London's best pancake shops and restaurants
Don't forget the Jiff lemon...
Rejoice! That deliciously thrifty once-a-year treat no longer has to be confined to Shrove Tuesday... with a raft of great pancake emporiums in London, everyday can be Pancake Day!
Whether you love the fluffy goodness of American drop scones or the smug imperiousness of the French crêpe, we think it's what you serve with them that really gets hearts racing... classic lemon and sugar or contemporary bacon and maple syrup... or even seafood and coconut milk (!) there's something for everyone at London's best pancake shops.
This <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants.php?type=name&rest=my+old+dutch">mini-chain</a> of family-favourite restaurants is almost 60 years old. Thin, bubbly fried batter is layered with heaps of seafood, charcuterie, and roasted vegetables. Don’t miss out on the glutonous sweet options, which come covered in things like whipped cream, banana and chocolate sauce. They also do a fine sideline in Dutch treats like fried cheese parcels and mini doughnuts with maple syrup.
The only venue in London that doubles as both a club and a creperie. As well as hosting a discerning programme of disco, soul and house nights, they serve up tasty buckwheat pancakes to be washed down with cocktails. Choose options like seared chorizo with vintage Cheddar and avocado, or sauteed mushroom with cheese and black truffle.
The capital's second favourite central European restaurant (the first being big sister The Wolseley, naturally) does gourmet pancakes too. Indulge with layers of blueberries, creme fraiche and bacon.
It's all about comfort food at this American-inspired diner that is now in Soho and <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-18111.php">Chiswick</a>. End a meal of shrimp and grits with sweet buttermilk pancakes, especially the ones with crushed banana and oodles of maple syrup cream.
This Hammersmith eatery is perfect for Francophiles, with specialities like the tartiflette crepe made with Reblochon cheese, potato and cream. Among the sweets there's the classic crepe suzette, served with a shot of Grand Marnier liquor. The menu list is as long as your arm, but they're happy to tailor to your wants, plus you can get them to go.
At popular <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/search_results.php?q=the%20breakfast%20club">chainlet</a> The Breakfast Club they're fans of supersizing. Take for instance the All American, which comes with eggs, sausage, fried potatoes, streaky bacon and maple syrup, a bit like a Transatlantic full English on a pancake.
This American restaurant and martini bar sticks to crowd-pleasing buttermilk pancakes for weekend brunch, however for Pancake Day customers are given a list of ingredients to build their own. We'll take the blueberry-buttermilk base with coconut yoghurt/nutella/salted caramel ice cream/chocolate sauce and everything else please.
As the name suggests, this creperie on hip Chatsworth Road goes all over the world with their ingredients. Try the Flavours of Mexico with chicken and guacamole, and the all day brekkie pancake with scrambled eggs, bacon, beans and melted Cheddar.
This cosy Richmond restaurant specialises in galettes, the Breton equivalent of pancakes. They're made with buckwheat and cooked on a griddle pan, and among the most innovative are the ratatouille galletes and the Andouille, served with sausage and offal.
For a slightly different take on the humble pancake, head over to Hoppers, from the same people as Michelin-starred Trishna and Gymkhana. Made with rice and coconut milk, they're a bit like dosas, and come with veg, meat or seafood.
