The Original Pancake House has been in Madison for a long time — it was once in a Colonial-looking building near Hilldale before relocating to a former Mr. Steak (and home to a lot of other restaurants over the years) at 5518 University Ave. It’s safe to call it a west-side institution. It is, technically, a national chain, but it doesn’t really feel like one. It’s a spot for many coffee refills (staff will be by frequently to top off your cup), a good chat, and pancakes. Many kinds of pancakes! Regular buttermilk, Swedish, Dutch Baby, sourdough, and the loveable 49er.

49ers, named after the folks who headed to California for the gold rush, are supposedly the original “flapjacks.” They are less fluffy than buttermilk pancakes, not as thin as Swedish. They are a little chewy and I find it’s easier to plow through three of them than three buttermilk pancakes (I feel less full afterward, anyway). Maybe they soak up less syrup. I don’t know. I’m not a food physicist.

The three 49ers come with a petite tub of whipped butter and, of course, syrup. They don’t need anything else to dress them up, like strawberries or chocolate chips, although I like a side of the restaurant’s soft scrambled eggs to add a little savory. It’s comfort food, it’s diner food, it’s happy place food.