Pancake Day, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday, marks the last day of feasting before lent begins. The Christian celebration shifts every year according to where Easter falls in the calendar and is traditionally celebrated with pancakes as a way of using up cupboard ingredients that may prove tempting during a time of abstinence.
As we hungrily await 21 February 2023, we’ve been on the hunt for the best pancakes in London. To help you narrow down your choices, we’ve found a number of classic pancake menus (think fluffy stacks with rich sauces, fresh fruit and smooth ice creams), as well as some non-traditional options in case you fancy going a little avant-garde with your pancakes this year. What could be batter?
For traditionalists
Where The Pancakes Are, Battersea, Fitzrovia and Southwark
Having started out as a pop-up on Regents Canal in 2015, Where The Pancakes Are has since taken the capital by storm. Now with three locations across London, the pioneering pancake purveyor is celebrating Shrove Tuesday in partnership with the West End production of Matilda The Musical. Inspired by the Roald Dahl story, the limited-edition Popping Forest Pancakes are available from 18-24 February. The dish features Where The Pancakes Are’s signature buttermilk or vegan, wheat-free pancakes, piled high with a fruity blackberry compote, drizzled chocolate, vanilla ice cream, marble shards and sprinkles of chocolate-coated popping candy.
Visit wherethepancakesare.com.
Badiani Gelato, across London
One of the oldest gelato shops in the capital, having opened in 1932, Badiani Gelato now has nine outposts across the city, including Notting Hill, Chelsea, Mayfair and Covent Garden. Alongside its signature Italian ice cream, Badiani is famed for its crispy crêpes and extensive range of toppings. If you think it’s what goes on top that counts, choose from five smooth sauces including bruna (hazelnut and chocolate), burnt caramel, pistachio, white chocolate, and caramel before finishing with a choice of caramelised salted peanuts, dried apple and chocolate chips (to name just a few). While you’re there, it would be rude not to try a scoop of Badiani’s award-winning Buontalenti gelato.
Visit badiani1932.com.
Crêpeaffaire at The Hippodrome, Leicester Square
The newly-opened Crêpeaffaire at The Hippodrome will be showcasing what it does best on 21 February: thin sweet and savoury hand-crafted crêpes with mixologist-worthy, bar-strength cocktails on tap. Crêpe and cocktail pairings include Get Lucky, a Biscoff crêpe with whipped cream and an Aperol Spritz, and the Oh So Pisco — a classic lemon and sugar crêpe complemented with a sharp Pisco Sour. The Gold Standard — the pancake house’s most decadent offering — comes with lashings of Belgian and white chocolate, chocolate gold balls and gold cream with a glass of Frizzenti Vino Frizzante. Made with organic flour and natural ingredients, Crêpeaffaire offers vegan and gluten-free options, too.
Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, WC2H 7JH. Visit hippodromecasino.com.
Dalloway Terrace at The Bloomsbury
This Pancake Day, The Bloomsbury’s Dalloway Terrace is encouraging guests to get creative with their pancakes. Offering three different types of batter — fluffy buttermilk stacks, thin crepes or poffertjes — choose from an array of toppings on the pop-up pancake trolley, which is served tableside. From smoked salmon to fresh fruit and maple butter to local jams and compotes, you can make your pancakes exactly how you like them while dining in a decadent setting.
16-22 Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, WC1B 3NN. Visit dallowayterrace.com.
Riding House Cafe, Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia and Victoria
For some, Pancake Day is about quantity over quality. If you and your friends are only interested in eating as much as you can, the Riding House Cafes are the place to be on 21 February. For one-day only, the London chain is bringing back its much-loved bottomless pancake offering. Indulge in a feast of fluffy deep-dish pancakes, available in three different varieties: with crisp Dingley Dell bacon, maple syrup, blueberries and sour cream; with succulent berries, berry compote and clotted cream; or Caribbean-style with toasted marshmallows, coconut clotted cream, white chocolate and banana-infused maple syrup. The best part? The pancakes just keep on coming.
Visit ridinghouse.cafe.
Farm Girl, across London
Perfect for vegans who don’t want to miss out on the pancake fun, Farm Girl is offering its Cherry Ripe pancakes, available at all Farm Girl locations across London, including Notting Hill, South Kensington and Soho. If rich, thick chocolate sauce isn’t your idea of the perfect pancake topping, indulge instead on Farm Girl’s vibrant vegan and gluten-free dish combining fluffy pancakes with a sour cherry compote, cacao nibs, coconut shavings, coconut yoghurt and maple syrup.
Visit thefarmgirl.co.uk.
For non-traditionalists
Hakkasan, Mayfair and Fitzrovia
For a different type of indulgence this Pancake Day, visit award-winning Chinese restaurant Hakkasan for its signature Peking duck pancakes. Celebrating authentic Cantonese cuisine, Hakkasan is offering a two-course meal centred around its famed whole Irish duck. Up first is crispy duck served with Chinese-style pancakes, Prunier or heritage caviar, baby cucumber and spring onion, before a second course of duck with a selection of sauces including XO sauce, black bean sauce or ginger and spring onion.
Visit hakkasan.com.
Petrossian Café, South Kensington
Parisian caviar expert Petrossian is on hand to elevate your Pancake Day with its unique take on the traditional fare. At the newly-opened gourmet café in South Kensington, you can expect its signature French galette topped with smoked salmon, salmon roe, fresh cream and lemon, as well as a smattering of caviar. For those looking for something sweeter, opt for the Vodka Suzette Crêpe served with Ossetra caviar and Petrossian jam, fresh berries and cream.
6 Fulham Road, South Kensington, SW3 6HG. Visit petrossian.co.uk.
Coal Office, King’s Cross
Coal Office is a collaboration between Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit and designer Tom Dixon, who have created a delectable Israeli food offering that reflects Middle East and Mediterranean dining traditions. Although this signature dish is available year-round, visit Coal Office this Pancake Day for its octopus al lachuh: a savoury pancake served with grilled octopus, fresh pomegranate, herbs and drizzled with a luxurious truffle harissa sauce. Utterly delicious.
2 Bagley Walk, King’s Cross, N1C 4PQ. Visit coaloffice.com.
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