The 16 Best Tossers in London This Shrove Tuesday
We are directing you to the finest tossers the capital has to offer this Shrove Tuesday, because flipping good pancakes are the law on 21 February.
The sacred celebration of batter in its many, delicious forms comes 47 days before Easter Sunday and nobody pans a cake like The Big Smoke.
From Uttapam Indian pancakes and Aussie hotcakes, to Japanese soufflé pancakes, Chinese crepes, Vietnamese pancakes, savoury Korean pancakes, layered Sakurado cakes, crepes, healthy or exploding pancakes we’ve got you covered, so your decision is easy, peasy lemon squeezy.
Where the Pancakes Are
The winners of last year’s Traveller’s Choice Award have been making waves with their belting batter.
This year, they celebrate a special Shrove Tuesday in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda The Musical.
Taking centre stage in the collaboration are the limited edition, Popping Forest Pancakes, piled high with blackberry compote, drizzled chocolate, vanilla ice cream, marble shards and sprinkles of explosive, chocolate-coated popping candy.
A dish created to bring out everybody’s inner child and potentially resulting in you waddling out like Mrs Trunchbull.
The limited edition pancake is available between 18-24 February. Walk-ins only on Pancake Day (21 February)
Where the Pancakes Are, London Bridge, Fitzrovia and Battersea Power Station locations
Sakurado
This Japanese patisserie's pancakes would look as good on a necklace or framed on a wall as they do on a plate.
The rainbow-coloured creations are carefully prepared by hand with 30, paper-thin, Mille crêpes, precisely layered between velvety rich cream. Sakurado only uses the finest ingredients, including the much-loved East Asian flavours of Matcha, Yuzu, Hojicha (Roast Tea) and Black Sesame Charcoal. Sakurado, Chinatown and Kensington locations
Scarlett Green
As TripAdvisor’s proud title holder of Number One Brunch Spot in the World, you would have high hopes for the pancakes at Soho’s slice of beachy Australia. And you would not be disappointed - they are pure sex on a plate. Choose between the Golden Gaytime pancakes - milk chocolate ganache, malt crumble, whipped 12.8 mascarpone, salted caramel sauce, chocolate caramel tuile - or the Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake with fresh berries, whipped mascarpone cream, pure maple and optional back bacon. Or bloody live a little and go for both, every day for the rest of eternity.
Scarlett Green, 4 Noel Street, Soho W1F 8GB
Mallow
Inspired by the billet doux - or ‘sweet letter’ – this beautiful, Borough market restaurant is a love letter to French gastronomy.
It provides a plant-based and contemporary take on classic, French dishes. And their brunch pancake is the jewel in its delicious crown, consisting of Black Forest chocolate pancakes, cherry, hazelnuts and vanilla cream.
Oh mon Dieu!
Mallow 1 Cathedral Street, Borough Market, London, SE1 9DE
Farm Girl
Stop all the clocks - apparently you CAN eat pancakes and still be healthy. Aussie-born ‘farm girl’ Rose Mann proves this, at her colourful Notting Hill cafe, which serves buttermilk and buckwheat discs of joy, topped with raw cacao nibs, Greek yoghurt, sour cherry jam and coconut. Or perhaps you’d prefer apple and pear pancakes, baked in vanilla bean and rosemary, with toasted cinnamon oat crunch, maple syrup and coconut yoghurt. Farm Girl, 59a Portobello Rd, W11 3DB
Héfaure
For custardy, fluffy clouds of joy, head to Hefaure for these Japanese-style soufflé dreams. Top your soufflé pancake with cream and brown sugar tapioca pearls, or try a matcha red bean soufflé crowned with green tea cream and thank us later. Hefaure, Shaftesbury Avenue, Dean Street, Kingsbury and Victoria locations.
Stack & Still
Even the fussiest pancake picker will find something they love at Stack & Still, which serves almost 12 MILLION different pancake combinations as well as a ‘Signature’ menu designed by the chefs.
And you won’t have to travel far to get your fix, as they have pancake houses across the UK with the latest opening in Leicester Square seating 200 people. Stack & Still, UK-wide locations
Crêpeaffaire at The Hippodrome
This brand-new spot is the perfect place to get battered in the heart of Leicester Square, with a modern take on this traditional, Breton fayre. It offers perfectly thin, sweet or savoury, hand-crafted crêpes, made with organic flour and natural ingredients to eat in or take-away With cocktails on tap, vegan and gluten-free options, plus accessible prices – savoury crêpes start from just £7 – Crêpeaffaire is proving to be a flipping good choice from breakfast through to lunch and dinner. Crêpeaffaire Cranbourn St, London, WC2H 7JH
Tupi London
This Elephant & Castle pancake hotspot fuses the best of Europe and South America, making it a firm brunch favourite for locals. Popular Tupi combos include ‘mixed berries and banana pancake with Crème Fraîche and sweet jams’, ‘salted caramel and Oreo pancakes with berries and ice cream’, and the daddy - their ‘bacon, cheddar cheese, fried egg, maple syrup, and Crème Fraîche pancakes’. Ding and very much, dong. Tupi London, 2, Castle Square, Elephant Rd, London SE17 1EN
Granger & Co
Bill Granger's global chain of relaxed and delicious restaurants bring Londoners his legendary, Aussie hotcakes on the breakfast and lunch menus. These thick and fluffy badboys are made with creamy ricotta and stacked with banana and illegally moreish honeycomb butter. Granger & Co Multiple locations
Dobar
The hangover cure does exist and can be found at this exceptional Finsbury Park cafe, in the shape of their famous pancakes.
These include the Medi Clash - pancakes with grilled halloumi, spicy beef sujuk, fried eggs, portabello mushroom and grilled cherry tomatoes.
Or for the sweet tooth, we hard recommend the Pancake tacos - four pancakes filled woth clotted cream and fruit and topped with biscoff sauce smashed biscuit.
Dobar 324A Green Lanes, London, N4 1BX
Colonel Saab
Colonel Saab is offering guests a delicious alternative to the usual pancakes this Shrove Tuesday.
Try Uttapam, a classic and traditional South Indian savoury pancake made with fermented rice and lentil batter.
It has crispy, golden edges and a pillowy soft centre topped with seasonal vegetables, spices and herbs and is served with a medley of tomato and coconut chutneys and sambhar.
If this delicious take on a snack doesn't convince you, then you might be interested to know that Uttapam are naturally gluten-free, vegan-friendly and protein packed.
Colonel Saab recommends trying Uttapam with an appetising pistachio lassi, the ultimate brunch favourite. Uttapam will be on the menu from 10-28 Feb for lunch, so get them while you can. Colonel Saab Holborn Town Hall, 193-197 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7BD
Chinese Tapas House
Jianbing are one of China's most popular and versatile street food snacks, jam-packed with tasty fillings and served to eat on the move. Gorge on these delicious crepes at Chinese Tapas House. Chinese Tapas House, 15 Little Newport St, London WC2H 7JJ, UK
Viet Food
Head to Viet Food for their Bánh xèo Việt Nam - otherwise known as a Vietnamese pancake with seafood.
It’s a shimmering, golden treat as the pancake batter is made from a combination of rice flour, water and turmeric.
It is cooked until crisp in a frying pan and served folded in half and loaded with fresh herbs, sprouts and seafood. Viet Food Soho and South Kensington locations
Badiani
Head to London’s iconic gelato shop, Badiani to build your own crepe, with more than 40 toppings to choose from including Paolo Pomposi’s famous sauces - we recommend the pistachio - merengue, coconut rapè, Chilenan walnut and caremalised salted peanuts. Badiani Multiple London locations from Chelsea and Mayfair to Covent Garden and Angel
Pochawa Grill
Tuck into Kimchi Jeon, a Korean savoury pancake made with kimchi, at this popular new, Korean barbecue restaurant.
Or opt for the Cheese Kimchi Jeon, topped with mozzarella. Phwoar. Pochawa Grill 29 Wardour St, London W1D 6PS