On the hunt for the best pancakes in London this Pancake Day? You're in luck, we happen to know exactly where the pancakes are. (That's a hint.) Every year on the nation's favourite Tuesday, breakfast and brunch hotspots around London scrap their usual menus of avocado toast and overnight oats to replace them with pancakes of all shapes and sizes, accompanied by never-ending lists of every topping imaginable. Of course, with so many options at our disposal, finding the best pancakes in London can be like finding a needle in a haystack. This is our chance to shove our air-fryers and slow cookers to one side, and joyfully indulge in plates of pancakes as our mid-week meal. Nobody wants to waste this once-a-year opportunity on a flat, flavourless flop. Fear not, we've done the research for you. Introducing, Where The Pancakes Are: The Food Network-approved all-day pancake restaurant that is, in our opinion, one of the best spots for pancakes in London.
Pancakes that Go Beyond Tuesday
Where the Pancakes Are is the brain-child of Dutch-born Patricia Trijbits. After a stint of living in America, Patricia fell in love with fluffy, American pancakes and upon moving to the UK, was puzzled to find that pancake restaurants were pretty much non-existent. And so, her passion was born to bring the highest quality sweet and savoury pancake dishes to the UK, not just on Pancake Tuesday, but on every day of the year. That is why, for us, Where the Pancakes Are is such a strong contender for the best pancakes in London. As an all-day every-day pancake restaurant, they have truly perfected the craft of a fluffy stack, setting them miles ahead of those who simply serve them up for the day that's in it. Patricia believes that the universally loved pancakes are a simple and beautiful alternative to any other meal option and has dedicated her restaurants to serving just that. As the foundation of a meal, pancakes are playful and joyful, reminding us of our youth. It's Patricia’s mission is to get the nation to fall in love with them.
What's more, unlike the ultra-refined batters and sugar-spike toppings we typically find on Pancake Day, the dishes on the menu at Where the Pancakes Are are made from scratch with fresh ingredients and nothing artificial, we're talking toppings of perfectly ripe blueberries and smoked salmon. From the regenerative organic flour and buttermilk-buckwheat batter, everything is curated for our gut health with abundant minerals, vitamins and proteins as well as cholesterol lowering qualities. Of course, there are those delicious dessert options to satisfy the sweet tooth, but they also offer a variety of options that have a great balance of proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates, transforming the humble pancake into a nutritious meal- perhaps Pancake Tuesday can be every day after all!
So, what pancakes did we order?
We headed to the Fitzrovia location, an airy, light-filled restaurant spanning across two floors. We stepped into the sleek, modern interior, and headed up the spiral staircase to grab a roomy table upstairs, looking down onto the quaint Charlotte Street. With such a variety of sweet and savoury options, we knew the decision-making process would take some time, so ordered some beverages to sip on as we perused the menu. Resisting the temptation to opt for one of the crafted home cocktails (it wasn't quite lunch-time yet), we opted for a Green Juice, a cold-pressed concoction of cucumber, apple, spinach, kale, and lemon and a Hibiscus Cooler, a spritzy refreshment of hibiscus, ginger, cinnamon, and lime. After much deliberation, we concluded that it would be right to satisfy both our sweet and savoury cravings, so went for a spread of dishes from both sections of the menu. To start, we ordered the Buddha Brunch, a fully-packed plate of two pancakes, smashed avocado, kale-chickpea-tabbouleh, roasted chilli pumpkin & cherry tomatoes, onion and jalapeño pickles and Nigella seed tahini. We also tried the Pulled Beef Pastrami- two buttermilk pancakes, slow cooked brisket,
cheddar, sauerkraut, 1000 island sauce, kale salad with fennel seeds and house pickles. Finally, for our dessert, we ordered the Hummingbird, cinnamon poached pineapple, house cream, pomegranate, flaked coconut, lime syrup and zest.
The Best Gluten Free and Vegan Pancakes in London
For our Buddha Brunch and Hummingbird plates, we requested the 3-in-1 vegan pancakes that are made with a flour blend of organic rice and buckwheat flour, soy milk & chickpea water. This meant that not only were our pancakes vegan and dairy-free, but gluten-free too. Typically, gluten free pancakes tend to be on the drier side, often flat and crumbly. This is down to the sheer lack of gluten, which acts as a binding agent in flour that gives that fluffy bounce to the batter. However, admittedly to our surprise, these gluten free and vegan pancakes were a sheer delight- light, airy, and the perfect texture, exceeding all expectations for a wheat-free, dairy-free alternative.
Comparing them to the Pulled Beef Pastrami which we ordered with the regular, organic flour, we noticed very little difference. If anything, we thought the gluten-free and vegan pancakes, were, dare we say it, almost fluffier?
What to Expect on Pancake Day
Where The Pancakes Are will be taking walk-ins only on Pancake Tuesday with extended opening hours (opening at 7am and closing at 10pm!) to satisfy pancake cravings all day long. Expect queue giveaways, roll-the-dice games with plenty of prizes and free pancakes for the first 25 people through the doors.
This Pancake Day, they have teamed up with St. Ewe’s Free Range Eggs, a family-run egg suppliers based in Truro, Cornwall, a collaboration driven by a united love for great food, nutrition, and British farming. St. Ewe’s passion for high-quality eggs makes them the perfect partner to celebrate Where The Pancakes Are's 10th pancake day with the CFC (Cornflake Fried Chicken). This is a limited-edition special of a fluffy buttermilk pancake, topped with halal oven-fried buttermilk chicken thigh covered in a cornflake crust and topped with a perfectly fried St Ewe’s egg in the centre. Plus, you can choose from a brunch variation of avocado, hollandaise and house pickles or opt for an all-day, bolder alternative with fresh kimchi, a sriracha dip and corn on the cob. For every CFC sold they'll be donating £1 to the FCN; a voluntary organisation and charity that supports farmers, farming families and people in rural communities through difficult times and periods of change.
Whether it be for Pancake Day or quite literally any other day of the year, look no further to get your fluffy fix of what could very well be, the best pancakes in London.
