Everyone Says They Have the Best Pancakes in San Francisco
There's still no escaping that some mornings, and in some company, having an outside source for one's syrup delivery is all that will do. So why the simple pancake is such a contentious offering -- with multiple diners and brunch spots in the City making claim to the best -- is beyond this correspondent. Even the most hopeless bachelorette ought to be able to pull off a decent flapjack. To get to the buttery bottom of this, and after having scoured the town in frequently devastating conditions (after too much gin, after too much sleeping in, after too much sleeping in with ...), I offer this guide to save you from having to search in the nude and before coffee for this, the sweetest breakfast thing.
Shanghai Dumpling King
3319 Balboa St
San Francisco, CA 94121
Green onion pancakes, or Shanghai salty pancakes, to go with your dim sum. Let the servers passing by with their puffy fried sugar-sprinkled "donuts" be your sweet, and … douse the rest of your brunch in soy and ginger for a different sort of wake-me-up. Open until 9 p.m. at night: sleep all you want, the pancakes will still be steaming perfect hot. [link]
It's Tops
1801 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Dear god, chocolate peanut butter pancakes. No, "hot cakes." Provided there's enough letters on the 1950's-kitsch marquee, it may just preface that with SF BEST. Are they … really? For the novelty slash stone's throw convenience of being able to order a tall stack smeared with peanut butter and laced with chocolate chips after too many rounds at the nearby bars? You'll need a cab home even more so. [link]
J's Pots of Soul
203 Octavia St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Pumpkin pancakes, oh my. Hush puppies and grits, too. With melted butter in a little kind-of-a-pot. J's is tucked into the freshly sunbaked Octavia Boulevard, and so … getting a table has only gotten more competitive. Once inside, though, the homey treatment is so genuine that the funky carpet and decor comes off as really quite charming. Post-cakes, roll contentedly towards Hayes Valley for a banner lazy Saturday. [link]
Dottie's True Blue Cafe
522 Jones St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Flapjacks with hints of cinnamon & ginger, or the blueberry cornmeal variety, and you'll easily wait an hour for them! We do it to ourselves, we do ... this darling … of brunch has a line out the door even on a weekday. It's the kind of place that once -- if -- you get inside, all will be forgotten in a blur of caffeine and sugar. Rest assured, after soaking up all that syrup, you won't be the only high-flying person on the Tenderloin sidewalk. [link]
Han's Coffee Shop
900 Sutter St
San Francisco, CA 94109
Cheap, tasty, fluffy classic pancakes, and for a twist, the pancake sandwich. Such a cute neighborhood spot, with a family run vibe, lots of sunshine and coffee (which is … coffee counter coffee, but the servers will make four or five rounds to your table, easy). Pleasantly funky, and clean, with no frills save for the on-the-house melon slices at meal's end. (photo) [link]
Zazie
941 Cole St
San Francisco, CA 94117
Gingerbread pancakes with poached pears, hello. It's more than worth it to hold out for a seat on the back patio, a decidedly unrustic oasis (and unlike so much of what … San Francisco passes off as outdoor eating). Relaxed yet always humming with people, like its Cole Valley location, which also makes for a laid back brunch line experience, what with its high "Cute Hipster T-shirt : Cute Dog in a Hipster T-shirt" ratio. [link]
Sears FIne Foods
439 Powell St
San Francisco, CA 94102
For the stack of eighteen Swedish pancakes, topped with lingonberries. Hit it when the Dottie's line is out the door, or just post-brunch peak time. Very lovely and not … overly chain-eatery decor (Norman Rockwell, vintage sheet music) soothes, and makes a perfect backdrop for old school touches -- like the coffee cups, so nouveau grandma's house. A tad tourist-filled, but it works. [link]
