Photograph by Tina Rowden.
Buttermilk Kitchen
Everything at this popular Roswell Road breakfast spot is made from scratch—even the butter that comes with their exceptional pancakes. The butter is made with cream from Southern Swiss Dairy, and the leftover buttermilk serves as the base for their pancakes, which also use White Oak Pastures eggs and King Arthur flour. The end result, perfectly sized and served in a stack with pure maple syrup, is about as close to a homespun pancake as it gets. A side order of the chewy smoked bacon is a must. 4225 Roswell Road NE, 678-732-3274
Photograph by Andrew Thomas Lee
Bread & Butterfly
Baking powder (a lot of it) is the key to these pancakes’ fluffy texture. The kitchen uses 10½ teaspoons in the recipe along with King Arthur flour and local organic eggs to make the batter thick and rich, yet still light. The pancakes are topped with unsalted European butter and pure Vermont maple syrup before they arrive. Enjoy this dish alongside a perfect cappuccino served with a thoughtful sugar cube resting on a spoon. 290 Elizabeth Street, 678-515-4536
Want to make them yourself? Here’s the recipe.
Photograph by Jennifer Zyman.
Original Pancake House
You cannot talk about pancakes in Atlanta without mentioning the Cheshire Bridge location of this long-standing chain. The breakfast and lunch spot has every pancake you could ever dream of, from silver dollar sized to pigs in a blanket to pumpkin pancakes during the holidays. But the best is the Dutch Baby, a mixture of flour, vanilla, sugar, milk, eggs, and butter that is baked in an oven until it resembles a huge popover. The beautiful puffed pancake is served with fresh lemon, powdered sugar, and whipped butter. Don’t forget to ask for real syrup—it’s worth the additional charge. 2321 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, 404-633-5677
Photograph Courtesy of Oy!
Oy!
Every dish at Oy! is oversized, and the pancakes are no exception. The “Monster” pancakes are sold by the size—either seven inches or fourteen inches—and come in different flavors like wild blueberry, triple chocolate chunk, bacon stuffed, and cinnamon and pecan stuffed pancakes topped with house-made cream cheese icing. They’re a perfect centerpiece for the table alongside the savory egg, cheese, and challah casserole or loaded fries. 2355 Cumberland Parkway SE, 770-989-1901
Photograph by Andrew Thomas Lee.
Ria’s Bluebird
The pancakes at this sixteen-year-old Atlanta institution never fail to please. While they are simple—just eggs, buttermilk, melted hot butter, flour, and real vanilla—the consistency is what sets them apart from the pack. Ria’s other secret is that they use sifted cake flour, which adds a silky lightness to these pancakes, which are mixed by hand instead of a machine. You can order your pancakes plain, but the Bluebird offers weekend specials such as roasted pineapple with goat milk caramel or pumpkin pancakes with pistachio Chantilly cream. 421 Memorial Drive SE, 404-521-3737
Photograph by Mary Caroline Russell.
Superica
Superica’s breakfast and brunch game is surprisingly strong for a Tex-Mex spot. The “Hotcakes,” which are served in a double-stack or a triple-stack, are made with buttermilk batter, topped with powdered sugar and butter, and served with buttermilk syrup. The edges are crisp and the interior downy like a feather pillow. Since this is a Tex-Mex joint, if you ask, they will also serve chips and salsa with your order, which means your sweet and savory game brunch game is on lock. 99 Krog Street NE, 678-791-1310 and 3850 Roswell Road NE, 678-705-1235
