Luckily, Sydney has a fabulous range of eateries and many of them serve up a mean pancake or 6. From dedicated pancake parlours to dessert shops that do pancakes as a sideline and cafes that offer a version for breakfast – Sydney has them all.
Some of the pancakes we’ve discovered are unique, and some are classic.
Either way, we have put a list together of the top fifteen places to get your pancake fix, be it pancake day or not.
So make yourself comfortable. Here are our best places to eat pancakes in Sydney.
Location: 359 Crown St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010 Ph: (02) 9360 4762 See Website for Further Locations
We’re kicking off our look at the best places to eat pancakes in Sydney with an all-time foodie favourite. Bills.
Bills reflects the sunny, happy-go-lucky spirit of Australia and its easy, relaxed atmosphere goes with its food. It first opened in 1993, and became renowned for its breakfasts, brunches, and lunches.
Meals are served on large communal tables, where everybody is welcome. Their café is aesthetically pleasing and retro, making it a popular spot for hip millennials.
Happily for this article, Bills is especially known for its pancakes. Although their toasted banana bread and full breakfasts are also winners. Bills pancakes are called Ricotta Hotcakes, with the batter whipped with soft ricotta to make the pancakes extra soft.
Finished with a topping of fresh banana, and honeycomb butter, they are bliss. The honeycomb butter is a unique and delicious addition to pancakes, with the tangy taste complimenting the gentle sweetness of the pancake.
Location: 22 Playfair St, The Rocks, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9247 6371 For further location, see website.
Pancakes On The Rocks is a pancake and diner chain that first opened in 1975. The diner was inspired by 1950s America, and the prevalence of pancakes on every menu in the US.
Their first restaurant opened in 1965, in Adelaide, but now they are in various locations across Australia. And no wonder – this restaurant features some great pancakes, with toppings for everyone.
One of their most popular dishes is their Aussie sunrise, which consists of pancakes, crispy bacon, an egg, grilled pineapple, and bananas. They also serve pancakes with scrambled eggs, hash browns, eggs Benedict, sausages, and an assortment of all.
Interestingly, they offer some unusual savoury pancakes. For example, their Mexican pancakes with salsa, salad, and cheese, along with their potato au gratin pancakes, with pineapple, salad, and grilled bananas.
DOn’t worry if you have a sweet tooth – they cater to that as well. You can choose from Nutella pancakes, lemon meringue, blueberry heaven, coco berry, apple crumble, strawberry patch, and their macadamia madness, served with sweet macadamia and syrup with ice cream.
Location: 99 George St, The Rocks, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9247 3089
The Rocks café serves delicious, classic breakfast and brunch dishes, along with teas and coffees. The old building where the cafe is housed is almost two hundred years old, adding to the café’s traditional, yet warm atmosphere.
Here they serve European and modern Australian cuisine, along with their daily local specials. They always use local produce, and their dishes reflect that.
Popular dishes include freshly baked croissant with butter and strawberry jam, their banana bread with ricotta and honey, avocado on toast, grilled halloumi, eggs and toast, and their famous ricotta hotcakes.
Hotcakes are essentially the same as pancakes, but are a little thicker, and sometimes bigger. The Rocks Cafe hotcakes are mixed with ricotta, and are served with creamy mascarpone, fresh strawberries, blueberry compote, and maple syrup.
Happyfield is a sunny café, cheerfully decorated, preparing delicious, bright dishes. Their logo is sunny and bright, like their whole ideology.
The café is styled as a modern American diner, with yellow colours everywhere and eye-catching art. They are regarded as one of the very best places to get pancakes in Sydney.
Their menu includes classic brunch dishes such as eggs and toast, halloumi, and breakfast bowls. More importantly, they also make three types of pancakes.
They serve their savoury stack, consisting of two pancakes, fried eggs, crispy bacon, pepe seya (cultured butter), and maple syrup. Then there’s their short stack, consisting of three pancakes, pepe seya butter and syrup.
Their most famous pancakes are their sweet stack – three pancakes, charred banana, passion fruit, strawberry, blueberries, whipped cream, and Canadian maple syrup. Yum!
It’s over to the western suburbs next as we discover the best places to eat pancakes in Sydney.
Air Lab is a speciality pancake shop, which knock out iconic fluffy souffle pancakes. Here they serve some unique, sweet dishes, including their famous crème brûlée pancake.
Souffle style pancakes are thicker, taller, and fluffier and originated in Japan. They are made by whipping the egg whites into the mix, so it holds its structure better, similar to meringues.
Along with the crème brûlée pancake, they offer biscoff cheese pancakes, matcha chocolate, taro red bean, Thai milk tea, tiramisu, Oreo, mango passion fruit, and maple butter pancakes.
They also serve cupcakes, egglettes (pancake mix in an egg-shaped mold), soft serve ice cream, cream puffs, cake, and a range of milk teas and frappés.
Location: Altitude Building Shop 1, 330 Church St, Parramatta, NSW 2150 Ph: (02) 9056 2775
Staying in Parramatta we have Bay Vista who’s motto is ‘life is uncertain, eat dessert first.’ Sounds good to us!
This dessert bar and café opened in 1991, and has been serving up some amazing desserts, sweet and savoury crêpes, pancakes, ice cream, and waffles, since then.
This café is elegant, and has lots of inside seating. It was established with the intention of creating a place where families young and old could enjoy desserts without formality.
They have a large selection of pancakes and waffles, such as their fountain Belgian chocolate pancakes, their strawbana pancakes, with chocolate, maple syrup, white chocolate, butterscotch sauce, Nutella, and strawberries and banana.
In addition, they make chocolate honeycomb pancakes, with strawberries and caramel sauce, along with their blueberry and ricotta pancakes, and their cheesecake and strawberry pancakes.
Café Bella Dee is home to some of the best pancakes in Sydney, and is one of the most attractive places to eat. Plates here arrive sprinkled with edible flowers whilst the decor is beautiful.
The café was created from scratch, with a real passion for the finer things in life – and good food. Their menu includes a range of classic breakfast dishes such as sourdough toast, eggs and sweet French toast with strawberries and berry compote, as well as their much-loved Bella Dee pancakes.
At the time of writing, the kitchen has 2 options on the go. The first are their Biscoff Cheesecake Pancakes ($24) – a fabulous concoction of Ricotta Pancakes, Dulce De Leche Mascarpone, White Chocolate Biscoff Crumble, Biscoff Spiced Canadian Maple Syrup & Fresh Berries. Wow!. Or, you could order the Strawberries & Cream Pancakes ($24). Here, those Ricotta Pancakes comes with Hibiscus Infused Strawberry Coulis, White Chocolate Mousse, Almond Butter Crumble, Pomegranate & Fresh Strawberries.
Yep. Cafe Bella Dee is on out list of the best places to eat pancakes in Sydney for good reason!
The Brothers Cafe’s mission is – amusingly – ‘make everyone fat’ with their amazing food and drinks. They serve delicious dishes, made with care, love, and great ingredients. The café is beautiful and grand, with elegant features, and an open and airy space.
They serve signature dishes such as their egg and avocado salad bun with Japanese seasoning. Then there’s their a great prawn croissant with Parmesan and Japanese seasoning.
However, it’s the pancakes we are interested in.
They make beautiful souffle pancakes, which are iconic and delicious. A stand-out is the Thai tea pancake, with Thai tea cream sauce, white TimTam crumble, seasonal fruit, and vanilla ice cream.
They also have their delectable tiramisu pancake, with chocolate ice cream and a sprig of thyme. As the café takes influence from Asian cuisine, their matcha pancakes are popular, too. Served with matcha cream sauce, mascarpone cream, strawberries, and pearl fruit, they are pretty special.
Speedos Café is referred to as the world’s most ‘Instagrammable’ café, and has won awards such as the local business award. The cafe has become one of the best cafés in Sydney.
They serve raw meals, organic dishes, and a range of vegetarian and free-from options, using the finest, excellent quality ingredients.
Breakfast runs from six until eleven, and they have a range of options such as their egg and brioche roll, and the big breakfast with eggs, bacon, beef sausage and hash browns, as well as their summer coconut bowl with tapioca and mango.
Their iconic and very popular pancake dish is their caramelised banana and chia pancakes. This comes with poached berries, pistachio crumble, and maple syrup.
Location: Shop 67, Chatswood Interchange, Level 3/436 Victoria Ave, Chatswood, NSW 2067 Also at: The Galeries, Shop RG016, 500 George St, Sydney, NSW 2000
Gram café serves original Japanese souffle pancakes. The café is well-established and popular, serving up some delicious dishes for breakfast and brunch.
Their pancakes are made fresh daily, using an original souffle recipe to ensure the softest, fluffiest pancakes in town. The menu consists of nothing but pancakes and French toast; what else could you want?!
Their premium pancake comes with butter, fresh cream, and maple syrup, and their ice cream pancakes comes with black sesame, hojicha, matcha ice cream, strawberries and nama cream.
Amongst their best-loved creations is their sweet coconut cream pancakes, served with shredded coconut. Then there’s their tiramisu pancakes that are filled with mascarpone tiramisu cream, with cocoa and chocolate.
Finally, there are mixed fruit pancakes with fruit, Oreo cream pancakes, caramelised banana and walnut pancakes, and their famous matcha pancakes, served with caramelised walnuts and a sweet red bean paste and fresh strawberries.
Left of Field has been serving freshly-brewed coffee, creative and contemporary brunches and amazing pancakes since 2016. The café is modern, with plants and open spaces, recreating that fashionable warehouse look.
As far as we are concerned, their claim to fame is their delicious and unique hotcakes.
However, they also serve the toast, eggs, berry bowls, and other classic brunch dishes such as spicy scrambled eggs, smashed avocado, and their chorizo breakfast hash.
They are well known for their peanut butter and maple syrup French toast. This sweet delight comes with hibiscus syrup, white chocolate and hazelnut, along with their caramelised banana jam and vanilla ice cream.
More importantly, Left of Field dishes up great honeycomb butter hotcakes. These hotcakes are fluffy, made with ricotta and topped with homemade honeycomb, banana flakes, blueberry compote, honeycomb butter and seasonal, juicy fruits.
Auvers is a French-inspired café, in the heart of Haymarket. The café is beautiful and modern, with black tiles, and lots of cozy indoor and outdoor seating. Their mission is to serve amazing coffee and food in a social atmosphere, with minimalist features.
They knock out eggs on toast, smashed avocado and eggs Benedict, along with their waffle tiramisu French toast with mocha sauce and espresso ice cream.
Their Auvers pancakes are iconic, and truly delicious. The pancakes contain matcha, and are green and vibrant. They also include red bean paste, premium matcha glaze, sponge, and raspberry sorbet.
The flavours are truly unique, and their coffees go down perfectly as well. Add this to your rundown of the best places to eat pancakes in Sydney.
From Haymarket we’ve nipping over to Surry Hills for the next stop on our best places to eat pancakes in Sydney.
Basket Brothers is an Antipodean café, with a belief that good service, hospitality, and food makes their menu and atmosphere stand out. It was established in Sydney by three friends longing to create a place that is social, and serves incredible, local food.
They prepare classic breakfast dishes such as taro infused oatmeal and fresh fruit granola, as well as their pumpkin bruschetta and ricotta.
However, they are most known for their famous red velvet pancakes, which are bright red, served with their pandan sauce, chocolate crumbs, assorted berries and fresh fruit, as well as their rainbow marshmallows and fairy floss.
Bread and Circus is a fashionable and contemporary café, serving beautiful dishes with high-quality ingredients and friendly staff.
The team here specialises in organic and healthy dishes. Typical items include their breakfast salad with avocado, olives, and sprouts, their goats cheese with seasonal tomatoes, Parmesan scrambled eggs with truffle oil, and their sautéed quinoa with kale and eggs.
In addition, Bread & Circus have a range of fine leaf teas, and coffees. They make a sweet, foxy oatmeal, served with organic oats, caramelised bananas and toasted coconut with blueberries.
However, their caramelised lemon banana pancakes are the main deal. That’s said, their flourless ricotta pancakes with cornucopia egg, maple lemon butter, caramelised bananas and strawberries are also worth the trip to Alexandria.
Editor’s Note: We are sad to say that Bread & Circus has closed.
Location: Gateway Sydney, 1 Macquarie Pl, Sydney, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9241 2277 For further locations, see website
Four Frogs Creperie is an iconic French-themed café, serving innovative sweet and savoury crêpes. Although crêpes are not specifically pancakes, they are made from the same mix, but just cooked thinner, and bigger.
They are originally from France, and are excellent with sweet toppings, as well as savoury toppings. At Four Frog Creperie they offer over fifty different types of crêpes and galettes (savoury crêpe) – the selection is almost overwhelming!
We’re counting them as a pancake on this list because crêpes are typically known as a form of pancake, and they truly are delicious. They serve their classic butter and sugar crêpes, honey, lemon and walnut crêpes, as well as their Nutella or Nutella and strawberry crêpes.
Try the Belgian chocolate and strawberry/banana crêpes, as well as their iconic flambé crêpe, served with orange segments, candied orange zest, orange caramel sauce and Grand Marnier.
Kusuka Café creates beautiful and ethically sourced dishes, and they are well-known on Instagram. They are a contemporary and hip café, specialising in signature drinks, such as their black forest iced chocolate with rum, and their pink latte with green tea.
With a menu inspired by Asian cuisine, and they serve some amazing dishes such as their nasi goreng and their grilled mushroom rissoles. But, most importantly, they are known for their homemade kopi pancake.
This fluffy, coffee-infused pancake is served with ice cream, peanut butter, palm sugar syrup, and chocolate drizzle. They are so popular that they only have limited availability per day. No wonder they make our rundown of the best places to eat pancakes in Sydney.
Bon Appetit Cafe is a homely café, with some excellent coffee and food, making it popular with both locals and tourists. Founders Tom and Katy wanted to ensure visitors leave their café with a smile on their face, and serve homemade food with genuinely attentive service.
They offer classic café food along with tapas in the daytime, and they are a thriving bar in the evening. For breakfast, they have raisin toast, banana bread, bacon and egg rolls, eggs benedict, açai and mixed berries, as well as their seasonal pancakes.
Their pancakes are fluffy and crisp, accompanied with seasonal mixed fruits such as blueberries and strawberries and berry coulis, as well as syrup.
They should definitely be on your rundown of the top places to eat pancakes in Sydney.
The Pantry Manly is a cafe and restaurant, based on the beach in Manly, Sydney. Their menu reflects modern Australian cuisine, using fresh fruits, fish, and meat, with excellent imported wines and beers.
The restaurant was established in 2010, and sits by the sea, in a beautiful waterfront setting. They serve classic breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, and are popular all day long.
For breakfast, they make eggs Benedict, smashed avocado and ricotta, as well as their classic breakfast board with prosciutto and truffled salami.
Their buttermilk pancakes are fluffy and fresh, and come with either banana, candied walnuts and honey, or fresh berries, berry coulis, and creamy vanilla ice cream.
Final Thoughts
Sydney has a variety of small cafés, dessert shops and specialised pancake shops that serve some magnificent pancakes. We hope this list has helped you in your pancake endeavours!
When it comes to great places to eat in Australia, the list really is endless. There are so many different restaurants, cafés, and chains to try that you really are spoiled for choice. From Italian food, to Japanese food, to a good ‘ole rump steak, the food options are endless.
This is why I decided to set up my blog, Eatability, to share the best food and drink spots in Australia with as many people as possible. Hi, my name is Dylan Cole, and I moved to Australia five years ago from England, UK.
Through this blog, I will be sharing and recommending some of my favorite places you need to visit, such as where to find the best pizza in Adelaide, and the best bakery in Brisbane. Whatever food you are fancying, I have got you covered!
