where jess ate

Before even arriving in Vancouver, my friend Dave told me he had to take me to Jethro’s, a great little breakfast spot. We dropped by on a Wednesday morning for breakfast. Luckily they serve up their breakfast items seven days a week so no need to fight the weekend brunch crowds!  The restaurant is in a pretty small space which fits maybe 25 people. The decor is pretty minimalist which is quite a contract from the kitschy décor at many of the brunch spots in Toronto.

Jethro’s large menu also has a selection of lunch items such as sandwiches and burgers. It also features some southern-inspired items such as chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy and a catfish po-boy. Unfortunately their menu didn’t have any freshly squeezed juice – my brunch staple.

I decided to go with the Crab Cake Benedict – House made crab cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise. Served with hasbrowns and toast ($11). Unfortunately the eggs were overdone and not runny like they should’ve been. I hate it when that happens. Despite this, their hollandaise, which I think is more important, was delicious! The crab cakes were quite thin (they looked like latkes), and were quite flavourful. The dish came with a generous portion of chunky potatoes, which I wouldn’t necessarily call hashbrowns. I thought they could’ve been seasoned a little better and didn’t end up eating much of them.

Mike ordered the South of Denver Omelet – Smokey pulled pork, sauteed onions, peppers, smoked gouda and jalapenos. Served with hashbrowns and toast ($10).  Unfortunately the pulled pork was quite dry and the entire omelet was a bit bland. It really could’ve used some sauce. The jalapenos added a nice kick to the omelet but obviously this couldn’t save this dish. Mike also agreed with my assessment of the potatoes – underseasoned.

Dave highly recommended ordering some pancakes, so we decided to order Grandmas Pancakes – Cinnamon apples baked into a buttermilk batter. Topped with streusel and served with whipped butter ($10). He warned us that the pancakes here are huge but I was still surprised by its size when it came. The pancakes were larger than the plate itself and were pretty thick – about ¾ of an inch thick, and there were TWO of them.

Despite the thickness of the pancakes, they were still pretty fluffy. Mike and I were in love with these pancakes! Easily some of the best pancakes I’ve ever had. There were four of us sharing these pancakes, and we still had about three quarters of a pancake leftover. Be prepared to bring a doggy bag home. I now understand why the bottom of their menu said “Please eat responsibly.”

Dave and Owen, my other friend who joined us, both ordered the Two Eggs and Meat – Eggs any style with double smoked bacon, sausage, grilled chorizo or ham steak. Served with hashbrowns & toast ($8). I don’t think this dish was anything special.

Overall, I think the real standout at Jethro’s were the pancakes! Some of the best pancakes I’ve ever had.

At a glance:

Open 7 days a week

Free street parking

The pancakes are a must-order! Everything else was just okay.

Ratings (out of 5):

Food: 3.5 stars (5 stars for the pancakes though!)

Service: 4 stars

Atmosphere: 3.5 stars