Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe

Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe
1783 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville, IL 60048, (847) 247-7777

Okay, I have found my new pancake house. Or, at least, one of them. There seem to be a lot of them around here. And I am, after all, a complete sucker for pancakes. This place has good ones, including some really inventive combinations.

Only open for breakfast and lunch, we knew we were in for something when we got there around noon-ish and there was a line. On a Wednesday. Luckily, it was only about a 5 minute wait.

I've already told Tony he'll have to take me here at least once a month since they have monthly pancake specials. This month is peanut butter and oreo pancakes which I was going to try -- but they were out. I wound up having the tiramisu pancakes from their regular menu. It wasn't a sacrifice (though I do love peanut butter). I'm determined to try every pancake they offer so I can find out which one is best. The only problem, I suppose, is that I'll probably never try any of their lunch entrees. I'll be too busy with the breakfast foods.

Tony had eggs benedict with feta cheese and a chipotle sauce. He liked it well enough to clean his plate. The only thing he wasn't wowed by was the cappuccino (they do the Seattle's Best brand stuff -- it was ok, but not great.). I tried the white hot chocolate and it was pretty good. But next time I'm going to try one of their favored lemonades (real lemonade according to the water guy).

Atmosphere was pretty good. We didn't actually see much of the place since our table was literally on the other side of the wall from the waiting area. So I'm not really sure how the ambiance is throughout the place. Didn't really matter anyway, since I was all about the pancakes.

Whoever owns it also owns / operates two other local restaurants under the umbrella name Next Level Dining. One is called Dunhills Steak & Chops (supposed to be an old-style steak supper club with live jazz on Fridays and Saturdays) and the other is Seasons of Long Grove (restaurant by day, banquet facility by night). If their food is as good as the pancakes at Wildberry, then I've gotta give them a try.