Pancake Pantry, a Hillsboro breakfast favorite, proudly offers 23 varieties of pancakes along with occasional specials. For first-timers and veterans alike, gazing at the menu can be stressful — especially when deciding whether to order something new. The fear of making a bad choice could prevent the discovery of a new favorite.
As a public service, we decided to eliminate this fear and ease the decision process. After sampling every pancake option over numerous visits, six stood out among the pack as the best at the restaurant — and arguably the best breakfast near campus.
5) Sugar + Spice
There are plenty of classic flavor combos in the food world — bacon and eggs, salt and pepper or sugar and spice, which these pancakes are named after. While cinnamon and applesauce may not be as iconic as chicken and waffles, it’s a solid choice for a sweet snack. But adding them to pancakes? Pancake Pantry says why not, offering this bold topping option. And it’s actually pretty good, with this topping combo serving as a great compliment to four of Pancake Pantry’s spiced pancakes. Drizzle on some of their cinnamon syrup, and your mouth will be in flavor heaven.
4) Banana Bread
Pancake Pantry’s banana bread pancakes have a subtle banana flavor that makes them fluffier, moister and overall enjoyable. The banana integrates seamlessly with the pancake, without any mushiness or overwhelming taste that may appear in lower-quality establishments. Topped with their signature cinnamon cream, the classic pancake variety gets elevated to an entirely new level, especially with the bonus that it sounds healthier.
3) Pecan
With a simpler flavor, the pecan pancakes taste just as you’d expect. One of their best features is the specially-made pecan syrup that comes with them, working well with the pecans in the pancakes to create cohesion between them. The pecans also break up the dense pancake and make the meal light and easy to eat. However, the ratio of pecans to pancakes seems too high, with the pecans on top overwhelming the stack and preventing one from enjoying the perfection of the pancake itself. Despite the overwhelming pecan presence, the tastes work perfectly together and remind you of a flavorful butter pecan ice cream.
2) Caribbean
The Caribbean pancakes essentially combine the banana bread and pecan pancakes, with the addition of coconut. For those who like coconut, the flavor comes through strong, and the three toppings coordinate perfectly together. The excess of toppings makes it heavier than some of the other options, but it may still be worth the potential stomachache after eating all four cakes.
Corey’s favorite: Blueberry
At the top of my list, the blueberry pancakes provide both the fluffy, sweet pancake one can expect at Pancake Pantry and the perfect balance of fresh fruit. There are many opportunities to enjoy the taste of blueberry throughout the pancake, with blueberries inside the pancakes themselves, sprinkled on top and mixed into a compote. While some pancake flavors can be heavy or overly sweet, the slight tartness of blueberries gives these pancakes a lighter taste — making it even more easy to eat. Topped with maple syrup and cinnamon cream, the blueberries still shine through as the dominant flavor, elevating this classic pancake to a whole new level.
Cathal’s favorite: Chocolate Chip
You can add all the experimental toppings you want to pancakes, but at the end of the day, you can’t beat the classic. Waking up to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes on a Saturday morning is a core childhood memory for many. Pancake Pantry layers a bevy of chocolate chips over four pancakes, perfectly melted to retain their iconic shape but spread into chocolatey goodness the second your butter knife hits them. Chocolate is already an extraordinary sweet treat, so adding it to pancakes makes perfect sense — and Pancake Pantry delivers with this chocolate delight.
While it’s hard to pick a bad option at Pancake Pantry, it is crucial to pay attention to the decision and ensure the best possible breakfast experience. Even with so many varieties, the classics still shine through as unbeatable.
