Celebrate National Pancake Day in Vermont with a stack of ’jacks
It’s the stuff of nightmares. You wake up on National Pancake Day and suddenly realize, “Oh, no, I have no idea where to go to get pancakes on this momentous occasion! Whatever shall I do?”
Nightmares are no fun. So let’s avoid that by giving you some ideas on where to go for National Pancake Day (which is Monday, Sept. 26, by the way, in case that date has somehow escaped being permanently seared into your synapses.)
We’ve chosen a few diners and other casual eateries in Chittenden County where flapjacks — served with Vermont maple syrup or else why bother? — are kind of a big deal. Eat hearty, but be warned: Many restaurants take Mondays off, so you might want to check their hours before committing your appetite and psyche to pancakes first thing Monday morning. You can always defer your own celebration of pancakes to a more convenient day.
Chef’s Corner, Williston
Instagram, of course, is a great place to whet your appetite by looking at luscious food photos. Chef’s Corner augments the eye candy with mouthwatering descriptions such as this: “Our house buttermilk pancakes filled with oat streusel and cooked until golden brown! Topped with apple cider compote and served… with a side of house made maple whipped cream! Served with butter and maple syrup!” Pancakes certainly warrant that many exclamation points.
Chef’s Corner, 300 Cornerstone Drive, Williston. (802) 878-5524, www.chefscornervermont.com
The Friendly Toast, Burlington
This small chain with seven other locations in New England offers sweet cream pancakes served plain, with chocolate chips or with fruit including blueberries and bananas. The “king cakes” consist of three mini-banana and chocolate-chip pancakes topped with bacon as well as a peanut-butter drizzle and whipped cream. The growing crowd of diners seeking vegan- and gluten-free options will be happy to see they’re accommodated on the menu as well.
The Friendly Toast, 86 St. Paul St., Burlington. (802) 495-5491, https://thefriendlytoast.com/location/burlington-vt/
The Guilty Plate Diner, Colchester
This space was recently taken over by the Langworthy family that operates the Essex Junction restaurants Mark BBQ and Heart n’ Soul. The Guilty Plate Diner gives you a trio of pancake options — “old fashioned” house-made pancakes, or flapjacks with blueberries or chocolate chips. Each order comes with a side of bacon or sausage just to raise the taste-o-meter a few notches higher. Leave your guilt at the door.
The Guilty Plate Diner, 164 Porters Point Road, Colchester. (802) 497-3831, www.theguiltyplatediner.com
Henry’s Diner, Burlington
Chances are pretty good you don’t remember when this downtown institution began, unless you were born and became aware of your surroundings before 1925. Henry’s serves pancakes because that’s what any long-standing, self-respecting diner must do. These buttermilk flapjacks come in twos or threes with bacon or sausage on the side. If you’re feeling especially Vermont-y — and of course you are — you can pay a little more for extra Vermont maple syrup.
Henry’s Diner, 155 Bank St., Burlington. (802) 862-9010, www.henrysdinervt.com
Parkway Diner, South Burlington
Another classic spot that recently opened under new management — Brian Lewis of the Waitsfield breakfast eatery Toast & Eggs — the Parkway Diner packs ‘em into a mid-20th-century lunch car on Williston Road. Customers pack the pancakes in as well, with the Parkway Diner’s own buttermilk recipe providing the vehicle for all the Vermont maple syrup you can handle (which we’re guessing is quite a bit).
Parkway Diner, 1696 Williston Road, South Burlington. (802) 540-9222, www.parkwaydinervt.com
Penny Cluse Café, Burlington
The current president of the United States visited this must-experience breakfast and lunch staple, and seemingly every touring musician that stops in and around Burlington in time for the first meal of the day finds their way to Penny Cluse. The buttermilk pancake served with Vermont maple syrup with optional fruit on top isn’t the only reason to have breakfast at Penny Cluse, but it’s certainly a pretty strong enticement.
Penny Cluse Café, 169 Cherry St., Burlington. (802) 651-8834, www.pennycluse.com
Sneakers Bistro, Winooski
Most of the eateries on this list have longevity on their side, which must mean they’re doing something right. Sneakers, in business since 1980, is another example. Spin your way around the Winooski traffic oval before alighting at a table for a plate bearing a short stack of buttermilk pancakes. If you so choose — and why not, because it sounds healthier than just pancakes with butter and maple syrup — fork up a little more cash for blueberries, bananas or strawberries on top.
Sneakers Bistro, 28 Main St., Winooski. (802) 655-9081, www.sneakersbistrovt.com
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com. Follow Brent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrentHallenbeck.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: National Pancake Day in Vermont: Restaurants to try for breakfast
