Oscar's

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Oscar's Restaurant
OscarsExterior.jpg
Cuisine Southern
Location 2805 West Cervantes Street
Owner Helen Rollo
Hours of Operation Su-Th: 6:00 AM-2:00 PM
F-Sa: 6:00 AM-2:00 PM, 4:30 PM-9:00 PM
Phone number (850) 432-8388

Oscar's Restaurant is a Brownsville eatery located at 2805 West Cervantes Street. It was opened in the early 1940s as the Brownsville Restaurant by Oscar Woerner. It was soon renamed Oscar's for Woerner, whose pancakes earned him the moniker "hot cake king." The restaurant was purchased in 1980 by Helen Rollo, who is still the owner.

The restaurant seats up to 300 in the main dining room and an additional 45 in the rear room available for private parties. The décor is dominated by a large mural on the eastern wall, several stained glass pieces that adorn the southern windows, and a variety of carved wood sculptures throughout. Rollo says of the restaurant, "I like my atmosphere. We're not ritzy or elegant, but we're not hash slingers, either."[1]

On February 15, 1978, shortly after 1 a.m., Pensacola Police Officer David Lee apprehended serial killer Ted Bundy after seeing his orange Volkswagen bug emerging from the alleyway behind the restaurant. Lee knew what most of the employees drove and was suspicious of the late hour; when he called to check on the license plate, it was reported stolen.[2] The incident is referenced in the song "Board of Tourism" by This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb: "Ted Bundy was caught behind the hot cake king / He had a busted head light behind the hot cake king."

Menu & prices

  • Breakfast buffet (Saturday & Sunday): $5.50
  • Seafood buffet: $11.99
  • Entrees: $5.95 - $9.95
  • Sandwiches: $2.10 - $6.95
  • Seafood: $6.95 - $11.95
  • Sunday specials: $6.95 - $8.95
  • Children's menu (younger than 12) available

Images

References

  1. "Oscar's proves little change and quality pay off." Pensacola News Journal, January 20, 2006.
  2. Ann Rule. The Stranger Beside Me, page 274.