The buttermilk pancakes at Oficina are soft-centred, lightly golden, with that gentle tang that only buttermilk gives, they arrive topped with seasonal compotes that taste exactly as they should - bright, jammy, and never too sweet. They’re not always on the menu (which somehow makes them even better), so it’s worth checking before you go. When they are there, order them. Settle in with a matcha or a carefully brewed coffee.

Gast’s American pancakes don’t hold back, and that’s exactly the point. Fluffy, golden stacks loaded with the good stuff: Nutella cream, fresh banana and toasted coconut melting into maple syrup; bright blood orange with whipped vanilla mascarpone; crisp bacon with that sweet-salty drizzle; even a Semla special for those in the know. They’re generous, nostalgic and unapologetically indulgent.

Fluffy stacks topped with poached rhubarb, creamy ricotta and mascarpone, and a scatter of crunchy almonds - it’s sharp, sweet, and softly indulgent all at once. The rhubarb brings that bright, just-in-season tang; the creaminess smooths it out; the almonds add the final crackle. A fleeting spring plate. Don’t miss it!

Have you ever seen a pancake stack like it? Annelie’s are up there with the very best in Berlin, and a stand-out on their brunch menu. Fluffy, golden, and piled high, they come crowned with crunchy granola, a glossy pour of maple syrup, and that perfect dollop of cream to bring it all together.

At Maggie, pancakes come with a little Parisian drama. Their gâteau de crêpes almost looks like a sculpture. Fourteen layers piled into a soft, towering cake, each one separated by silky custard.

Extra thick, impossibly fluffy, and bronzed to that perfect golden hue, they arrive towering and theatrical, crisp at the edges, cloud-soft at the centre. The honey-butter maple syrup seeps into every layer, pooling in the folds and turning each bite into something indulgent and faintly nostalgic, but elevated. A true cult brunch in New York, and worth every minute of the queue.

Generous and comforting, with a soft, tender interior that soaks up syrup just right and pairs beautifully with everything from caramelised bananas to bourbon-spiked drizzles and toasted walnuts.