Memo's Pancake House

Memo, the owner of the Pancake House, is full of good stories.  Born in Mexico City, he started hitchhiking at the age of sixteen as a way to see the world.  By the time he was done, he estimates he hitchhiked about 50,000 miles through Mexico, the United States, South America, and Europe.  It was during these travels that Memo first saw Puerto Vallarta in the 1960s.  PV was a much different place then – there was no bridge spanning the Ameca River which divides the states of Jalisco and Nayarit, so to get to Vallarta from the north, you had to take a panga boat from San Pancho or Sayulita.

Eventually, Memo moved to Puerto Vallarta and started a restaurant in 1987.  How the Pancake House got its name is another good story:

“I started serving a line of breakfast.  I had an American customer, and he would be coming to the restaurant every day.  He says, ‘Can you make me pancakes?  They’re so good, but can you put something in them?’  My cook, who was very creative, took the pineapple and put it on the grill and added a little cinnamon and sugar, and then put them in the pancakes, and the guy loved it.  The next thing, he says, ‘What else can you do?’  The next day, we sautéed bananas and put a little rum and sugar.  It started to be a challenge, because then he says, ‘What are you going to do tomorrow?’  We told him we’d surprise him.  We went and bought peanut butter and cajeta.  That’s how the ones we call Swiss pancakes [started].  We put cajeta, apple, raisins, and so on.  He started to bring people.  He’d say, ‘Come with me for breakfast at the Pancake House.’  He’s the one that called it the Pancake House.”

Over twenty years later, Memo’s Pancake House is still wildly popular among both locals and tourists.  The restaurant has been featured in guide books such as Fodor’s, Frommer’s, and Lonely Planet.  The reason for its success is easy to understand: the Pancake House serves both American and Mexican breakfast classics in a beautiful setting for very reasonable prices.  It’s also the kind of place that treats you like family; Memo himself often stands at the door and welcomes customers.

 
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