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Nutella, Bacon, and Cap'n Crunch: 14 Delicious, Unusual SF Pancakes Worth Sampling

by Allie Pape
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by Allie Pape
1 comment / new

Buttermilk, blueberry, chocolate chip, banana: they are the four gold standards of delicious pancake flavors, and long may they reign. But if you're looking to shake up your breakfast routine, SF has a lot more to offer in the pancake department, from crunchy cast-iron baked Dutch pancakes to inch-thick souffle pancakes. Whether you're craving bacon and cheddar, lemon poppyseed, or Nutella, this list has what you're seeking, including multiple gluten-free varieties. Join us as we explore the wide world of San Francisco pancakes.


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Verbena

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Creative and clever vegetarian dishes are a hallmark of Verbena's menu, and their brunchtime pancakes are no different. Made with ground red corn, they're topped with peppery nasturtium butter, basil, and apricots braised in (of course) lemon verbena. Other versions have included carrot and sourdough.

2323 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 441-2323
(415) 441-2323

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Chambers

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Inch-thick souffle pancakes are a brunch standard at Chambers, with an all-out indulgent topping of spiced apple chutney, membrillo (quince paste), and in lieu of maple syrup, maple ice cream.

601 Eddy St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 469-5178
(415) 469-5178

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Dottie's True Blue Cafe

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If you're willing to fight off the tourist hordes, Dottie's gluten-free pancakes, made with rice flour, are definitely a favorite. They come filled with banana and fresh raspberries.

28 6th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 885-2767
(415) 885-2767

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Home Skillet

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This casual mid-Market diner has a bunch of quirky pancake variations, including candied pecan, strawberry-granola, chocolate-coconut, and peanut butter chip (they'll do it half-and-half with milk chocolate chips for that Reese's vibe).

1001 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 552-5509
(415) 552-5509

Outerlands

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Dutch baby pancakes, baked in an itty-bitty cast-iron pan, are menu staples for brunch at Outerlands. With their crunchy exterior and fluffy interior, they're definitely memorable. Get them savory (with maple-sage sausage) or sweet (with strawberries); you can add housemade ricotta to either version.

4001 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 661-6140
(415) 661-6140

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Zazie

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Brave the brunchtime lines for a taste of Zazie's gingerbread pancakes, topped with lemon curd and Bosc pears. They're deliciously sweet and spicy. Zazie also has a rotating weekly pancake special, with flavors like cornmeal and banana bread pudding.

941 Cole St., San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 564-5332
(415) 564-5332

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Padrecito

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Enjoy your panqueques Latino-style at Padrecito, where they're made with polenta and plantains, then topped with mango mascarpone, strawberries, and cajeta, a sweet milk caramel.

901 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 742-5505
(415) 742-5505

Also featured in:

Kate's Kitchen

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The cheddar-bacon pancakes at Kate's are perfect for those who don't have as much of a sweet tooth at breakfast (though they fare pretty well when topped with maple syrup). Fun fact: the real-life Piper and Larry of Orange Is the New Black fame bonded over them on their first date.

471 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 626-3984
(415) 626-3984

The Willows

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The Willows comes from the people who came up with Maker's Mark-glazed pork-belly donuts, so it's no surprise their pancake option brings together the equally insane-but-wonderful combo of peanut butter pancakes layered with chocolate mousse and sprinkled with peanut butter Cap'n Crunch. It'll bring back memories of snacking on cereal in front of Saturday morning cartoons.

1582 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 529-2039
(415) 529-2039

Also featured in:

Town's End Restaurant & Bakery

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Swedish oatmeal pancakes, filled with fresh fruit and almonds, are a morning menu staple at Town's End. If you're really starving or hungover, get the Mary's Special (right) which has two of them and a two-egg mushroom-green onion-cheddar scramble, all for just $12.

2 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 512-0749
(415) 512-0749

Market & Rye

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Its West Portal location is no longer, but the Market & Rye in Potrero Hill continues to put out a fun rotating selection of pancakes in flavors like lemon poppyseed, pumpkin-persimmon, and pineapple upside-down.

300 De Haro St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 252-7455
(415) 252-7455

Plow

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Creamy housemade ricotta and tart lemon make Plow's famous pancakes as light as a feather, even when drowned in honest-to-goodness maple syrup. Gluten-free types can also enjoy special pancakes made with almond flour.

1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 821-7569
(415) 821-7569

Also featured in:

Toast Eatery

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Nutella makes everything better, and Toast's pancakes are no exception. Order up a short stack slathered in Nutella and sliced bananas, or go for the Coco Loco, with bananas, macadamia nuts, and coconut.

3991 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 642-6328
(415) 642-6328

Griddle Fresh

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Light and fluffy, this Noe Valley spot's banana souffle pancakes become sinfully rich with the addition of fresh bananas, mascarpone, and walnuts. There's also a lemon ricotta version with strawberries.

4007 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 647-7037
(415) 647-7037

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Verbena

2323 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Creative and clever vegetarian dishes are a hallmark of Verbena's menu, and their brunchtime pancakes are no different. Made with ground red corn, they're topped with peppery nasturtium butter, basil, and apricots braised in (of course) lemon verbena. Other versions have included carrot and sourdough.

2323 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 441-2323
(415) 441-2323

Chambers

601 Eddy St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Inch-thick souffle pancakes are a brunch standard at Chambers, with an all-out indulgent topping of spiced apple chutney, membrillo (quince paste), and in lieu of maple syrup, maple ice cream.

601 Eddy St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 469-5178
(415) 469-5178

Dottie's True Blue Cafe

28 6th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

If you're willing to fight off the tourist hordes, Dottie's gluten-free pancakes, made with rice flour, are definitely a favorite. They come filled with banana and fresh raspberries.

28 6th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 885-2767
(415) 885-2767

Home Skillet

1001 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103

This casual mid-Market diner has a bunch of quirky pancake variations, including candied pecan, strawberry-granola, chocolate-coconut, and peanut butter chip (they'll do it half-and-half with milk chocolate chips for that Reese's vibe).

1001 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 552-5509
(415) 552-5509

Outerlands

4001 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Dutch baby pancakes, baked in an itty-bitty cast-iron pan, are menu staples for brunch at Outerlands. With their crunchy exterior and fluffy interior, they're definitely memorable. Get them savory (with maple-sage sausage) or sweet (with strawberries); you can add housemade ricotta to either version.

4001 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 661-6140
(415) 661-6140

Zazie

941 Cole St., San Francisco, CA 94117

Brave the brunchtime lines for a taste of Zazie's gingerbread pancakes, topped with lemon curd and Bosc pears. They're deliciously sweet and spicy. Zazie also has a rotating weekly pancake special, with flavors like cornmeal and banana bread pudding.

941 Cole St., San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 564-5332
(415) 564-5332

Padrecito

901 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Enjoy your panqueques Latino-style at Padrecito, where they're made with polenta and plantains, then topped with mango mascarpone, strawberries, and cajeta, a sweet milk caramel.

901 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 742-5505
(415) 742-5505

Kate's Kitchen

471 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117

The cheddar-bacon pancakes at Kate's are perfect for those who don't have as much of a sweet tooth at breakfast (though they fare pretty well when topped with maple syrup). Fun fact: the real-life Piper and Larry of Orange Is the New Black fame bonded over them on their first date.

471 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 626-3984
(415) 626-3984

The Willows

1582 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The Willows comes from the people who came up with Maker's Mark-glazed pork-belly donuts, so it's no surprise their pancake option brings together the equally insane-but-wonderful combo of peanut butter pancakes layered with chocolate mousse and sprinkled with peanut butter Cap'n Crunch. It'll bring back memories of snacking on cereal in front of Saturday morning cartoons.

1582 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 529-2039
(415) 529-2039

Town's End Restaurant & Bakery

2 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Swedish oatmeal pancakes, filled with fresh fruit and almonds, are a morning menu staple at Town's End. If you're really starving or hungover, get the Mary's Special (right) which has two of them and a two-egg mushroom-green onion-cheddar scramble, all for just $12.

2 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 512-0749
(415) 512-0749

Market & Rye

300 De Haro St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Its West Portal location is no longer, but the Market & Rye in Potrero Hill continues to put out a fun rotating selection of pancakes in flavors like lemon poppyseed, pumpkin-persimmon, and pineapple upside-down.

300 De Haro St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 252-7455
(415) 252-7455

Plow

1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Creamy housemade ricotta and tart lemon make Plow's famous pancakes as light as a feather, even when drowned in honest-to-goodness maple syrup. Gluten-free types can also enjoy special pancakes made with almond flour.

1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 821-7569
(415) 821-7569

Toast Eatery

3991 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Nutella makes everything better, and Toast's pancakes are no exception. Order up a short stack slathered in Nutella and sliced bananas, or go for the Coco Loco, with bananas, macadamia nuts, and coconut.

3991 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 642-6328
(415) 642-6328

Griddle Fresh

4007 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Light and fluffy, this Noe Valley spot's banana souffle pancakes become sinfully rich with the addition of fresh bananas, mascarpone, and walnuts. There's also a lemon ricotta version with strawberries.

4007 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 647-7037
(415) 647-7037

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