Tokyo pancake cafés top 20

If you ask a Tokyoite, 2013 has been the year of the pancake. No other culinary trend gripped the city as comprehensively as the American-inspired golden goodie: led by Portland's Original Pancake House, new shops popped up like mushrooms after a rain, and a fierce competition to come up with the most imaginative topping combinations began. Pancakes also appeared on the dessert menus of restaurants across the spectrum, often with predictably unfortunate results. Speciality eateries remain the place to go for the best tastes, but although the queues aren't as long as they were in summer, be prepared to wait (particularly on the weekends). Here's our definitive list of 20 proficient pancake joints, ranging from imports directly from the New World to domestic Japanese concoctions. And if you start craving a cup of Joe after all that sugary goodness, check out our guide to the best coffee in Tokyo.