Photographer / Ron Wise
Lincoln Square Pancake House has been a favorite breakfast and lunch destination for Geist residents for the past 12 years. The goal of the restaurant has always been to give guests excellent food at a fair price. It’s a decision that has paid off handsomely.
“The owner of the Geist restaurant is Chris Katris (president of Lincoln Square Restaurants in Central Indiana),” Rachel Hedgepeth says, manager. “Yanna Tassopoulou (Chris’s cousin), and myself manage this location.” The food has always been great, at a price families can afford.
Hedgepeth noted that Geist residents have greatly supported the restaurant ever since Lincoln Square opened its doors. She says it helps that there weren’t many breakfast options in the immediate area when they opened.
“Before Lincoln Square, the location was a Chinese restaurant called China Palace,” she says. “After they left, the location was vacant for a year or two before we moved in. The Geist location here started in 2007. It was a great spot that was in dire need of a breakfast restaurant.”
The Geist community immediately became regulars.
“The reaction was positive,” Hedgepeth says. “Most of our customers are like family! We see them multiple times a week or multiple times a day.”
The regulars have made several of the menu items best sellers.
“Some of our (customer) favorites are the Banana Bread French Toast, Huevos Rancheros Skillet, and of course, the pancakes! Our house-made soups, huge salads, club sandwiches, and our gyro pita are always a big hit,” Hedgepeth says.
Lincoln Square’s popular French toast choices include its Cinnamon French Toast, a tasty cinnamon roll sliced, battered and topped with candied pecans, and caramel sauce dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon whipped butter; and Nutella French Toast, with fresh strawberries and Nutella, topped with banana, powdered sugar, and more Nutella.
Lincoln originals include Country Lady, a golden-brown country-fried steak topped with homemade country gravy served alongside two eggs (any style) atop a split biscuit with country gravy; the Entire Farm, an open biscuit topped with fried chicken breast, bacon, cheese, country gravy and eggs, served with hash browns; and their breakfast tacos.
Hedgepeth noted that the waffles and crepes are also a big hit. They include the Healthy Waffle, which is loaded with granola, topped with Greek yogurt, sliced fresh strawberries, and honey; the Fruity Crepes, filled with cream cheese and topped with blueberries, strawberries or apples, and finished with a dollop of whipped cream; and the Chicken and Blueberry Butter Waffle.
Hedgepeth added that you can’t go wrong with their Scramblers and Skillets, which include the German Skillet, with smoked sausage, farm-fresh scrambled eggs served on potato pancakes with cheddar cheese and country gravy; the Greek Skillet, a tasty combination of gyro meat, feta cheese, onions and tomatoes; and the Lincoln Skillet, loaded with a choice of bacon, crumbled sausage or ham with onions and peppers, finished with homemade sausage gravy.
Lunch favorites include a wide variety of burgers, salads, sandwiches and wraps, among many other delicious items.
Hedgepeth believes that what makes Lincoln Square Pancakes so unique is the way people love the restaurant.
“We are family owned and run (by the Katris family),” she says. “Father George Katris started the first Lincoln Square In 1989 in Kokomo, Indiana. There are now multiple locations throughout Indiana, including popular restaurants in Fortville and Westfield.
“Most of our employees at this Geist location have been with us 10-plus years,” Hedgepeth says.
Lincoln Square Pancake House is located at 8150 Oaklandon Road. It’s open Monday – Sunday from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. For more information, you can reach the restaurant at 317-823-5373.
