Best Pancakes in NYC: 14 Stacks Worth the Trip (2026)
The best pancakes in NYC aren’t all stacked the same way. Golden Diner’s $16 honey-butter pancakes get a reverent hush when they hit the table; Flipper’s serves jiggly Japanese soufflé pancakes in SoHo that wobble like they might float off the plate; and Clinton St. Baking Company has been packing the Lower East Side for its wild Maine blueberry stack with warm maple butter for two decades. This is the full list — 14 spots across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and a quick hop to West Harlem and Ridgewood, covering everything from classic buttermilk short stacks to masa cakes and soufflé pancakes you can only really find here. Some run all day. Some are weekend-brunch-only and worth the reservation. Here’s where to actually eat pancakes in this city.
14 pancake spots across Manhattan, Brooklyn, West Harlem, and Ridgewood. Price range: $10 short stacks at S&P Lunch up to $20+ soufflé pancakes. Timing: several are weekend-brunch-only (Chez Ma Tante, Taiyaki, Raoul’s, Cocina Consuelo); Golden Diner and Clinton St. run pancakes all day and into dinner. Don’t skip: the honey-butter stack at Golden Diner — add the berry compote.
The Best Pancakes in NYC, Ranked
Golden Diner
Chef-driven diner classic · 123 Madison St, Two Bridges
The honey-butter pancakes here are the ones everyone screenshots. Two absurdly fluffy cakes with a crisp, caramelized edge and salty honey-maple butter melting over the top, finished with lemon zest. They run $16, and the $4 berry-compote add-on is worth it — the tartness keeps the whole thing from going one-note. The best part: these are available all day, not just at brunch, and the diner’s open 9am–10pm daily, so you can have pancakes for dinner. If you can’t get in, the mini version is now at sister spot Golden HOF in Midtown.
Clinton St. Baking Company
LES brunch institution · 4 Clinton St, Lower East Side
The wild Maine blueberry pancakes with warm maple butter are the reason people put their name down and wait two hours at brunch. They’re not fancy — airy, basic, not too sweet — and that’s the point. The smart move locals know: pancakes are on the dinner menu too, when it’s far easier to get a table. Twenty-plus years in, this is still the benchmark for a classic NYC buttermilk stack.
Flipper’s
Japanese soufflé pancakes · 337 West Broadway, SoHo
Japan’s most famous soufflé-pancake chain landed its first U.S. outpost here in SoHo, and it reopened in May 2026 after a refresh. The signature “Miracle” soufflé pancakes are made without a mold — flipped constantly on the pan until they’re impossibly tall, moist, and jiggly. Get them with maple butter, matcha, or strawberry custard, or go savory with the eggs Benedict version. Hours run roughly 9am–4pm weekdays and longer on weekends. Expect a line; the soufflé pancakes need to be eaten in.
Chez Ma Tante
Best pancakes in Brooklyn · Calyer St, Greenpoint
These are widely called the best pancakes in Brooklyn, and the case is hard to argue with. They’re fried in a cast-iron skillet, so they come out with a serious crisp char around the edges, then get topped with an extra-buttery butter and a flood of maple syrup. Brunch only, Saturdays and Sundays, and the place packs out fast — make a reservation. Worth building a weekend around.
Bubby’s
30-year Tribeca mainstay · 120 Hudson St, Tribeca
Named for the Yiddish word for grandmother, Bubby’s has been doing home-style brunch in Tribeca for over three decades, and the pancakes are a big reason. The hard call is between the chewy sourdough pancakes and the award-winning traditional flapjacks — both are pillowy and built for syrup. It’s a reliable, kid-friendly, all-American stack in a neighborhood that doesn’t have many casual options left.
Sunday in Brooklyn
Williamsburg brunch favorite · 348 Wythe Ave, Williamsburg
The malted pancakes here are the outlier on a brunch menu full of avocado toast and shakshuka — and they’re the thing to order. Muffin-like in texture, they arrive with a slightly salty hazelnut maple praline you spread on like jam. The room — terracotta floors, wood beams — is as much of a draw as the food. Reservations recommended on weekends.
Taiyaki NYC
Jiggly soufflé pancakes · 119 Baxter St, Chinatown
Better known for fish-shaped taiyaki ice cream cones, Taiyaki also makes some of the most photogenic soufflé pancakes in the city. They’re impossibly light — they practically vanish when you bite in — and come drenched in matcha sauce with a tiny taiyaki perched on top. The catch: they’re weekends only. If you want soufflé pancakes without the SoHo line, this is the move.
Raoul’s
Soufflé pancake at a SoHo classic · 180 Prince St, SoHo
This old-school French bistro is famous for its burger au poivre, but the weekend brunch soufflé pancake is the sleeper order. It eats like the offspring of a pancake and a tarte tatin — caramelized exterior, salty toffee sauce, a beautiful build. It takes about 25 minutes to make, so order the burger first and let the pancake be your dessert course. One of the best plates of its kind in NYC.
Cocina Consuelo
Masa pancake · 130 Hamilton Pl, West Harlem
Everything on the breakfast menu at this yellow-and-blue Mexican spot in Hamilton Heights is good, but the masa pancake is the one you’ll think about all day. It’s huge, fluffier than it has any right to be, with gently crisped edges, soaked through with not-too-sweet honey butter and topped with seasonal fruit compote. Order one for the table and pair it with a café de olla. Worth the trip uptown.
Locanda Verde
Lemon ricotta pancakes · 377 Greenwich St, Tribeca
Lemon ricotta pancakes are on half the brunch menus in the city now, and Locanda Verde is one of the places that started it. Theirs are fluffy with a crisp exterior, stacked with layers of lemon curd between each cake — closer to a birthday cake you can eat for breakfast than a short stack. A polished, group-friendly Tribeca brunch where the pancakes actually earn their spot.
Breakfast by Salt’s Cure
Oatmeal griddle cakes · 27½ Morton St, West Village
An LA import that does griddle cakes, not pancakes — but they earn a spot anyway. These are made with oats, pre-sweetened, and served without syrup, in flavors like blueberry, banana nut, and chocolate chip. Thin and crisp on the outside with a moist, almost-undercooked-muffin center. Get there early; the line in this stretch of the West Village builds fast on weekends.
Vinegar Hill House
Wood-fired sourdough pancake · 72 Hudson Ave, DUMBO
If you come to this quiet Vinegar Hill spot for brunch and skip the sourdough pancake, you wasted the trip. It’s cooked in a wood-fired oven, custard-like in the middle, and topped with whatever fruit is in season — strawberries, apples, peaches. One of the best single-pancake orders in Brooklyn, in one of its prettiest dining rooms.
S&P Lunch
Cheapest good stack in NYC · Flatiron
Run by Court Street Grocers, this Flatiron lunch counter does a simple, excellent stack of pancakes for around $10 — genuinely cheap for a pancake this good in this city. Flavorful, soft, not too sweet. No blueberries or chocolate chips, just a clean classic stack. Available weekdays until noon and all day on weekends. The best low-key, low-cost pancake in Manhattan.
Shopsin’s
Cult pancake chaos · 88 Essex St, Essex Market, Lower East Side
Kenny Shopsin’s legendary diner lives on inside Essex Market, and no matter when you visit, there should be a pancake on your table. The menu’s “Pancakeland” section runs from straightforward chocolate chip and blueberry to the famous Slutty Pancakes — stuffed with things like hatch chile and chorizo mac and cheese. It’s loud, weird, and unlike anywhere else. Come for the spectacle as much as the stack.
Japanese Soufflé Pancakes in NYC
If you’re specifically chasing soufflé pancakes — the tall, jiggly, Instagram-famous Japanese kind — NYC has three to know. Flipper’s in SoHo is the original import, flipping its “Miracle” pancakes without a mold until they’re cloud-tall. Taiyaki NYC in Chinatown does a weekends-only matcha version with a mini taiyaki on top, usually with a shorter wait. And Raoul’s in SoHo serves a single, restaurant-grade soufflé pancake with toffee sauce that eats more like dessert. This is the kind of pancake you can’t really make at home and barely find outside a handful of cities — order it when you see it. For more Japanese spots worth a sit-down, see our guide to the best omakase in NYC.
The Best Pancakes in Brooklyn
Brooklyn holds its own on pancakes. Chez Ma Tante in Greenpoint makes what most people call the best pancakes in the borough — skillet-fried, charred at the edges, drowned in maple. Sunday in Brooklyn in Williamsburg counters with malted pancakes and that hazelnut praline you spread like jam, and Vinegar Hill House in DUMBO does a wood-fired sourdough pancake that’s pure custard in the center. All three are weekend-brunch plays, so reserve ahead. Building a Brooklyn brunch crawl? Start with our Williamsburg happy hour guide for where to drink after, and the Brooklyn hub for the rest of the borough.
Cheapest Pancakes in NYC
Good pancakes don’t have to wreck your morning budget. S&P Lunch in Flatiron does a clean classic stack for around $10 — the best value pancake in Manhattan. Golden Diner‘s $16 honey-butter stack is a splurge by comparison, but it’s a generous two-cake order that easily splits between two people. And Shopsin’s in Essex Market keeps things accessible if you stick to the simpler Pancakeland options instead of the stuffed ones. For more cheap-eats and deal hunting around the city, check the latest NYC deals.
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Brunch-Only vs. All-Day Pancakes
Timing matters more than people expect. Several of the best pancakes in NYC are weekend-brunch-only: Chez Ma Tante, Taiyaki NYC, Raoul’s, and Cocina Consuelo all keep their pancakes to a window, so plan and reserve. On the other side, Golden Diner runs its honey-butter stack all day until 10pm, and Clinton St. Baking Company puts pancakes on the dinner menu — both rescue options when you get a craving at 7pm. If you’re mapping out a full weekend, pair this list with our best brunch in NYC guide.
How to Eat the Best Pancakes in NYC: FAQ
What are the best pancakes in NYC right now?
For a classic stack, it’s hard to beat Golden Diner’s honey-butter pancakes or Clinton St. Baking Company’s wild Maine blueberry. For something you can only really get here, go for the Japanese soufflé pancakes at Flipper’s in SoHo or the masa pancake at Cocina Consuelo in West Harlem. In Brooklyn, Chez Ma Tante is the top pick.
Where can I get Japanese soufflé pancakes in NYC?
Three spots stand out: Flipper’s in SoHo (the original import, made without a mold), Taiyaki NYC in Chinatown (weekends only, matcha version with a mini taiyaki), and Raoul’s in SoHo (a single dessert-style soufflé pancake with toffee sauce). Flipper’s draws the longest lines, so Taiyaki is the lower-wait option.
What’s the cheapest good pancake in NYC?
S&P Lunch in Flatiron does a simple, genuinely excellent stack for around $10 — the best value in Manhattan. Golden Diner’s $16 stack is bigger and splits well between two people. At Shopsin’s, sticking to the basic Pancakeland options keeps the bill down.
Do I need a reservation for the best pancake spots?
For the weekend-brunch spots — Chez Ma Tante, Sunday in Brooklyn, Raoul’s, Vinegar Hill House, Locanda Verde — yes, reserve ahead or expect a long wait. Clinton St. Baking Company is walk-in only and notorious for two-hour brunch waits, but it’s far easier at dinner. Golden Diner takes reservations and walk-ins.
Can you get pancakes all day in NYC, not just at brunch?
Yes. Golden Diner serves its honey-butter pancakes all day, every day, until 10pm. Clinton St. Baking Company puts pancakes on its dinner menu, where tables are much easier to come by. Both are go-tos when a pancake craving hits well after brunch hours.
Last updated: June 2026. Deals, hours, and menu items are subject to change. Confirm with the venue before visiting, especially for brunch-only pancakes.
More NYC food and drink guides: Best Brunch in NYC · West Village Happy Hour · Lower East Side Happy Hour · Williamsburg Happy Hour · Best Omakase in NYC · All NYC Deals
