Food Tips

Where to find the best pancakes in Canada

Where to find the best pancakes in Canada

Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Photography by Ryan Szulc
Image by: Best Buttermilk Pancakes <br />Photography by Ryan Szulc Author: Canadian Living

Food Tips

Where to find the best pancakes in Canada

We’re celebrating the foods Canadians love to eat with our round-up of favourite places to find a pancake breakfast. Can’t make it to one of these tasty spots? No problem! Watch our video on how to make perfect buttermilk pancakes.

1. Sugar Moon Farm (Earltown, N.S.)

While maple syrup is the first order of business at this 81-hectare maple syrup farm (sugarmoon.ca), a delicious breakfast can also be had in the log cabin restaurant that’s open year-round. The all-you-can-eat buttermilk red fife pancakes are made to order with locally sourced ingredients; they are certainly not to be missed.

2. Crêperie Catherine (Mont Tremblant, Que.)
Nestled at the base of Tremblant in a cosy chalet-style restaurant, this family-owned crêperie (creperiecatherine.ca) serves homemade French-style pancakes to delighted diners. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, the menu offers a dazzling array of toppings and fillings. The more adventurous can choose their own to create a truly unique crêpe.

3. Elmira Maple Syrup Festival (Elmira, Ont.)
Since 1965, early each April the town of Elmira transforms into the largest one-day maple syrup festival in the world (elmiramaplesyrup.com). For the best pancakes, check out the pancake tent, where 360 volunteers pour batter, flip cakes and serve more than 7,000 pancakes each year. The festival goes through an average of one tonne of pancake batter and 700 litres of maple syrup to feed the hungry crowd.

4. The Hoito Restaurant (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
This landmark has been serving Finnish-style pancakes to hungry folks for more than 100 years. The restaurant began as a co-op, feeding the hordes of loggers that flooded northern Ontario. Finnish pancakes are unleavened; they’re slightly thicker than crêpes but thinner than traditional Canadian pancakes. Enjoy them alongside eggs and bacon for breakfast or smothered in strawberry sauce and cream for a delicious dessert.
5. The Original Pancake House (Winnipeg)
Three locations (originalpancake house.ca) across Winnipeg mean you can get your pancake fix no matter where you are in the city. A plate of fluffy buttermilk pancakes served with whipped butter and warmed syrup is the traditional house specialty, but if you’re looking for something different, the giant oven-baked apple pancake is a serious treat.

6. The Calgary Stampede Caravan (Calgary)
The Calgary Stampede draws crowds from around the world every year, and the free pancake breakfasts (Caravan. calgarystampede.com) held across the city are a large part of the tradition. The caravan committee (the people responsible for the breakfasts), with the help of a small army of volunteers, serves up approximately 200,000 fluffy pancakes, four tonnes of sausage patties and 3,000 litres of maple syrup.

7. Jethro’s Fine Grub (Vancouver)
Huge (seriously, the size of a plate) fluffy buttermilk pancakes are tops at this hip West Vancouver diner-style joint (jethrosfinegrub.com). Enjoy them with whipped butter and maple syrup, or indulge in a variety of fun toppings. We like the sound of The Gold Rush (pancakes stuffed and topped with banana, caramel, pecans and streusel), while The Rooster (buttermilk pancakes with a shot of espresso and chocolate chips folded into the batter) is a dish for the daring.

Don't miss our video on how to make perfect buttermilk pancakes!

This story was originally titled "Canada's Best Pancakes" in the March 2013 issue.

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Where to find the best pancakes in Canada

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