If you’ve decided to ditch the batter-in-a-bottle style pancakes this Shrove Tuesday, we deployed our reporters across Hackney to find the spots too sweet to miss.
1. The Breakfast Club, Hoxton
A warm welcome at the egg yolk yellow double doors awaits anyone who wishes to dine at The Breakfast Club. The aroma of sausages and the sound of clattering cutlery fills the room, and the pancakes are fluffy and sweet. There are several choices of sweet and savoury toppings. We particularly liked the vegan “THIS Isn’t Pork” sausages, which were flavoured with onion and black pepper, and the blueberry compote, which was fruity and not overly sweetened. The hash browns were a little too salty for our taste but still scrumptious.
Other notable things in this Breakfast Club branch include a picture frame with the groundhog from Groundhog Day and an old-fashioned clock stuck on 22 August. The unobtrusive music completes the feel-good American diner vibes, with bangers such as “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder and “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News. Eating at The Breakfast Club is an experience as unforgettable as its namesake film.
Address: 2-4 Rufus St, London N1 6PE
Best for: Pancakes with Blueberry Compote or “THIS Isn’t Pork” Sausage (£13.50)
For the Hackney Wick branch: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Canalside, Here East, 29 E Bay Ln, London E15 2GW
2. Hash E8, Dalston
The Hash E8 is a cosy independent breakfast bar with friendly servers and a scent of eggs and bacon. With Smooth Chill radio in the background, it is easy to relax here. Pancakes were stacked neatly, with icing sugar dusted all over the plate. The buttermilk pancake was delicious, fresh and warm. Other pancake varieties on offer include blueberry and white chocolate.
The creative décor is what makes this breakfast bar stand out: the tables are squares made up of wooden planks that could have easily been on a pier boardwalk; the chairs are mismatched, with a couple of green cushioned seats, some wooden with red legs and others thatched. There is a selection of colourful canvases on the walls, and even a chalkboard sketch from the bar owners themselves of a cartoon pig.
Best for: Buttermilk pancakes (£10), White Chocolate pancakes (£12)
Address: 170 Dalston Lane, London E8 1NG
3. Mosaic Clapton Café & Bar
With spruce wood tables, exotic green plants and vibrant local art, the Italian-owned Mosaic Clapton Café & Bar blends sophistication and local pride. Their Nutella pancake comes with strawberries, banana slices and blueberries, bringing a fruity burst to the sweet treat. The chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream complement the pancake with their childhood-nostalgia sweetness.
You will be sure to hear lively conversation in Italian and the whirr of the coffee machine. The music is EDM and not mainstream, making the café a great place to escape from the ubiquity of the same five pop artists. As it is a bar as well as a café, there are hundreds of glasses hanging upside down over the counter — but don’t be alarmed, as we’ve been told they are perfectly secure up there.
Best for: Nutella pancake (£9)
Address: 118 Upper Clapton Rd, London E5 9JY
4. Drury N4
At Drury N4, you’ll find a pricy, decadent Baklava-inspired stack. Three perfectly fluffy pancakes are layered with a house-whipped pistachio cream and delicate sheets of crispy filo pastry. The tower is topped with lashings of silky pistachio spread, crushed pistachio kernels and golden filo flakes. If that wasn’t enough, this work of art is finished with a maple butter sauce, rose petals and a dusting of sugar.
Surprisingly, for the home of the UK’s first-ever Baklava-inspired pancake, its décor is bookish, with brown leather sofas, a mezzanine, and a bookshelf for a bar. Outside, there’s plenty of seating where you can soak up the sun whilst enjoying your stack. They also have a relaxed laptop policy which makes it the perfect spot for a working brunch.
Best for: Baklava pancake (£14)
Address: Drury N4, 149 Woodberry Grove, Woodberry Down, London, United Kingdom N4 2SB
Sarah Smith is a postgraduate Newspaper Journalism student at City St George's, University of London. She is currently reporting on the Springfield ward in Hackney. She has experience writing for the Climate, Books, Lifestyle and News sections of The Boar, and she has also done work experience at Essex Live. In her spare time, she likes to watch Disney films and spend time with friends.
Lily Scaplehorn - community reporter for Clissold - former political reporter at Radio Cardiff and Bro Radio