Ten Best Pancakes in Miami

There are few breakfast foods that make us truly happy. One, though, is this quick combo of eggs, flour, milk, and baking powder. They remind us of our childhood. They give us an excuse to eat dessert in the morning. They allow us to drizzle on an infinite amount of syrup. And most of all, they pair so well with our café con leche. Light and fluffy on the inside and crisp and golden-brown on the outside, pancakes are a true breakfast of champions, the perfect fuel to kick off the day. So start your morning with a smile by trying this short stack of ten of the best pancakes Miami has to offer. From over-the-top creations to retro diner flapjacks, here’s to devouring different takes on America’s favorite breakfast staple.

10. Farmers Fruit Stand Pancakes at the Original Pancake House
The laid-back atmosphere and familial staff beckon loyal breakfast-, lunch- and dinner-goers who enjoy classic diner digs consistently done well. Just as its name suggests, this chain serves an abundant selection of classic and specialty flapjacks, from apple to sweet potato. The Farmers Fruit Stand ($11.99) — buttermilk pancakes topped with strawberries, blueberries, bananas, peaches, and blackberries — is a taste of summer year-round.

9. Chocolate Chip Pancakes at Chuck Wagon Restaurant
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, hearty morning meal, skip IHOP and Denny’s. Head straight to the farm at Chuck Wagon Restaurant. Your appetite may not be big enough for the Chuck Wagon Grand Slam — two large eggs, bacon or sausage, home fries or grits, and toast or biscuits with sausage gravy — but the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip pancakes ($5.25 for two or $6.95 for three) are all you need to fulfill your all-American home-cooked craving. 

8. Cinnamon Roll Pancakes at Green Street Café
A Coconut Grove landmark, Green Street Café has been serving one of the best breakfast menus anywhere with creative concoctions that taste even better than they sound. There’s nothing sweeter than the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning, and at Green Street, they come in the form of pancakes for $8.50. With just the right amount of icing drizzled on top, this dish leaves patrons licking their plates clean.

7. Roasted Pear Dutch Pancake at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
For a taste of local flavor, enjoy your culinary experience at the Design District’s prized eatery, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, which boasts an always-changing menu using fresh, local ingredients. Make sure you try the real winner, Michael’s Dutch-style pear pancake ($9), with cinnamon, walnuts, and organic maple syrup. It's baked in a cast-iron skillet for a light and delightful breakfast.

6. Popcorn & Pancakes at Pubbelly
Popcorn, pancakes, and bacon ice cream. This epic trifecta awaits at Pubbelly, the brainchild of Jose Mendin, Andreas Schreiner, and Sergio Navarro. It’s no surprise this game-changing dish ($10), which effortlessly blends sweet and salty, belongs to the guys with an empire of sorts across the Miami food scene. They also have other delectable breakfast creations, such as soft-shell crab Benedict, French toast sticks, and maple-bacon glazed donuts — because bacon, and one cannot have enough bacon.

5. Stack of Raspberry Flat Cakes at Morgans Restaurant
Some places have built up their reputation through word of mouth, and Morgans is one of them. This two-story house in midtown still has Miamians talking. Maybe it’s the homespun brunch menu. Or maybe it’s the friendly atmosphere or the cute terrace. It could very well be all three, but in any case, the moist and bright-flavored raspberry flat cakes ($10) are seriously buzz-worthy.

4. Pancakes with Berry Compote at Cecconi’s Miami Beach
Nestled in the courtyard of the ultra-posh Soho Beach House, Cecconi’s offers guests a refined dining experience beneath mostly clear blue skies. (Living in Miami, you just never know.) What’s certain is the satisfying nature of Cecconi’s take on pancakes, coupled with berry compote ($10). Its airy yet crisp texture pairs well with the vibrant, fruity sauce, which is a healthy alternative to butter and maple syrup.

3. Buttermilk Pancakes at City Hall Restaurant
Take flight on cloud nine with City Hall’s buttermilk pancakes ($12), the fluffiest and sweetest of them all. They're served with real maple syrup. Other decadent selections include blueberry ($14), chocolate chip ($13.50), and banana-pecan ($14). These thick, golden hotcakes taste like the best breakfast food — they are really dessert.

2. Mascarpone Pancakes at Mina’s Mediterraneo
Mina’s features a menu full of flavorful drinks and exotic fare like Egyptian pizza and osso buco, but our pick comes from Mina’s brunch menu and takes the basic pancake up a notch with mascarpone cream and homemade strawberry compote ($10). The mascarpone gives these hotcakes a distinct smoothness and creaminess, while the strawberry compote offers a fresh spin to kick-start your day.

1. Cap'n Crunch Pancakes at Eating House
The dish that stacks up better than the rest brings out the kid in all of us. And the kids themselves go crazy for it because it offers the best of both breakfast worlds: pancakes and cereal. Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli mixes ground Cap’n Crunch into a generally traditional pancake mix and then finishes off the flapjacks with condensed milk syrup, whipped vanilla-laced butter, and even more Cap’n Crunch. If you haven’t tried this sweet treat at Eating House, priced at $14, you haven’t lived. Carpe diem, Cap'n!

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