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Pancake Pantry Nashville: Add It To Your Bucket List!

by Lynnette

Gatlinburg TN, Music And Songwriters, Nashville Fun Stuff, Restaurant Reviews, Vince Gill

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Soon after we moved to Nashville in 2001, Jim made a point to take me to one of Nashville’s most popular places for breakfast: the Pancake Pantry!

pancake pantry nashville line

He had lived in Nashville before, and he also took a lot of business trips here with his previous jobs, so Jim was very familiar with this historic restaurant.

One way he enticed me to go was by telling me about all of the Nashville celebrities who dine there.

Most recently, Jim took clients to the Pancake Pantry for breakfast and they ran into Vince Gill there. Many others have done the same, since this happens to be one of Vince Gill’s favorite breakfast spots.

Best Breakfast choice: The Pancake Pantry near Vanderbilt – Vince Gill’s guilty pleasure. The biggest stars in the world will confirm that fact.

— Jimmy Carter

It’s true. Celebrity or not, everybody who’s anybody has walked through the doors of the Pancake Pantry in Nashville at least once.

I’ve been there a couple of times now, and I agree – the pancakes are delish!

I’ve still never seen a celebrity there, but I’ve heard many stories from others who have.

Pancake Pantry Fun Facts

The Pancake Pantry is a small, family-owned business that began in Nashville in 1961. The same family still owns it to this day.

This is the place to have breakfast the next time you’re in Nashville. It’s usually on the Must-Do List for first-time visitors to Nashville.

Like the sign says… it’s a Nashville tradition!

However, if you have time-specific plans later in the day, then be sure to arrive early, because there is always a line at the Pancake Pantry. (I think it’s part of the tradition to have your picture taken waiting in that line!)

They open at 6AM daily, and close at 3PM (Monday through Friday) and 4PM on Saturdays and Sundays.

On the Pancake Pantry menu: breakfast and lunch all day. (Hmmm… I never thought of eating lunch there before. But why not?! I look forward to trying their lunch menu.)

They also have a kids menu.

The best part: they have 23 different varieties of pancakes! How fun would it be to go there 23 different times just to say you’ve tried them all?…

After all, the Pancake Pantry is one of the Top 3 Pancake Restaurants in America!

Pancake Pantry
1796 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37212
(615) 383-9333

inside the pancake pantry nashville

Another great place to have breakfast in Nashville is the Loveless Cafe.

By the way, there’s also a Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg. It’s located on the Parkway near Traffic Light #6.

I eat breakfast in a little place called Noshville. It’s kind of based on a New York deli of sorts. I think they might get to about Scranton, I don’t know if they get all the way to New York. There’s a few historic places to eat breakfast. The Pancake Pantry is one – that’s Hillsboro Village – and the other is the Loveless Cafe out on Highway 100. Those are both musts for a good meal.  

— Vince Gill

Reviews Of The Pancake Pantry

You know the Pancake Pantry is a great place to visit when there are literally hundreds of reviews for it:

pancake pantry line on weekends in nashville

Just for fun, listen to the Pancake Pantry song. It was written by Pam Daley, Steven Farmer, and David Baldwin. Pam Daley is the singer.

There’s nothin’ fancy about the Pantry
We simply have the best pancakes in town
23 varieties, our bacon’s crispy
And you’ve just gotta try our hash browns

Now people come from miles around
From here and out of town
They stand in line just to get in our front door
‘Cause you never know who you might see
Maybe a celebrity
We aim to please so you’ll come back for more!

We’re crackin’ eggs on the grill all day
Stackin’ the pancakes high
Served with southern hospitality
So put your boots in the stirrup
We make our own syrup
But we’ll never share our secret recipe

So head on down to the Pantry
In the heart of Music City
Where the waitresses will greet you with a smile

Yeah, we’ve got the best pancakes in town!