9 Best Places for Pancakes in Colorado!
Weekend mornings just wouldn’t be the same without a breakfast of pancakes. Roll them up, smother them in syrup, butter, fruit or whipped cream. Anyway you serve them they’re a morning taste sensation. Here are places in New Mexico that cook ‘em up right!
The Original Pancake House, Fort Collins, CO
Sourdough starter growing in the kitchen, daily made-from-scratch pancake batter and genuine maple syrup create a trifecta of pancake bliss. At any given time, there are at least 20 different types of pancakes on the menu. The specialties, though, are the Apple Pancake and the Dutch Baby, an oven-baked German pancake served with fresh lemons, whipped butter and powdered sugar. Corn cakes, buckwheat hotcakes and gluten free flapjacks round out the menu.
Wade’s Cafe, Colorado Springs, CO
Opened in 1953, original owner Thomas “Shorty” Wade imbued this restaurant with his name and his commitment to making delicious homemade food. Buttermilk pancakes were and are a signature menu item. Order them as a full or half stack, with fruit toppings, peanut butter, chocolate, banana and gingerbread. Try them in bite-sized dollar size too. Homemade maple syrup puts these pancakes over-the-top good.
The Universal, Denver, CO
The banana-walnut pancake is the griddle cake star of breakfast here. The batter is light, fluffy and airy. The cake is huge, bigger then the plate it comes on. Two come with an order, but one is more manageable. Buttermilk and blueberry pancakes round out the choices. All come as gluten free, too.
College Drive Cafe, Durango, CO
Hot and fluffy, crispy on the edges and soft in the middle—that’s how pancakes are made here. And since they’re the size of a large dinner plate, they fill you up. The batter, made from-scratch daily, comes with the traditional ingredients or gluten free. Get these flapjacks plain or with blueberries baked right in. Kids cakes come in cute animal shapes, and yes they’re just for children.
Poppycock’s, Aspen, CO
Prior to heading up the mountain in any season, a breakfast of the famous oatmeal buttermilk pancakes made here is absolutely the best way to start the day. For something a little more indulgent don’t miss the macadamia nut oatmeal pancakes. A healthy option is the blueberry granola pancakes. An out-of-the ordinary choice are the corn griddle cakes, served with pistachio sausage patties. Delicious fare … and that’s not poppycock!
Village Smithy Restaurant, Carbondale, CO
The family who runs this restaurant have been nourishing the community with “real food for real people” at breakfast and lunch since the 1970s. Pancakes are showcased in the morning—buttermilk with fresh fruit, blueberry corncakes and Santa Fe corn cakes with bacon, chilies and cheese. Seasonal pancakes, like red velvet in February and pumpkin in fall, are a delicious surprise treat.
Two Chicks and a Hippie, Pagosa Springs, CO
Put on your tie-dye shirt, crank up some 1960s tunes and chill out over a breakfast of pancakes at this delightful bakery and cafe. The hotcakes, regular and gluten free, are nutty and fluffy with crispy edges and a hint of cinnamon. They come served with a syrup made from choke cherries, a local tart fruit that’s full of antioxidants, and are topped with a dollop of whipped cream. They’re the boss!
The Buff, Boulder, CO
Where else can you eat in the buff, yet be fully clothed? At this restaurant, that’s been a hometown favorite for more than three decades. Pancakes, light and airy, are a favorite for breakfast. And what a choice—made-from-scratch griddle cakes with real maple syrup, chockfull of blueberry hot cakes, lemon pecan griddle cakes with chopped pecans and granola pancakes, topped with crunchy Boulder granola. Nothin’ naked about any of these!
Bob and Earl’s Cafe, Trinidad, CO
Don’t head south out of the state without a stop here where there’s, “Good Food As Always.” Get one, two or three of Grandpa’s homemade buttery pancakes that are light and delicate and the size of a frisbee. Add blueberries and whipped cream for a sweet morning treat. The same homemade goodness come in dollar size, too.
