Because sometimes, you just need a good stack of pancakes, and luckily, the best pancakes in Sydney come in all sorts of flavours, shapes, sizes and colours of the rainbow!

From decadent creations to gluten-free and kid-friendly pancakes, add these cafes to your brekkie bucket list, and scroll to the end of the post for our favourite one-cup pancake recipe! 

Sydney Cafes Serving the Best Pancakes

1. Park St Diner 

Where better to enjoy some pancakes than in a real-life American diner? Visiting Park St Diner is like stepping into a movie set complete with retro-inspired booths and a classic American menu serving fuss-free favourites such as bagels, burgers and yes, you guessed it - pancakes. Keeping with the theme, they come super-sized at Park St Diner - their Honey Butter Big Pancake is cooked in a deep dish with a crispy, golden edge - so bring your appetite!

Location: 252 Pitt Street, CBD 

2. Bake'd

If you like your pancakes stacked and sweet, it's hard to go past Bake'd. Their pancakes are a thing of wonder (we see you White Choc & Pistachio), often have a viral edge (hello Dubai Choc) and generally look like a piece of art (check out Pink Barbie). With several locations across Sydney and more on the way, people clearly have a thing for pretty pancakes! 

Locations: 
Punchbowl: Broadway 
Bankstown: Shop 362 Ground Floor, North Terrace
Merrylands: Shop 2 Main Lane
Liverpool: Coming soon 
Wetherill Park: Coming soon 

3. Valentinas in Marrickville 

Often referred to as Sydney's best pancakes, you won't be disappointed when you step inside Valentinas in Marrickville. Famous for its thick, hot, fluffly, American-style pancakes, chefs here let the pancakes do the talking with toppings kept to the classics. This popular Inner West diner is walk-ins only so choose your moment wisely! 

Location: 132 Livingstone Road, Marrickville  

4. Gram Café

The Gram Café pancakes hail from Japan and are a wobbly and delicious plate full of joy!

The Gram Café is the first of its kind to open in Australia, and the legendary soufflé creations are now considered some of the best pancakes in Sydney. In fact, the pancakes have become so popular, the Gram Cafe have opened up two more venues!

There are ten pancake concoctions on the menu to try, so we're guessing you'll be booking a table for the long haul.

Locations:
Chatswood: Chatswood Station, Shop 67, Level 3/436 Victoria Ave
Miranda:  Shop 2205, Westfield Miranda, 600 Kingsway
Sydney CBD: Shop RG016, Ground Floor, The Galeries Shopping Centre, 500 George Street

5. Happyfield

Haberfield's bright yellow corner cafe from Jesse Orleans and Chris Theodosi has been serving up deliciously fluffy pancakes to the masses since it opened in 2020.

Breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee, and cocktails are how they run things at Happyfield, but since we're talking about pancakes, their traditional Short Stacks are served with Pepe Seya butter and Canadian maple syrup. They've also got a Sweet Stack with strawberries, blueberries, raspberry coulis, icing sugar, and maple syrup. And finally, their Savoury Stack is served with eggs, crispy bacon, Pepe Seya butter and Canadian maple syrup - so good!

Location: 96 Ramsay St, Haberfield

6. Frankie's Food Factory

If you haven't yet indulged in the fluffy pancake magic at Frankie's Food Factory, consider this your cue to fix that, pronto!

Frankie's pancakes are quite simply pillowy clouds of golden goodness, stacked high and topped with all kinds of drool-worthy extras. From classic maple-drizzled stacks to over-the-top creations loaded with berries, whipped cream, and maybe even a cheeky scoop of ice cream, their menu caters to pancake purists and adventurous eaters alike. 

Locations:
Glenhaven: 609 Old Northern Road
Milperra: 479 Henry Lawson Drive 
Terrey Hills: 277 Mona Vale Road

7. Cafe Bella Dee

Did you say all-day breakfast? Head to Cafe Bella Dee, not far from the water at Sans Souci, for an epic stack of pancakes no matter the hour.

Little ones will be all about the fairy floss-adorned Unicorn Pancakes... don't forget the Insta-snap before digging in! 

Location: 36 Tuffy Avenue, Sans Souci

8. The Brothers Cafe

Another hotspot peddling incredible souffle pancakes in Sydney, The Brothers Cafe in Haymarket is the spot to go for a Japanese twist on classic pancakes.

If you aren't familiar with the drill, souffle pancakes are made by beating egg whites into a meringue, which gives them their funky wobbly texture, plus a delicious taste that is a must-try for all pancake fans out there.

The Brothers Cafe also serve incredible savoury treats, including sky-high burgers, crab croissants, fried chicken wraps, heavenly pasta dishes and more.

Location: Shop T.03/1 Little Pier St, Haymarket

9. Speedos

Perhaps the most colourful, Insta-worthy pancake cafe there ever was, head to this old Bondi favourite for the Caramelised Banana Pancakes with poached berries seasonal fruit, pistachio and maple syrup - the picturesque North Bondi view comes for free.

Speedos Bondi gets packed on the weekend, so a weekday visit might be your best bet for a family/mother's group feed. 

Location: 126 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi

10. Pancakes On The Rocks 

From the Butterfly Pancake to the Funny Face Pancake, complete with marshmallows, fresh strawberry, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, strawberry jam and 100s & 1000s, Pancakes on the Rocks know how to do pancakes well! 

Our top picks: Pancakes on the Rock's signature buttermilk or chocolate pancakes, and the Bananarama is to die for! We like that Pancakes on the Rocks do savoury pancakes too, which make pancakes perfectly acceptable for dinner, right? The kids' 'Ned Kelly' buttermilk pancake comes with whipped butter, scrambled egg and bacon. The iconic location at The Rocks has recently changed location so make sure you check details before leaving! 

Locations: 

The Rocks: 22 Playfair Street
Beverly Hills: 507 King George's Road
Northmead: 100 Briens Road
Darling Square: 55 Tumbalong Boulevarde 

11. Bills

Along with the not-quite-scrambled eggs, the fluffiest ever ricotta hotcakes are the signature brekkie dish that people keep on coming back for on celeb chef Bill Granger's menu at Bills.

The Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Bondi locations are all pretty roomy and pram-friendly, but we'd highly recommend getting there early on weekends to avoid the standard Sydney line-out-the-door-for-a-good-morning-feed fiasco. 

Locations:

Bondi Beach: 79 Hall Street 
Double Bay: 16 Cross Street 
Surry Hills: 355 Crown Street 
Darlinghurst: 433 Liverpool Street (undergoing renovations from Monday 5 October)

12. Air Lab Souffle

If your pancakes need to be extra fluffy and wobbly, you can't go wrong at Air Lab Souffle in Cabramatta.

Their deliciously silky souffle pancakes are so popular, it's not unusual to find a line snaking out their door on weekends. The wait is totally worth it for their heavenly takeaway pancakes that come in several sweet varieties, including creme brulee, tiramisu, matcha chocolate, strawberry, and Nutella chocolate - yum!

Location: 5/85 John St, Cabramatta

13. Bay Vista

Western Sydney's home of the best desserts is also home to some of the best pancakes in Sydney. 

Bay Vista are famous for their desserts, but we reckon their pancakes and waffles are the real heroes here. With two locations in Parramatta and Brighton Le Sands, you'll always be able to grab a table and order a stack of their Strawbana, Hey Honey (Comb)!, Blueberry Ricotta, or N.Y.S.B Cheesecake waffle/pancake creations - yum!

Locations:
Brighton Le Sands: 83 The Grand Parade
Parramatta: Shop 1, 330 Church Street

How to Make Pancakes

Jamie Oliver's One-Cup Pancakes

An ellaslist pancake recipe favourite, there's no measuring equipment needed other than one cup so the kids can help out. Thanks, Jamie Oliver for the recipe! See the original pancake recipe here. 

Pancake Ingredients:

• 1 large free-range egg
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1 cup milk
• sea salt
• olive oil
• OPTIONAL:
• 1 punnet blueberries
• yoghurt, to serve 

Pancake Recipe Method

1. Crack the egg into a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the flour, milk and a tiny pinch of sea salt. Whisk everything together until you have a lovely, smooth batter. Fold through the blueberries, if using.

3. Put a large frying pan on medium heat and after a minute or so, add ½ tablespoon of oil. Carefully tilt the pan to spread the oil out evenly.

4. Add a few ladles of batter to the pan, leaving enough space between each one so they have room to spread out slightly – each ladleful will make one pancake, and you’ll need to cook them in batches.

5. Cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes, or until little bubbles appear on the surface and the bases are golden, before flipping with a spatula. 

6. When the pancakes are golden on both sides, use a spatula to transfer the pancakes to a plate.

7. Repeat steps 5 to 9 with the remaining batter, adding ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan between batches, if needed.

8. Serve immediately with your favourite toppings - we like yoghurt, berries, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and chocolate chips...anything goes! 

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About ellaslist

ellaslist is a trusted local guide for families across Sydney and NSW, written by parents and family lifestyle editors who understand what makes an outing with kids genuinely work. Our team researches and curates the best family-friendly events, attractions, playgrounds, restaurants and school holiday activities, with practical details on age suitability, accessibility, parking, public transport, facilities and family-friendly tips.

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