You’ve Got To Try North Carolina’s Best Pancakes

Happy National Pancake Week. For me as a child, every week was National Pancake Week. Who doesn't love this delicious breakfast treat drowned in syrup and other of your favorite toppings? Fruit, chocolate chips, made with cake batter, the possibilities for pancakes are truly endless. For 2024 National Pancake Week is observed from February 19 through February 25th. So in celebration of this joyous occasion, I decided to deep dive into North Carolina's Best Pancakes.

To do this I took my own (self-admitted expert) knowledge and consulted friends, family, and coworkers to create a list of pancake restaurants across the state of North Carolina that are well worth your visit. I wanted to branch out from just the classic buttermilk variety, but of course, some of those are included on this list. But with a breakfast dish that can be made so many different ways, we had to highlight some other varieties as well.

So on this list of North Carolina's best pancakes, you'll find spots in different cities (though living in Charlotte we are heavy on that location). You'll find classic, gluten-free options, vegan options, unique varieties, and fun pancakes as well. I wonder if it's too late to dip out of work and go to brunch? What would you classify as your favorite pancakes? Did I miss something incredible? Let us know on social media! You can learn more about the history of National Pancake Week and the origin of this delicious dish here.

This would be my personal top choice for pancakes in North Carolina. The Original Pancake House has two Charlotte-area locations one in South Park and one in Midtown. Try the seasonal pumpkin and pumpkin pecan pancakes. View the menu.

Chez Cenese is a small French restaurant in Greensboro that serves breakfast and lunch. You won't find plain jane pancakes here. But you won't want to miss out on the lemon ricotta pancakes and cinnamon sugar pancakes. You just have to decide which fluffy delicacy you're going to order. May I suggest just getting both? View the menu here.

While you can't go wrong with any of the pancakes I'd personally recommend the white chocolate bread pudding ones. Other varieties include classic buttermilk, berry chantilly, cinnamon swirl, and a rotating seasonal variety. You'll find two Charlotte locations of this southern chain, one in Southend and the other in Ballantyne. View the menu.

Brunch is served daily from  9:00 am - 2:30 pm at this beloved Durham restaurant. The brunch menu offers two varieties of pancakes their classic rricotta pancakes as well as vegan pancake option. Not pancake related but their Italian Wine Dinners are also worth checking out! View the menu.

I've never known someone who has been to brunch at Church & Union who didn't rave about it. Their pancake option is a little unconventional but if you're willing to try it you won't regret it! The dish is called "okonomiyaki" It's a cabbage pancake, sunny egg, braised bacon, sriracha aioli, and yakiniku sauce. View the full menu here.

Sunrise Grill is a Boone staple. In addition to their signature buttermilk pancakes, they also have a "Pancake of the Week" and a gluten-free banana pancake. View the menu here.

When surveying coworkers I kept getting the answer, "I know it's probably not what you're looking for but honestly, it's Cracker Barrel". So now, this isn't a true local spot that you probably came to this list to discover. But the best is the best and popular opinion says the best pancakes- they are from Cracker Barrel. You can get them as a side order, as a part of a breakfast platter, or even as breakfast pancake tacos (yes please). And while the original are the ones people rave about don't sleep on the stuffed cheesecake pancakes either. See the menu here.