When it comes to Pig ‘N Pancake restaurants, we don’t have enough toes to recount the old nursery rhyme “This Little Piggy.” With the recent opening of the Newport restaurant in January, we’d need six.

From its original Seaside location (opened in 1961), the popular Pig ‘N Pancake restaurant has grown to include popular eateries in Astoria, Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, Portland and the newest addition – Newport.

I have a problem with Pig ‘N Pancake. I can’t get beyond breakfast. I know that most of the family-owned Pig ‘N Pancake restaurants offer lunch and dinner, but with breakfast on the menu at all hours, I’m stuck. I love eating breakfast for lunch or dinner. It stems from my childhood when my father (a devout meat and potatoes man) would occasionally travel on business. Whenever Dad left town, Mom let loose. She loved to cook breakfast for dinner. We had waffles or pancakes, bacon or sausage and eggs for dinner. It was such a treat that to this day, eating breakfast at any time of the day feels wonderfully indulgent. This review is written in praise of Pig ‘N Pancake for serving breakfast all day long. Thank you.

While the menus are the same and each restaurant boasts a huge selection of novelty items for sale in the gift shop, each “Pig” location has its own look and feel. I’m particularly fond of the Seaside location, an updated version of the original. Located across the street from the Carousel Mall, a window seat offers a view of the downtown Seaside scene and a view of the stoic church steeple down the street. Aqua-colored naugahyde booths are classic comfort.

The Cannon Beach location sits over a wooded wetland, offering a refreshing glimpse of nature. In Astoria, a long bar with retro-stools has the feel of an old-fashioned soda fountain. Cozy booths and tables are located throughout the restaurant. Each restaurant is well-lit, with domed glass windows. While each is unique, there is a comforting similarity between the different locations. A Pig is a Pig.

The Pig ‘N Pancake menu offers 35 varieties of breakfast, including specialty homemade pancakes such as buttermilk, Swedish, sourdough and French batter pancakes – all made according to the owner’s original recipes. Lunch and dinner specialties include homemade soups and chowder, and a variety of sandwiches, steak, pasta and seafood dishes. Desserts include fresh homemade pie, strawberry shortcake and Crepes Suzette.

I love eggs Benedict, and the Pig’s version, made with smoky ham on a crisp English muffin, was delicious. A Dungeness crab Benedict is also available. I wasn’t thrilled with a Dungeness crab and cheese omelet (it was made with thin layers of egg folded over on themselves), but my dining companion enjoyed it. Lacy hash browns were crisp and golden. One friend wanted a blueberry waffle (with blueberries cooked in the waffle), but we were told that wasn’t possible. She could, however, order a blueberry pancake. We couldn’t quite understand why they couldn’t fold a few blueberries into the waffle batter. So she opted for a pecan waffle, thinking that the pecans would be incorporated into the batter. It was disappointing. The waffle arrived cold (the butter wouldn’t even melt on top) and the pecans were simply scattered over the top. Warm maple syrup would have helped, but it is served at room temperature (a container sits on each table).

Eggs Benedict with Dungeness crab comes with fresh fruit or hashbrowns at Pig ‘N Pancake.I haven’t eaten buckwheat pancakes since my father made them for me as a child. Sweet, earthy and tender, these were delicious. Lightly seasoned with herbs, the “little pigs,” made by Hormel foods, were good standard fare, as was the crisp bacon. Eggs were perfectly cooked on each visit.

Beer battered halibut fish ‘n’ chips were fresh and crisp. And a hot Oregon Bay shrimp sandwich topped with molten Tillamook cheddar cheese was equally delicious.

The Pig ‘N Pancake doesn’t offer fancy gourmet food, nor does it pretend to. What you get is quality comfort food that is always reliable. Bob and Marianne Poole opened their first Pig ‘N Pancake in 1961, with $100 and $2,000 of borrowed equipment. The original building was expanded and remodeled a number of times, and eventually gutted and rebuilt in 1987. As their legacy continues, their children and grandchildren now work at many of their restaurants. All I know is that the Oregon Coast just wouldn’t be the same without “The Pig.”