Where to eat pancakes in London

Breakfast at The Wolseley is one of London’s prime-time social events – and this mother of all the grand cafés never disappoints. Whether you’re a high flyer or along for the ride, no one feels out of place as the conversation crackles over pancakes loaded with berries, bacon and maple syrup. All that’s needed to complete the full Wolseley trip is a large Wolseley Imperial – Mandarin Napoléon and Cognac with a long espresso and hot milk topped with chocolate and whipped cream.
   

A small but mighty hole-in-the-wall Chinatown spot serving up jianbing pancakes. Their thin and crispy delights are whipped up right in front of you; lacey crepes stuffed with spring onions, chilli oil, pickles, hoisin sauce and pork belly.

You don’t have to wait ’til Shrove Tuesday comes round for your pancake fix thanks to this bright, buzzy venue. Flavours come hard and fast, with pulled beef pastriami pancakes featuring slow cooked brisket, cheddar, sauerkraut, 1000 island sauce, kale slaw with toasted fennel seeds and home pickles. We also like the rose harissa shakshouka, which comes with a polenta corn fritter, poached egg, salted yoghurt, dill and parsley. Sweet options include banana marshmallow and pear caramel, as well as a selection of oven-baked Dutch babies. There are also outposts in Fitzrovia and in the Battersea Power Station redevelopment. 

Jammed onto the side of an architectural practice in Southwark, this serene Aussie-style café-restaurant is something of a quiet classic in this part of town. Perfect pancakes are available throughout the week until 4pm every day, with sweet and savoury on offer – and a mix of the two in the bacon and bacon topping. Cinnamon poached pear, fresh berries, and vegan pumpkin pancakes are also up for tasty grabs. There’s also a site on Battersea Rise.

The late Bill Granger’s chain of sunny-side-up all-day restaurants preaches the gospel of bronzed healthy indulgence, with a line-up of goodness-packed dishes including some proper thick Aussie ‘hotcakes’. Find these ricotta-based pancake riffs among the breakfast and lunch ‘classics’, stacked up and served in mouthwatering modern style with banana and honeycomb butter.

The interior of Fischer’s is a thrilling permutation of the European Grand Café, but with some 20th-century modern-art touches that evoke a sense of place: the Vienna of Gustav Klimt and Art Nouveau. Their classy Austrian menu includes an elite pancake: the Franz Joseph Kaiserschmarrn, which is a chopped pancake with cherry compote. 

Head to Old Spitalfields Market for Pleasant Lady’s divine jianbing. Their thin crepes come stuffed with miso-grilled chicken, and cumin spiced lamb breast, or – our favourite – succulent and sticky Cantonese charsiu pork. A ham and cheese options is also available if you fancy more of a fry-up style pancake in your hands.

Fancy a pancake at 2am? Well, now you can get your pancake fix day and night at the 24-hour Polo Lounge. Their sharing pancake stacks come in a variety of sweet treat selections, from banoffee biscoff and cookies & cream to streaky bacon and mixed berries. An iconic food at an iconic joint. 

Take your pancake game to the next level at The Beaumont hotel’s glamorous Mayfair restaurant with a clubby 1920s New York feel. Eat your way through stacks of fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup and cured bacon or sour cherries and clotted cream.

This one’s for those of you who like your pancakes with some stunning views thrown in. Boasting one of the biggest riverside terraces in London, Coppa Club occupies a prime spot with Tower Bridge in near sight – although tall windows mean you can soak up the vistas whatever the weather. Buckwheat and rye pancakes on the breakfast menu comes with berries, granola, seeds, coconut yoghurt or dry cured bacon, maple syrup and Netherend Farm butter. Oof.