Dishing With Diane: Sophia's Famous Pancakes in Merrillville, Indiana

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) -- It's time for Dishing with Diane where you - the viewer nominate your favorite locally owned breakfast diner and we highlight them!

Your suggestion this week brings us to Merrillville, Indiana, home of Sophia's Famous Pancakes.

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Sitting just off of I-65 Sophia's is easy to find and even easier to fall in love with. From the warm welcome of longtime staff, to the hot food coming out of the kitchen, here you feel right at home.

"When you're here you feel like you are part of their family," customer Chris Parsons said. "We come here what, we come here two three times a week."

We sit down with owner Bill Lalezas- this former Union Electrician left his position to join his father full-time in the restaurant business. Three locations later, he said Sophia's is not only here to stay, they plan to expand.

"We've been a staple out here for 22 years we have employees that have been here the whole time we seen customers grow up here we keep it simple we buy fresh ingredients we prepare everything in house we give customers a good meal for a fair price," Lalezas said.

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It's time for me to take a bite. We start off with what I can confidently say is the best pancake I have ever had. This is the large baked apple pancake, served immediately out of the convection oven. This beauty takes 45 minutes to make.

"We start off with fresh granny smith apples sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar and then we add our homemade pancake batter and bake it in the oven for 45 minutes," Lalezas said.

More breakfast favorites include their omelets made in a pan - not a flat top - a meat lovers combo skillet to ice cream for breakfast - a hit with the little ones.

"It's a favorite with the kids cause its got whipped cream chocolate syrup a little bit of everything," Lalezas said.

Needless to say, the food here is delicious and the atmosphere even better.

It's not hard to understand why these customers keep coming back.

"The food, the workers are phenomenal they are the sweetest people ever," Parsons said.