The Disneyland-esque Carmel pancake house that once hosted Julia Child

The Dutch door to the Little Swiss Cafe, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, is a portal to another place and time. The front dining room’s timber framing and blue-shuttered windows evoke a European cottage. Inside, classical music is periodically interrupted by the chirps of a cuckoo clock. And a small chalkboard lists specials that might as well be written in permanent marker. 

“They’re today’s specials, yesterday’s specials, last year’s,” owner Steven Disseldorp told SFGATE. Consistency is a defining characteristic of the restaurant.

For more than half a century, diners have flocked here for the signature cheese blintzes, buttermilk pancakes and eggs Benedict — which have been made using the same recipes, largely by the same cooks.

“Most of my customers order the same thing all the time,” Disseldorp, 53, said. “It’s a rare day in hell that they break off.”

The blintzes have satiated locals and out-of-towners alike since the 1960s — before Disseldorp was born. When Irene Wasowski sold the restaurant in 1972 to his parents, Henricus (Henk) and Adriana (Adri), they kept her “Specialite de la Maison” on the roster.

Wasowski priced it at $1.25. Today, it’s $14.

An order consists of a trio of butter-yellow crepes, browned on top and wrapped around a mix of cottage cheese and cream cheese. Just as in Wasowski’s day, the blintzes are served with strawberry jam and sour cream.

“If I changed the recipe, I’d be run out of town,” Disseldorp said.

The pancakes and eggs Benedict were introduced by Henk. Disseldorp recounted that, following his parents’ emigration from their native Netherlands to the U.S. in 1962, his father was an executive chef with Hyatt. A stint at the hotel company’s Monterey location brought the family to the area in 1970.

The Swiss’ pancakes are thinner than regular flapjacks, yet not as delicate as crepes. A plate-sized, golden-brown stack of three is simply garnished with butter. Add-ons such as fresh berries, pecans and chocolate chips are available.

The eggs Benedict — accompanied by hash browns with a crunchy crust and fluffy interior — can be customized with various meats and veggies, lox, and avocado. Henk’s hollandaise remains the star of the dish.

In 2005, Disseldorp purchased the restaurant from his parents, who have since passed away. According to the story his parents shared with him, not long after Henk parted ways with Hyatt, he and Adri went to dine at the Swiss. As Wasowski took their order, they mentioned hearing that the business was for sale. She leaned in closely and asked the couple, “Got any money?” A deal was soon struck.

It was probably the fifth time that the establishment had changed hands. Piecing together items published in The Carmel Pine Cone and individual recollections, the pre-Disseldorps era went like this: Shortly after moving from Switzerland to Carmel in 1956, Theresia and Max Moser opened the restaurant on Sixth Avenue, between Dolores and Lincoln streets. In 1960, Fritz and Enrica Naf were announced in the Pine Cone as the new proprietors. The former, a Swiss baker by trade, had been stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Ord.

This is where details get fuzzier. Among Disseldorp’s restaurant-related ephemera is a handwritten note with the header “Kathy’s recall.” Kathy is a customer who once worked across the street from the cafe. By her account, a Hungarian duo, Marie and Bianca, owned the Swiss in 1961. By the time Kathy moved away a few years later, she thought that a husband and wife had taken over.

In 1965, a public notice in the Pine Cone confirmed Adeline Kern’s sale of the business to Wasowski, who had arrived in Carmel from Poland two years prior. The Swiss’ phone number is unchanged from Wasowski’s tenure. It has no social media or website, and only started accepting credit cards in 2020.

Disseldorp began working at the restaurant when he was 12. Except for a brief period as a student at San Francisco State University, he has been at the Swiss in some capacity ever since. Over the years, with the annual AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament held nearby, big-name golfers have swung by the Swiss, but he doesn’t know them by name. Sports-wise, he only follows the Dutch national football team. “I bleed orange,” he emphasized.

Of course, there have been famous patrons he recognizes, like Betty White, who was a regular. The actress built a house in Carmel in 1981, which she kept until her death in 2021. Disseldorp first encountered her when he was 12 or 13. “I had just started busing tables,” he said. “She was a really cool, nice lady.” Julia Child came in on a day when he wasn’t working. His mother relayed the culinary icon’s order to him: an English muffin, a side of bacon and a cup of coffee.

One employee has been at the Swiss even longer than Disseldorp: Head chef Rolando “Oly” Zapanta was hired as a dishwasher in 1981. That was roughly the time that Henk embarked on an expansion. The original kitchen was converted into a second dining space — maximum occupancy is now 49 — and an office in the building became the new kitchen.

The renovation yielded much of the current decor, which Disseldorp described as Disneyland-esque. “It’s kitsch. It’s cheesy, but cool,” he said.

The rear dining room’s custom red padded booths include benches with scrolled backs that give off an Alpine vibe, along with wood tables built by Henk, that Disseldorp remembered varnishing as a kid. Artist André Balyon, who hails from the Netherlands and is a family friend, completed the paintings on the walls in 2007. These are not your typical Dutch landscapes, though.

Amid a colorful field of flowers, “Puss in Boots,” the swashbuckling cat, points his sword at a gingerbread man. Elsewhere, the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, Eiffel Tower and other landmarks surprise and delight. The murals contain personal nods, too. Henk and Adri are painted to resemble Grant Wood’s iconic “American Gothic,” near a depiction of Steven Disseldorp.

In the artwork and in person, Disseldorp is easily recognizable by his bald head and thick mustache. He is on-site most days, sporting an apron when helming the griddle — both he and Zapanta were trained in the kitchen by Henk — and a tweed vest and tie when waiting tables. “It’s my meager attempt to look like a proprietor,” he said, joking.

The Swiss serves breakfast all day. Although lunch kicks in at 11 a.m. — the pork chops, Reuben, French dip and vegetable plate are bestsellers — 75 percent of diners order from the breakfast menu, according to Disseldorp.

As Disseldorp reflected on the Swiss’ longevity, the word “consistency” repeatedly came up. “Everybody has their favorite spot, with their favorite dish,” he said. “Then you go in there one day and it’s gone or it’s different. That, to me, is the kiss of death for a restaurant.”

The Little Swiss Cafe, 6th Ave. and Dolores St., Carmel-by-the-Sea. Open Monday-Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.