NYC: Best Pancakes
I’ve searched far and wide for the best pancakes in NYC, trying 55+ stacks across 20+ neighborhoods! Below, you’ll find a few of my favorites. For a full list outlining the location, availability, my rating, and additional notes for each pancake, click here.
Yellow Rose (102 3rd Avenue)
Yellow Rose is a Tex-Mex restaurant in the East Village with some of my favorite tacos and sheet cakes in NYC. On some weekends, during brunch, they offer a pancake special. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of their short stacks, and was impressed. The pancakes are topped with blueberry compote, maple syrup, olive oil, and sweet toasted rice powder. They cost $15, and I recommend ordering some to share for the table.
Clinton Street Baking Company (4 Clinton Street)
Clinton Street Baking Company is home to my favorite stack of pancakes in NYC, and beyond. They are fluffy, flavorful, not overly sweet. They offer a few different flavors, but my favorite is the Wild Maine Blueberry with their famous Warm Maple Butter. They don’t take reservations during weekends, and wait times can get close to three hours, so plan accordingly.
Vinegar Hill House (72 Hudson Ave)
Vinegar Hill House is a cozy American restaurant in Brooklyn with a pancake unlike any you’ve had before on their weekend brunch menu. It’s a sourdough pancake with seasonal fruit baked into the batter and topped with butter. It’s cooked in a skillet giving it crispy edges with a soft, french-toast-like center. It isn’t overly sweet and could be enjoyed as a solo dish, or shared amongst the table.
Golden Diner (123 Madison St)
Golden Diner is an Asian diner with New York influence serving traditional comfort foods, sometimes with a little twist. They offer excellent Honey Butter Pancakes with honey maple butter and fruit compote. They’re light, fluffy, and sweet, and I recommend ordering a stack to share with the table. Wait times are long over the weekend, so plan accordingly!
Frenchette (241 W Broadway)
Many New Yorkers are sleeping on Frenchette’s brunch-only Levain Pancake! Do not make the same mistake. This is a stellar pancake- it’s fluffy in the center with crispy edges, and is topped with both butter and maple syrup from the Catskills.
Baby Blues Luncheonette (97 Montrose Ave)
Baby Blues Luncheonette is a greek diner in Williamsburg serving breakfast and lunch seven days a week. During the week, they offer pancakes in two flavors: Blueberries and Cream (pictured above) and Banana Baklava. I tried and enjoyed both, but the Blueberries and Cream really stood out. They were fluffy and flavorful with a slight tang and a generous amount of fresh, sour blueberries. They don’t take reservations and wait times can get long, so plan accordingly.
S&P Lunch (174 5th Ave)
S&P Lunch, run by Court Street Grocers, is a lunch counter in Flatiron serving diner classics, sandwiches, and comfort foods. They have an excellent, simple stack of pancakes available Mon-Fri until noon, and Sat-Sun all-day. They’re flavorful, soft, and not overly sweet, and happen to be pretty cheap for NYC, priced at $10. While I wish they had add-ins like blueberries or banana/chocolate chip, they’re some of the best pancakes I’ve had in recent years and I highly recommend them.
Five Leaves (18 Bedford Avenue)
Five Leaves in Williamsburg is home to a stack of dense Ricotta Pancakes topped with banana, blueberries, strawberries, honeycomb butter, and maple syrup. They’re dense and filling, and I especially loved the flavor of the honeycomb butter. They’re available both on weekdays and on weekends.
L’Adresse (1065 6th Ave and 1184 Broadway)
Last summer on a trip to Montréal, I tried Sryniki pancakes for the first time at Arthur’s Nosh Bar. I immediately fell in love with this savory, cheese-based pancake, and sought to find something similar in NYC. The closest I got was L’adresse. On weekends, for brunch, they serve these small Syrniki Pancakes made from cottage cheese and served with a side of jam. They have a nice tangy flavor, and a soft pillowy texture.
Lulu & Po (274 Hall Street)
Lulu & Po is an American restaurant in Clinton Hill with a simple, fluffy, satisfying stack of pancakes available on their weekday + weekend lunch/brunch menu. They aren’t overly sweet, and can be enjoyed as a main dish, or shared among the table with a larger group.
La Bergamote (177 9th Ave)
La Bergamote in Chelsea has an expectedly great plate of Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes topped with maple syrup and fresh berries. The edges are golden and crispy, and the inside is fluffy and light. They aren’t too sweet, and I appreciated that they also had blueberries baked into the batter.
The Commerce Inn (50 Commerce St.)
The Commerce Inn is a Shaker-inspired restaurant in the West Village from Rita Sodi and Jody Williams. Their weekend brunch menu offers a delicious stack of modestly sized buttermilk pancakes topped with fresh blueberries and maple syrup. They’re fluffy with a spongy texture, and are a unique stack to try.
Fossetta (198 Allen St)
Fossetta is a new Italian cafe and wine bar on the Lower East Side that’s serving brunch and dinner seven days a week! Their Apple Butter Pancake is cooked in a cast-iron skillet, allowing for perfectly crispy edges with a fluffy, bread pudding-like texture in the center. It’s topped with a sweet and chunky apple butter, and is served with a side of maple syrup. While here, I also recommend trying their freshly baked focaccias and homemade pastas.
See my full review here.
L’amico (849 6th Ave)
If you like ricotta pancakes, you’ll love the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from L’amico. They’re soft and light with a subtle lemon flavor, and are topped with a generous amount of blueberry compote and lemon curd. This stack is available on both weekdays and weekends, and they take reservations.
NoMo Kitchen (9 Crosby St)
NoMo Kitchen is a beautiful restaurant in Soho located in the NoMo hotel. I was impressed by the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes here. They had a soft texture, and a tangy flavor that reminded me of Sryniki-style pancakes. They’re served with mixed berries, candied pistachios, maple syrup, and ricotta sauce, but I wouldn’t mind eating these plain either!