and rumor has it there are still smiley face chocolate chip pancakes hidden inside the A-frame walls.

Image via T.Tseng.

The big sell (at least to me) at A-Frame is that they offer all you can eat pancakes “Comin’ at Ya Two Stacks at a time, Order Until You Burst!” which we intended to do. The guy had warned me in advance: “I can fucking EAT. So if we do AYCE pancakes, buckle up for a looong first date.” I was instantly sold, and also instantly skeptical. Once seated, we were told we had a two hour time limit. Just in case you were feeling a little too relaxed about a first date, you now have pancake deadline, and the clock is ticking.

A-Frame has six varieties of two stack pancakes you can order. They are all buttermilk based, with different toppings: Buttermilk, Lilikoi Butter, Banana Mac Nut, P.O.G. (Pineapple, Orange, Guava), Buttermilk Chicken, and Sweet Red Bean. Having just toppings and nothing mixed into the batter always seems a little lazy to me, but there is an interesting variety to choose from.

Each of us ended up ordering only two sets of stacks, plus a couple beers, which may have cut into our pancake appetite. The pancakes were small, but dense. They were good overall, with a solid standard fluff to them, but nothing really stood out, besides the fact you could order AYCE. I was expecting my date to go for a third round after such big talk, but perhaps the pancakes just weren’t worth a third round. I have no pictures of the pancakes because I am (probably) not about to pull out my phone on a first date and start taking pictures of my food. I remember being very full, and very smitten with my date. I have no strong memories of the pancakes themselves, but there is always something appealing to AYCE pancakes.

Just the Stacks – 7/10 Tasty Stacks

Overall Taste: Quality buttermilk flavor but some toppings were overly sweet.

Mouthfeel: Good, but nothing magical.

Size: Small sets of two, but these are AYCE so pace yourself.

Presentation: Cute.

Price: $16

Location: 12565 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066


Published by

2 thoughts on “A-Frame: The Legend of the Hidden Pancakes

  1. I seriously love your site.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you develop this site yourself?

    Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own personal blog and want to find out
    where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called.

    Many thanks!

Comments are closed.