Old Sugar Mill Grill & Griddle House

What a cute little place! Such history!
We ordered the pancake breakfast for 4 ½. ;)
Also ordered sides of toppings for the pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon.
Our waitress was wonderful! I believe that her name was «grandma Karen». But she was super sweet and made our visit that much more enjoyable.
They told us it would be an hour wait but it was only about 30 mins. The hubby and kids enjoyed a nice dip in the water while we waited.
The 2 differentbatters they provided were super yummy and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
I do think that the prices are a little much. $ 2 for every side that you get. Which only includes a very small portion. Ex: $ 2 for 2 slices of bacon. Next time we may just bring our own eggs and sneak them in there! Haha!
Oh and if you’re a maple syrup lover like myself, bring your own as they only provide the fake corn syrup stuff. Yuck!
For a family of 4 ½ it was almost $ 40. 18% gratuity is calculated into the check which we have no problem with :)

Man what a hidden gem this place is! I came with a group of 9 so we had to wait a little bit longer than average but we sat at a table with two griddles! Our server was awesome, she explained how the process worked thoroughly, and made the process for selecting extras (blueberries, chocolate chips, peanut butter, bananas, honey, etc.) easy and everything came efficiently. I love the fact that you can make your pancakes as big as you want, and you have the option for whole wheat pancakes too. We were also able to cook our eggs on the griddle, and the bacon comes cooked if ordered.
The only negative is that, you may get hot from all of the griddle heat, and no one wants sweaty pancakes, right? Definitely worth the drive out to DE Leon Springs!

Ate here today for the first time and it was so fun and wonderful for the whole family! Bobbi Jo was our waitress and she was so kind and helpful (even when we split some orange juice — kids!) the pancake beaters are so fluffy and wonderful and we had such a great time with the kids mixing all the toppings together! My fav was bananas + peanut butter and then topped with the local honey! Kids loved chocolate chips + bananas!!! We ordered bacon and it was cooked perfectly! We also cooked eggs on our griddle and that was awesome fun too! We loved this place and would come back every time we are here in Florida visiting family!!!

Went to this restaurant on my birthday due to rave reviews from friends. Honestly it was novel but not something I’d probably do again. Pancakes were five bucks for each person but extras quickly add up. Each of the pancake toppings are two bucks as are other items such as bacon, eggs, etc. Add drinks and your breakfast gets pricey fast. Remember also that you are cooking your own pancakes.
I guess my biggest issue was over bacon. My son and I both ordered a side of bacon. Each side is two pieces which is pretty small for two bucks but in any case we were told it was good. The server brought out six pieces on a dish. My wife mentioned she hadn’t ordered any bacon and I kid you not the server plucked two pieces off the plate and said she would get in trouble if she had left it on the table. I know, I shouldn’t get irritated over two pieces of bacon but I really thought it was petty to return those two pieces to the kitchen.
For novelties sake I gave this place three stars.
It was close though. I’d honestly say two and a half would be closer to my honest opinion.
Very surprised by the four star average. Was it good? Yes it was good but definitely not great and definitely overpriced as well as very touristy.
I also wasn’t real impressed that a tip was calculated in my check.
In a nutshell… go once to say you went but after that consider somewhere a bit more economical. Remember you also paid six bucks to get in the park so it’s a pretty sizeable investment for breakfast. For three of us we paid just under forty bucks and that did not include park admission.

We made a day trip circled around this place! We put our name on the wait list (4 hour wait time but it was Mother’s Day). Did the nature trail and came back to lay by the spring while we waited to be called.
The food was delicious and the fun part of making it yourself. I was impressed at how clean the table was considering it’s a syrup heaven. We went on a cool day so it wasn’t too bad inside but I can see how it would get hot in there if you pick the wrong day.
Pancake serving was enough for two so we shared that as well as ordering the French Toast which was just as good. Side of bacon is 2 slices.

Restaurant had an extremely long wait on a Sunday early afternoon (2 – 3 hrs) so we waited until 3 when there was seating available. The tables all have large griddles in the middle and the star item on the menu was the «Make Your Own Pancake.» ($ 4.95) They provide the spray oil, the batter and the spatula. If you want to add toppings, it’s a little extra. I decided on the veggie burger ($ 4.95) and it came on a Kaiser bun with the lettuce, tomato and pickle slices on the side. It also came with unsalted fries. Everything was tasty and it was a good price for what you got. The 18% gratuity is also automatically added to the check.
The restaurant is inexpensive and is great if you love pancakes.

The Old Sugar Mill Grill and Griddle House is located a bit out of the way… Ok, a LOT out of the way in De Leon Springs, Fl (unless you are one of the few living in De Leon SPrings). This is a place where they bring out the batter and you cook your own pancakes. Now — I know what you’re thinking — I can cook my own pancakes at home, so why pay someone to cook them somewhere else? Well, glad you asked! Yes — you cook your own pancakes but they deal with the messy no fun part, you get to focus on the fun of flippin’ your own griddle cakes! How fun is that! And THEY clean up the mess — oh yea!
They have 2 types of pancakes — one is the «regular» kind, and the other is a stone ground wheat. I prefer the stone ground but the regular ones are good as well! You get the choice of honey, regular syrup, or molasses. I HIGHLY recommend the molasses — absolutely delicious!!! The pancakes are very reasonably priced and are all you can eat. For an additional charge, they will bring you eggs (you cook yourself — just the way you like!). They also have bacon or sausage — but these come out already cooked. The coffee was good and all I asked was they keep by cup from going empty — which they did quite well!
Fun enjoyable restaurant located in the beautiful De Leon Springs parks. Come early enough for brunch or for lunch, and enjoy the rest of the day in the park with a full belly!

The place is all about the experience. It’s about the fun of preparing your own pancakes and eggs. Thus, kids will love this place. They do have other options such as salads and sandwiches. By the way, I love the baked ham sandwich.
They can be pricey. If you select the pancakes, know that every add on will cost you.
I advise to be there as soon as they open. The wait can be up to two hours. Luckily, you can go into the springs while you wait. But once they call your name, be prepared, be dried up and have all your party together!

My boyfriend and I decided to take a day trip up to DeLeon Springs to enjoy make your own pancakes (and beautiful weather). First off we went on a warm to almost slightly chilly day. The inside of the mill was warm but not uncomfortable. It doesn’t appear to have A/​C which wasn’t an issue on this day but would suck in the summer. However, maybe I just didn’t see it.
The table top griddles are very fun and you get to pick from a variety of toppings like blueberries, pecans, bananas, etc. We were delighted to see they have gluten free pancake batter. Service was good, if not a bit slow at times. We ordered bacon and sausage sides which were cheap but small.
It sits inside of a state park which is nice because it’s surrounded by beautiful places to hike or sit in the sunshine. I’m planning to go back to rent a paddle boat or go for a swim.
We had a great time, so why only 3 stars? Mostly because it’s a novel idea but the food wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. However I would go back.

I love this place! Been coming here on vacations since I was a kid. If you come on a weekday it’s significantly less busy, especially if you arrive around lunchtime.
The pancake batter is out of this world! I struggle to decide which one I like more, the traditional or the whole grain. They’re both delicious. Most recently, we ordered blueberries and chocolate chips as our toppings. They sure made for some amazing pancakes! I find it fun to cook them yourself, and to order more and more batter as you devour them rapidly.
I enjoy the ambiance here, too. Our server was friendly and quick. The old sugar mill is pretty cute. And it’s neat to explore the historic park while you’re there! Be sure to stop in the museum/​visitor center after your meal to learn about Sally the water skiing elephant.

Unique breakfast spot to make your own pancakes! Awesome family place! Go early! Its so much fun for all ages to make your own pancakes on the griddles embedded in each table, that families linger, enjoying the vintage décor, view of Deleon Springs with swimmers & small boat dock and old-​fashioned togetherness. Bring a swimsuit &/​or walking shoes for a relaxing way to work off that breakfast, check out the museum & sweet nature walks.

They should really expand the restaurant so it isn’t a 2 ½ hour wait. At least there is a small museum and a walking path to explore while you wait for the yummy pancakes you make yourself.

Told us there was an hour wait (group of 16) and we ended up waiting only 40 minutes. The waitress got our orders in quickly, wasting no time bringing out water and coffee. Our griddle worked perfectly and we always had fresh batter. The only thing that might have been an issue was a delay in one serving of sausage. However, we were too busy making delicious pancakes to notice. Excellent service and great food!

I’ve been wanting to try this place for probably two or three years but no one ever wanted to make the hour plus drive with me. We finally found an occasion to go & I couldn’t have been happier!
The night before, the reviews about long wait times made me nervous (I guess I never noticed that in my prior research?), but before we left town, our friends called the restaurant and were told that it was a very slow morning and we should definitely come in to keep the servers company! What a relief!
We arrived at around 10:15am and were seated immediately. There were only three or four other parties in the restaurant, and only a few more came in while we where there. Moral of the story: go on an overcast weekday morning at the end of September!
The servers were all great, the pancakes were delicious, and our bills were beyond reasonable even with the included gratuity. Two pitchers of batter (we didn’t even finish either), a few sides of bacon, and some toppings were enough to put the four of us into food comas! The basic pancake batter was our favorite, but I liked the multigrain with chocolate chips as well!
We’ll definitely be back again during their ‘off’ season! :)

Pro’s: So many options! Make your own pancakes! As little or as many toppings as you want! Great taste, customer service is on point and be advised gratuity is added to the check no matter the party size. Beautiful location! Fun!
Con’s: be prepared for a few stray flies and some heat from the griddle in the table. But that’s what makes it so interesting!

The idea is top notch — I wish there were more around town, but then again it’s an experience not something I could do regularly. After all there’s only so much attraction to cooking for yourself. The grain batter was actually my favorite! We added eggs and bacon and sausage and blueberries and chocolate chips — and had to buy real maple syrup for $ 12 but for $ 40 for a great tasting breakfast it was fun! The wait was legit TWO hours but we canoed and scouted out our spot to picnic in the waiting time.

I am not a big fan of driving a long distance just to get food, but if it is amazing I’ll fly to China for a killer egg roll. However driving from Orlando to Ponce del Leon is not a trip I will be making often unless I’m visiting Stetson College or making a day of visiting the springs for a picnic/​BBQ/​swimming/​river tour.
If you get lucky you might see manatees in the waters, but that is usually during the winter time. We didn’t get to see any on this day.
The parking to get in to the park is $ 6. Not bad. The wait to get in to eat was over 90 minutes. We arrived late, in between the early crowd and the late crowd. We walked around and checked out the tiny museum, checked out the springs (which is typical clear and pristine). There are some old ruins from the original ‘sugar mill’ which is cool to look at, however there isn’t much else unless you really plan your day around the entire park.
When we finally got called we were seated by a nice waitress who took our drink orders quickly. When she came back we gave her our order. In under ten minutes we had the batter and the other fixings for our meal. The OJ was really small even though I ordered the large. The sausage was extremely small but tasty. The eggs were normal sized. The main attraction here is the unlimited pancakes. So try and stay away from the eggs and extras. That’s where they get your money.
The cooking the meal yourself is a novelty which wears off quickly if you don’t have children. Maybe some adults would get a kick out of it but I can’t see wanting to visit here more than once a year for this meal. I loved that they had ‘black strap’ molasses. It has a spiced flavor, don’t think of peppers because it isn’t like that, and not heavy sweet. The honey I couldn’t tell if it was local. Then the maple syrup was nothing special.
The pancakes were tasty and fun to make. We had a small bowl of blueberries to add but decided not to get more because of the cost. We used real butter to cook as the spray is an plant oil and I believe has less flavor. The Vegan/​Gluten free batter was acceptable to me. My family had the multi-​grain and the butter milk versions. Every one enjoyed their meal.
The one thing I didn’t enjoy was the costs of the small portions of extras. The OJ was $ 2.50 and don’t think it was 8oz Think of those tiny ‘Blue Bird’ cans of OJ you used to get in the stores. They might be 5.5 oz?
For unlimited pancakes it was $ 5 which isn’t bad if you are hungry. However if you fill up on eggs and sausage then you have to pay another $ 5 or $ 2 for a la carte.
Then there is the mandatory 18% gratuity? Why? I did half the cooking. I could understand if it was a full service restaurant but it isn’t so why 18%?
I liked the experience but again, why go back there once the novelty wears off. If you are looking for a special date, one that will surprise the person you are with, then YES! this is an awesome place to go. If you have kids? YES! it is an awesome place to visit.

A fun and novel place to go for pancakes, and if you bring your appetite (and only want pancakes), it’s a bargain! It does get VERY hot in there, and we went on a cool, rainy day. If you’re sensitive to heat, go on the very coldest days only! It wasn’t crowded at all in the middle of the day on a Monday.
Reservations only for 10 or more!

«From the death of the old the new proceeds, and the life of truth from the death of creeds.»
–John Greenleaf Whittier
The Old Spanish Sugarmill Grill and Griddle House is the brainchild of Peter Schwarze who stepped in when the old sugar mill was set to be demolished. He restored it and created a bakery/​restaurant where he could sell products made from his freshly ground flour.
The restaurant is probably the most unique place I’ve ever eaten. Each of the restaurant’s tables is fitted with its own personal griddle. Here you, the patron of the restaurant, are able to cook your own pancakes and eggs. The restaurant brings you everything you will need be it batter, eggs or pancake toppings (which include blueberries, bananas, peanut butter, pecans, chocolate chips, apples or apple sauce). You then pour them on the griddle and flip them yourself. It is like being a chef in your own kitchen without all the prep work. The restaurant also serves breakfast meats (including vegetarian sausage), sandwiches and salads that are prepared behind the counter in the restaurant’s kitchen and they offer take out. But what is the fun in all that?
The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill and Griddle House website suggests that you should arrive early because it is both small and popular. We rolled up to the restaurant at 9:15, just a quarter hour after it opened, and there was already a thirty to forty minute wait. We entertained ourselves for a bit on the nearby playground and in the spring. Time flew and before we knew it our names were being announced over the loudspeaker.
We were seated next to a big window that looked out on the spring. It was such a beautiful setting. The waitress came by and quickly gathered the orders of everyone in the group: one pitcher of homemade batter (regular), one pitcher of the stone ground mixture (which includes five different flours), one vegan/​gluten free pitcher, two fresh squeezed orange juices, blueberries and two eggs.
The batters arrived and we were instructed on how to best make our pancakes. Pour in the middle of the griddle (the edges aren’t sealed so the hot batter could wind up on your foot) and when the edges begin to bubble flip them. Of course the most important instruction was skipped. TURN ON THE GRIDDLE FIRST. Because we failed to do that our initial batch of pancakes was quite a mess. But the next four pancakes (that’s about how many you get per pitcher) all cooked in about two minutes and were a nice golden brown color. You have the choice of eating them plain or topping them with honey, maple syrup, butter and/​or molasses.
It is hard to argue with what you get here. I mean you are the cook. I was very impressed with the vegan/​gluten free batter as it tasted a lot better than some of the recipes I’ve tried at home. It was clear that someone had worked for a while to get the recipe right. It wasn’t something that was just thrown together to appease the vegans/​celiacs. Even though I didn’t order any, I loved that this place, way out in the middle of nowhere, offered metropolitan fare such as vegetarian sausage. You just don’t find that at many breakfast places. The orange juice was fresh squeezed (and pulpy) and tasted that way. My only complaint, a minor one, was the blueberries were frozen. I would’ve preferred fresh. Unless of course fresh don’t cook as well on the hot griddle. In that case, I’m ok with frozen.
I mentioned early that I really loved this place because you did the cooking without all the prep work. Well another huge plus is that you didn’t have to do any of the cleaning up. It is all taken care of for you.
Vegan/​gluten free pancakes, five of them, for 5.95 (plus the entrance to the park fee) that didn’t taste like cardboard and had you stuffed until well into the evening? Fresh squeezed orange juice that lived up to the billing? A chance to cook over your own private hot griddle? What’s not to like? If you are ever in the remote vicinity of Deleon Springs, Florida (and by remote I mean within 100 miles), I suggest you visit the Old Spanish Sugarmill Grill and Griddle House and see what one man’s vision of the new can do for the old.

«So… What do you want to do for two hours?» Said my husband brightly to me after he put our names down on the waiting list.
«TWO HOURS?!» My jaw dropped and eyes popped wide in resemblance to a muppet.
Luckily, we had a LIGHT breakfast before the hour and a half drive down to De Leon Springs and there was an abundance of wonderful nature to enjoy while on the lengthy waiting list. The deep azure spring made a perfect circle in front of the Old Sugar Mill and there was plenty of benches to read and relax while watching the scuba divers practice their techniques. We took a walk along some trails but we were a bit paranoid we’d miss our place in line so we never ventured too far or really ENJOYED the park because we were so anxious to be sat. However, there was always something picturesque begging to be captured at every corner we turned. The Sugar Mill is reminiscent of an old wooden pioneer cabin. The giant water wheel attached to the mill is statuesque in front of the rippling brook and especially photogenic!
After our names were called over the speakers, we were seated in the side room replete with crackling FIREPLACE and windows over looking the green marsh. Perfect! I felt like I was Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie! We were seated at the Hibachi like table and immediately our bubbly server greeting us. She explained how the «make-​your-​own-​pancakes» worked and in a flash brought out two pitchers of pancake batter («unbleached white flour» and «Five fresh stoneground flour») as well as our chosen pancake toppings of blueberries and chocolate chips. We turned on the griddle, sprayed it with a light coat of non-​stick spray, and then attempted to pour a perfect circle for our FIRST pancake!
My pancakes of unbleached white flour with the chocolate chips were orgasmic! They were the fluffiest pancakes I’ve EVER had! The outer edges had a crispness you just couldn’t recreate at home and the chocolate chips melted inside the pillow-​like pancake with a delectable crunch on the bottom. Because I rarely allow myself white bread, this was an EXTRA special indulgence and I just lapped it up. The meal brought back memories of the pancakes my Grandma used to make on Saturday mornings. That nostalgia paired with the in-​your-​face softness of the pancakes sent me to the MOON and back!
We also had our choice of syrups; regular syrup, unsulphured molasses, and raw honey! My husband’s favorite was the whole grain batter with blueberries topped with honey! Our side items of bacon and sausage completed the breakfast experience. I particularly liked the spiciness of the sausage, it was a good counter flavor to the powerful sweetness of the syrups. We saw our table mates tearing UP the bacon to put inside their pancakes! Genius idea!
The secret to these perfect pancakes HAD to be the freshly ground flour they MADE there! I can never go back to stale store bought flour AGAIN! The fact that you make your OWN pancakes right there adds a level of FRESHNESS and control to your meal. While IHOP makes a good pancake, they always sit on a plate in the kitchen awaiting the rest of the orders. The pancakes at the Old Sugar Mill give INSTANT gratification and are without rival!
After we ate our fill and were pushed out of the restaurant in a wheel barrel (kidding), my husband asked me, «So, was it worth the two hour wait for those pancakes.» I gave a resounding, «YES!»