About Us

Lynn and Dan’s Pancake House Story

Pancake House’s building has been part of the beach landscape and history for over 100 years. The building was built in 1912 to serve as Sylvan Beach's Post Office and General Store. It is one of the oldest buildings and the tallest building in Sylvan Beach to survive the many years. In the 1950s, the distinctive patios, balconies and Ionic Greek Columns were added. The columns are a signature part of Sylvan Beach Main Street. In 1957 Moe LaBella purchased the building to open an Italian Restaurant. Moe had a fun-loving unique personality and would often be heard singing his favorite song “It’s a Wonderful World". Moe saw late night opportunity and changed his Italian restaurant into an afterhours breakfast and entertainment haven, dubbed “Pancake House”. Breakfast was served as part of the night scene and into the morning.

Throughout the years as Sylvan Beach became a sought-after entertainment hub, Pancake House was frequented by tourists, entertainers, celebrities and honeymooners in the spring, summer and fall. In the winters, guest have been more likely to be local residents, travelers and ice fishers. Guests could get a lot more than breakfast at Pancake House, which was renowned for high stakes gambling and other late-night temptations. The history of Sylvan Beach is rich in big name entertainment. Some of the celebrities that dined at the Pancake House included Liza Minelli, Rodney Dangerfield, Frances Ford Coppola, Al Martino, Harry James, Foster Brooks, Tony Sirica, Kay Ballard, Ken Norton and Dave Cowans. Pancake House was a favorite spot for Rodney Dangerfield, Foster Brooks and Tiny Tim. Many celebrities gifted Moe with signed photographs that remain part of the Pancake House ambiance. Moe LaBella passed away in 2008 and the restaurant passed through other owners who did not survive changing times until…

History

HistoricSylvanBeach

We, Lynn and Dan Cifonelli, had a vision. In the winter of 2015, Dan and Lynn purchased the building to give this iconic eatery a makeover with a new "old" look. We remodeled the Pancake House with the intent of maintaining historically correct design and materials. Some highlights of the renovation include revealing original boarded-up windows, restoration of original beadboard ceiling, re-structuring and re-flooring from the ground up and adding an antique bar. First time ever central air conditioning was added to the building -. How cool is that? We gave literally blood, sweat and tears during construction. Finally, we created a nautical dining room finish design, an adorned covered patio, a new fully equipped kitchen and the best breakfast and lunch menu in the region where tradition Italian and beachy seafood flavors intersect with American breakfast and lunch cuisine.

Lynn’s family made Sylvan Beach their summer home for many years and her inspirational father Joe Rizzo created "What's the Scoop", an Ice Cream Shop, in 1995 adjacent to the Pancake House. Joe operated the successful Ice Cream Shop until he was nearly 90 years old and he adjacent Ice Cream parlor continues as a successful family operation and a favorite spot for locals and vacationers. It’s all about good people, good food and good times. We are to have given back the historical Pancake House to the community our family has loved throughout the years. Although the Pancake House has a night life entertainment past, our theme is family friendly with “tie dye” pancakes a kid’s favorite. We maintain a tradition of adult fun, however, including a full bar featuring hand crafted bloody Mary's, many flavors of prosecco mimosas and a beachy bar drinks. Each drink and plate are artworks cooked to order, heathy, always fresh and pleasantly served.

Although historically a 12-room boarding house, the building’s 3rd floor had not been occupied for over 50 years when we purchased. Working with engineers, an architect and contractors, we restored the second and third floors into resort housing. The 3rd floor is an upscale fully furnished Penthouse suite with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with views of both the lake and the canal. The 2nd Floor has two cute fully furnished 2-bedroom apartments. The three apartments have huge, covered decks overlooking Oneida Lake to the west - great sunsets! - and Main Street activities and the Erie Canal to the East.