Slapjacks, flapjacks, pancakes or hotcakes—whatever you call them, they’re high on everyone’s favorite foods list. And there’s no better time than the start of the school year and the beginning of fall to reward your kiddos with a stack of them on a Saturday morning. Here are Atlanta’s best spots to get a steaming, buttery, syrupy plate of goodness.
Old Fourth Ward
Pancake Social in Ponce City Market offers lemon and ricotta pancakes, apple cinnamon pancakes, and banana and oat cakes, but while we like these all, the original buttermilk pancakes take the, well, cake.
That's not the only thing on the menu you're going to want to stuff in your mouth at this family-owned restaurant on the Square, but it's definitely where you need to start.
The Silver Skillet has made 14th Street its home since 1956, and not too much has changed about this classic Atlanta diner since then—especially not the quality of their old fashioned pancakes. Choose your toppings of nuts, whipped cream, raisins, or bananas and keep it classic.
The tiny Crooked Tree Cafe doesn't mess around. They serve delicious pancakes with a side of protein, but you'll realize you've been missing these two things your entire life once you taste the ones they make.
Java Jive is a Virginia-Highlands staple offering mouthwatering pancakes (topped with fresh fruit), plus a seasonally-rotating selection of mini pies that make a whole lot of sense (trust us) for breakfast. And if you're there on a day they offer the avocado scramble, do yourself a solid and go for it.
Buttermilk Kitchen is the kind of place where people don't mind waiting for an hour just for a chance to belly up to a robust brunch menu. Luckily for us parents, our kiddos are early risers, and we can usually beat the crowd by heading out before the rest of the city wakes up. For a dose of deliciousness, get their fried chicken on a buttermilk pancake, topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar. Or, go classic buttermilk with your option of caramelized bananas, whipped cream, or blueberry preserves.
Eat like a hungry soldier in 57th Fighter Group Restaurant, a WWII-themed aviation restaurant right next to the airport runway. 57th Fighter Group offers a fine dining feel in a casual, friendly venue. Their Grand Sunday Champagne Brunch is a buffet-style menu. Eat your heart out through short and tall stacks of pancakes, not to mention their selection of made-to-order bananas foster, omelets, Belgian waffles, smoked salmon, soups, honey thyme chicken, fish, beef, salads, an ice cream sundae station, and more.
O.K. Cafe is old-school. Their food is rich, their plates are hot, and their pancakes are bigger than your face. If you're feeling fancy, you can get blueberry or strawberry stacks, and if you're feeling really healthy, you can get a blueberry, banana, and apple breakfast shake to wash it all down.