Old Sugar Mill Pancake House

The service was lackluster and the food was just okay, but it was cheap and we were just there for the experience - making your own pancakes on the built in table griddles just steps from the spring.

We’d go again for a quick/cheap bite while at the springs to cool off on a hot summer day, but with lowered expectations about the meal.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Pancake Mix

Old Sugar Mill was stepping back in time.
Good family fun.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pancake Breakfast

Our server at the table was excellent .
However the manager needs some customer service training

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Pancake Mix

Called to ask to join the waitlist and was told I couldn’t because we were only a party of 4. So we rode motorcycles for over an hour to get there… Walk in an immediately felt off. Kids were running through the restaurant unattended… I was told it would be an hour and half before we could be seated meanwhile there were many tables completely open and not seating anyone. The girl stated it was because they were out of order… I stated we weren’t even interested in cooking in the griddle, she then says she couldn’t seat us ahead of anyone. So those tables just get to sit open and they only run a few tables worth of people. By the time we’re would’ve been seated it would’ve been after closing time! Not to mention, the one girl came up and told us we could not wait inside… Everyone else is running around in swim trunks or bikinis yet we are fully clothed. The first impression, the atmosphere, the employees is just not it… Let’s not mention that the lady at the gate couldn’t count change and had to hand it off to someone else who could… Holy crap!!!! I would not recommend coming back to this place or going there to start with. Might as well find another restaurant. Let me reiterate it’s okay for kids to run wild in this place (In and out the door a million times) yet responsible adults could not stand to the side and wait inside.

Side note, we went to a different restaurant and immediately got seated. The service is much better here… Oh and to the girl messaging me from here, be sure to show management the texts! ;)

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Every time I have visited this establishment is usually when it’s cooler. It is a unique experience to say the least. I read the complaints, they are the same that Denny’s, Perkins, Waffle House and Disney Restaurants get. Ignore them, only read compliments like I am posting, it’s a good moral boost.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Scrambled Eggs, Pancake Mix

Used to be a good place

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

What they did to push out the family that created, owned, and operated this establishment is a special kind of horrible. It's now owned by a large company out of North Carolina I believe. Keep your money local, please!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

This is a truly one-of-a-kind dining experience being located right next to DeLeon Spring. Each table has its own hot griddle, allowing diners to cook their own pancakes right where they sit. Very cool!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very cool place, enjoyed the sit down in an old building. It’s a one time visit. If you’re waiting on any of your party to join, they will not seat you. I’ve never heard of that. Gratuity is included, which takes away from incentives to do a great job. We had to ask for basic items and part of meal items as well. 18% is currently the rate, I usually tip at least 20 for good staff sometimes more, sometimes less. The prices are for food that is cooked, you cook some of your food, which can be cool for kids. The food as a whole in mediocre.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 2

Save your money. I ordered two all you can eat pancake meals it came out over $50! And it was 90 degrees inside sweating trying to eat. The service was absolutely terrible. I had to ask the waitress over and over again for simple things like silverware and a straw.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

Loved our time here!! We used to come here when I was a kid and it was all that I remembered and more!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

We just loved our experience here! I really don’t get why this place has such a bad rating, cause everything was perfect. The idea of an all you can eat pancake brunch where you can also make your own pancakes is absolutely genius and I wish there were more places like this. The price is more than fair ($ 9 for the all you can eat) and there are several items included such as syrup, butter and cream. In addition, there are so many toppings that you can add on and improve your experience! The pancake was really tasteful, but the chocolate chip was the cherry on top!! The coffee was good and the service was great, everyone was lovely and super helpful. It was super fun, the kids love it and the environment is really cute, they preserved the structure of the old mill and it’s very cozy. You have to pay a fee to get to the restaurant ($6 per car) but you also get to enjoy the beautiful De Leon Springs, which is just in front of the restaurant. Overall, this was an amazing experience and I’d most definitely recommend it!

**griddle grease trap completely open to the floor. caused hot grease to spray on our feet when we cooked our food at the table.

We had to wait about an hour to be seated for a party of two. I don't mind waiting, but it's worth mentioning. Once seated, it took about 20 minutes for the waitress to greet us, even though the restaurant wasn't busy, and there seemed to be enough servers. When the waitress finally came, she begrudgingly took our order. We ordered a Sprite and a Diet Pepsi, it took around 10 minutes for her to drop them off. We tried ask to order food, but the waitress spared us a quick glance and quickly retreated to the host stand to sit down on her phone.

When we finally ordered, we got pancake mix, chocolate chips, and various fruits. It took the mix and toppings about 25 minutes to arrive. As we cooked the pancakes, hot oil from the griddle dripped onto our feet, which seemed unsafe. I should have reported it, but I was ignorant and didn’t. Throughout the meal, no one checked on us, and we didn’t get drink refills.

Also, there's an automatic 18% gratuity added to every check, which I wasn’t aware of until I got the bill.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 1

Great experience for the family but you have to join a waitlist asap. We waited a hour and a half for a seat. That isn't their fault it's a tiny restaurant and was very busy. Beware the small charges on the menu it adds up quick! Wernt the best pancakes I've ever had but their strawberry smoothie was on point.

Dietary restrictions: Gluten free options available.

Kid-friendliness: Kids will love the old style environment. What kid doesn't like pancakes!

Wheelchair accessibility: The tables are fairly accessible with handicap.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Pancakes and Eggs

We used to go pretty regularly but due to some medical issues have not been in the last couple years. Wow! What a change. What used to be a unique experience has become nothing more than a restaurant that happens to let you make your own pancakes. The batter that used to be thick and tasty is now watery and runny. Where there used to be a variety of syrups, you now have a choice of either honey from a commercial bottle, or a syrup that reminds me of a runny log cabin.

We are taking our granddaughter with us for the experience. She enjoyed it but, again we should have asked. She wanted a little whipped cream for her pancake. Sure enough, they brought a tiny dab in a small saucer. Didn't realize that this was going to be an additional $2.

And beware beware beware. They now use a pay at the table system and no one mentions that they've added and 18% gratuity up front. I'm sure if you review the screen closely you'll see it, but we didn't. So until the receipt printed from the machine, we had no idea that we had just left a 43% tip. It would have been really nice to know ahead of time but I guess the server had no real benefit in saying something.

We certainly won't be coming back anytime soon. So disappointing from what we used to experience there.

We should have known something was up when we arrived at 9:00 a.m. on a Friday for a holiday weekend and there was plenty of tables available. We had expected a long wait.

Never again.....

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 2