The Dispensary:
It won’t come to a shock to anyone that The Dispensary graces my Pancake Day hit list. At this point, I’m sure everyone and their mother have been to The Dispensary, or they have at least heard of it - and for good reason!
The science-themed brunch restaurant serves up scrumptious stacks of four American pancakes, accompanied with a maple syrup syringe and vanilla ice-cream. And, in terms of toppings, they dish out the classic Strawberry & Nutella, as well as Lotus Biscoff covered stacks. New additions are constantly being added onto their menu, with the latest being Apple Crumble and Orange Areo.
I never knew custard could work well on pancakes, but it does
But the fun doesn’t stop there; each Pancake Day, The Dispensary create a whole new pancake menu, full of specials. Last year, these included Toffee Crisp, Peanut Butter Jelly, Custard Cream, and many more! My friend and I both tried the Jam Roly Poly stack when we visited last Pancake Day; I never knew custard could work well on pancakes, but it does. The Dispensary serve up the cheapest pancakes in this list, with each stack costing a generous £10.
Aidan’s Kitchen:
Aidan’s Kitchen is located in Sandyford, and is an extremely popular brunch spot, especially with students nursing weekend hangovers. Although, in my opinion, the pancakes at AK are commonly overlooked by their other menu offerings (if you like eggs, this is the place for you).
The pancakes here come either as a half stack or a full stack, and although the full stack may seem like a measly four pancakes, trust me when I say, they’re BIG. My eyes were certainly bigger than my belly when I ordered a full stack at AK, and I’m not usually one to leave food on my plate.
The full stack may seem like a measly four pancakes, but trust me when I say, they’re BIG
They offer an American classic of Bacon & Maple Syrup – the combination of sweet and salty is heavenly. Or, they have toppings which change with the seasons. Currently, you can dig your teeth into Passionfruit Curd, Pineapple, Mango Salsa, and Coconut pancakes, but previous options have included Dulce de Leche with Banana, and Honeycomb. The full stack of pancakes will set you back £12.95, but they’re totally worth it.
Love Lily:
Located in Sunderland, Love Lily certainly know a thing or two about pancakes. Yes, you read that right, Love Lily is in Sunderland. I always get looks of confusion/disgust/admiration when I tell people I’ve been "all the way" to Sunderland, "just" for pancakes. But if that doesn’t show you how good these pancakes are, I don’t know what will.
Love Lily has a huge selection of pancakes, ranging from standard toppings, like Bacon & Maple Syrup, or Strawberry & Nutella, to more uncommon (but still just as delicious) flavours. These include Kinder, Cinnamon Bun, Reese’s, and Galaxy Caramel Brownie. And, like any respectable brunch restaurant, Love Lily also offer specials. I tried their Christmas special of Terry’s Chocolate Orange pancakes, which was as tasty as it sounds.
Their Pancake Day specials take no prisoners
Needless to say, their Pancake Day specials take no prisoners, with last year’s flavours including Tequila Rose, Espresso Martini, Lemon Drizzle Cake, Solero, and many more. But be warned…the Pancake Day specials hit the menu for one day only, and the queue to get into the restaurant is long. One of Love Lily’s epic stacks cost between £10.95 - £12.95 - definitely worth venturing into Sunderland for!
