I had read several reviews on IgoUgo about the Pancake Bakery that made it sound fabulous, so this is where we chose to eat lunch after a morning visit to the Anne Frank House. The first thing to notice is that its location near this museum can't be beaten. The restaurant opens at 12, so it's a perfect spot for a midday meal with kids.

If you didn't know, the pancake is a Dutch creation. You can find pancake houses all over the Netherlands. Americans will discover these pancakes are more like crepes than the flapjacks served in the US because they are very thin. However, everyone will enjoy the marvelous ways Dutch pancakes are served. I never knew there were so many choices!

At our table in the warm brick dining area, we ordered a banana and rum pancake, a Brazilian, which consisted of ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce, and a dish of "mini" pancakes, which would be good for little fingers to pick up and plop into little mouths. My son also had a ham and cheese omelet. (Where do boys put all that food?!?)

Everything was absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. The pancakes range in cost depending on the ingredients, but they seemed to average around €8 each. The service was friendly and fast. The menus were in English, which was helpful. This also tipped us off that this is perhaps a bit of a "tourist" restaurant. Sooo, we made a point of finding another pancake house later on that had a menu exclusively in Dutch. (There's one near Dam Square that has a bright interior decorated with old movie posters.) This was great, too, but the Pancake Bakery held up. Touristy or not, the food is excellent.

It should be mentioned that not all pancakes are sweet. While I didn't try one of the non-sweet options, you can get pancakes cooked with everything from artichokes to ham.

Enjoy!

There were several places recommended to me before I headed towards Amsterdam, but The Pancake Bakery came up again and again as somewhere you had to go to experience Amsterdam properly… and I felt I should pass that tradition on.The Pancake Bakery is a special little place, filled with well satisfied locals and interested tourists. If you don't know what you're looking for, you could easily walk right past it. The only thing to let you know you're there is a small sign over a sunken doorway next to one of the canals, (about two minutes from the Anne Frank house) and a small wooden frame door you have to step down into.But once inside the Pancake Bakery you can smell all the reasons that you're friends advised you to come. It is not an expensive place, but I was on the last day of a very budgeted trip to Amsterdam and was actually out of food money. I was hoping to make it the day with nothing but a coffee and my flight home; but could not leave the city without a stop into this cafe. I had intended to just see the place and enjoy a coffee, but the atmosphere pulled me and before long I was thinking of wiring home for enough money to buy one of the gorgeous stacks of pancakes the waiters were bringing to the customers around me. The Pancake Bakery makes all manner of breakfasts, and though I can't attest to them all, not one didn't look amazing. My friend I was travelling with forked out the last of his cash for one of their famous pancakes, and I made do with out a coffee and a soup of the day. Which, even with my growling stomach and the intense smell of baking pancakes was very nice. (Though it must be said, not as nice as my friend's pancake.)The atmosphere is excellent… you feel as if you're in someone's kitchen who is happily baking away a grand breakfast for their friends. Big jars of thick black molasses sit on the tables, and the menus are full of options and offers dozens of options for pancakes or omelets. It's cozy and relaxed and smells unbelievable. Make this a place you stop in Amsterdam… it's food and atmosphere is a perfect sampling of what the city has to offer.

The PANCAKE BAKERY is a wonderful place to meet friends for breakfast and talk over the previous nights wild times.

Situated in a warehouse along one of the most famous canals, the Prinsegracht, just a few blocks from the Anna Frank house its easy to find.

There were 6 of us for pancakes and we hit the quiet period between breakfast and lunch so avoided having to wait. By the time we had finished the line was going out the door and perilously close to the canal edge. I think I would have been close to diving in the canal too if I didn’t get to eat here.

It was wonderful.

They managed to seat us at a big wooden round table near the back of the restaurant and though Smokey the room was warm and cozy. According to our waitress this place has been under the same ownership since it opened in1973

The difficult part was choosing which pancake to order (they also have specialty omelets). Should I have the Greek,, the Egyptian…hmmmm the ‘Winter special’ sounded good stuffed with venison and cranberries. Finally I opted for the Caprice which was fresh basil, tomatoes, cheese. Simple yet perfect.

At our table we all ordered something different and so got to try a variety from the meat packed to the dessert style. Mine, of course, was the best but I must say the ‘Norwegian’ came a close second stuffed with Cream cheese and salmon lox.

The staff was friendly and patient with our dithering. We drank coffee and lovely hot chocolate with our food oblivious to the bitter cold outside

The basic pancakes and omelets were all around 8 euros whilst the deluxe (international) ones were all 11 euros. You will see from the photos I’ve included that they are HUGE.

Imagine wandering into a dimly lit old warehouse off Prinsengracht canal, being gently serenaded by the soulful sounds of soft jazz music, then losing your calorie-minding sensibility in a round, flat pancake peppered with mounds of fresh pesto, gobs of melted mozzarella cheese, and crushed leaves of basil. Dutch pancakes just don’t get any better than Pancake Bakery pancakes.

A thick sense of nostalgia engulfs you as you step down into the dim interior. The walls are adorned with vintage Dutch portraits, paintings, and photos. Marble tables, wooden chairs, and rustic brick walls bring to mind a romantic Italian eatery, but without the heaping plates of pasta. Instead, it's all about pancakes with banana and rum, cheese and mushrooms, or any number of other sweet and savory combinations.

The problem is that once I’ve tried something I really like, it’s hard not to order it again. Today was no different—it was the Caprese all the way. Fresh tomato, onions, mushrooms, melted mozzarella, pesto, and fresh basil heaped on top of a flat, piping-hot pancake is truly a meal for the gods, or, at least, for a guy who's had sweet dreams of pesto and mozzarella dancing through his head ever since eating a Caprese last year.

Obviously, the Caprese isn’t the type of pancake one would drizzle with thick, gooey maple syrup, but with scores of sweets-heavy cakes available, the small vats of syrup found on every table are sure to come in handy—feel free to help yourself. And while you’re waiting for the delicious goodness to arrive, cast a glance at the open kitchen to see the chefs at work… and to make sure they don’t spit in your food! Just kidding.

A variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available, with fresh cider at 2,50 euro a glass sounding especially appetizing on a brisk Sunday morning. The Pancake Bakery is also known for its giant omelets, which start at 6,25 for the normal, three-egg variety and top out at 10,50 for a Canadian omelet with ham, mushrooms, onions, bacon, cheese, and curry sauce. I haven’t tried one, but my guess is they’re worth every penny. There's also a kid's menu, as well as (surprise, surprise) a lengthy dessert menu.

Perhaps Trixie said it best: "This pancake is one of the best food items I’ve ever eaten." Yes, Trixie, the Pancake Bakery offers some truly memorable food items. Eat at your own risk—I’m not responsible for visions of pesto-doused pancakes dancing in your head every night until you return.

For more information and a full menu, check out the Pancake Bakery’s snazzy website.

My sister found this place a bit too kitschy. I guess it does kind of subscribe to the needs of tourists, but I am a big lover of European-style pancake dinners and thought the food was pretty good for the prices. If you've never had pancakes in Europe, think more along the lines of fluffy crepes, with fillings like vegetables in cream sauces, etc. Of course, there are also dessert-like pancakes with fruit or chocolate-type fillings. I had dinner AND dessert, which was very, very filling. The desserts are actually a bit much in terms of how much they stick on the pancake, so keep that in mind and try and keep it realistic when considering dessert.