Heidi's in South Lake Tahoe

​Since 1962
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This fun little cottage of a place has been serving pancakes in South Lake Tahoe for over 50 years.

I love the yellow color and I love the name.

​​The Alps?
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As you travel west from Nevada on US 50, you can see the mountains and the sign for Heidi's. I'm guessing the mountains were the inspiration for the Swiss themed restaurant.

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Or maybe there was an actual Heidi who inspired this restaurant name.  We stopped for breakfast and hoped to find out.

​Inspired by the Name
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Don and I were also lured to the little Swiss pancake house, because our daughter's name is Heidi.

 She suffered a little bit of teasing over the years, being called Heidi of the Alps.  The least we could do was visit a restaurant in honor of the name we gave her.  The theme inside was definitely based on the famous story.
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Cozy Booths
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​The hostess was very perky for 7:30 in the morning.

She pointed towards the line up of shiny pine booths. 

​Dot-to-Dot

​I was tempted to grab a children's menu with crayons. The dot-to-dot entertainment was as retro as the restaurant.

With so many dining kiddos staring at I-Pads these days,  I wondered if kids would know what to do with a dot-to-dot?

​​A Sturdy Start
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The Heidi story wasn't just reflected in the room decor. As we sat in our cozy booth we were handed hefty menus with engraved Heidi images.

When I opened the menu I was greeted with a snowy peak and a display of decadent breakfast foods. I didn't notice if they offered any "light" options, but everything from mug to menu set me up for a hearty feast.  I was ready.

Ready to Dig In
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​Suddenly our table was covered with food.  The smells of coffee and pancakes, potatoes and sausage filled our booth.  

The only thing that could have made it better, would have been a light snow falling outside. 
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Warm Breakfast
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​Our service was friendly and attentive, with lots of coffee refills. I ordered Heidi's Stack, even though I really only wanted about one pancake.

Don's sausage & cheddar scramble with potatoes, fruit and blueberry muffin could have fed many. Our feast was enough to fuel us for a 15-mile hike or a day on the slopes. We accomplished neither, but then we didn't exactly finish all our food.

Exploring
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​There were more rooms and tables in the back.  I loved the shingled house, the beams, the homey wallpaper and pans hanging.  

I'm not sure if this is how the place looked in 1962, but I'm guessing little has changed. I'll bet they occasionally get adult customers who have memories and stories of coming here as a child.   

Heidi and Her Goats
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​I would have loved this place as a little girl. I remember watching the Shirley Temple version of Heidi when I was 6. 

Later I was a little confused to see illustrations of Heidi without curls.

Quiet in the Back
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​I imagine in the winter the tables are filled with hungry skiers before they hit the slopes. There have only been 2 owners since 1962.  

I was curious about what inspired the first owner with the obvious theme. It must have brought in some business or the second owner would have changed things more. Our hostess hadn't been around long enough to know much history. She did say something about how the low-carb diet craze, hurt business.  To keep from scaring away dieting customers, they dropped "Pancake House" from the name.  Sad.
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Heidi Coke?

​The hostess had no stories about all the Heidi related treasures on the shelf.

I wanted to know why Heidi was printed on the label of the Coke bottle.  She didn't know.

Costumes 
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​I spotted the lederhosen and asked if servers had ever worn Swiss costumes, because I could picture that.  (She didn't know)

I can also picture the current owner having a hard time hiring staff, if that had beena requirement. 

Trim and Tower
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​By the time we finished up, the sun was shining on the flower trim and the little clock tower. We noticed a Howard Johnson's Motel next door, with the same wood and stone trim.

 Suddenly I had more questions. Could this have once been an orange roofed Howard Johnson's restaurant?  Maybe next time we'll dine beside an old local, who has all the answers!

Update 2022

This past October we visited Heidi's again. We brought along our daughter Heidi and the rest of the fam! Not much had changed inside the iconic pancake house, but the experience was completely different!

5 years ago, Don and I sat in a booth for two. I had just completed cancer treatment and kept my knit hat on my head. This time, we shared a big booth with our kids, their spouses and our granddaughter. The energy and mood at our table was the best! Heidi's hasn't change a bit, but our family has and so have I! 

Cheers to that!