The Pancake Bakery

An explosion of flavours

TEXT: MICHIEL STOL | PHOTO: THE PANCAKE BAKERY

“All the different flavours make them special,” says Bastiaan Schaafsma of the Pancake Bakery, the oldest pancake house of Amsterdam and located at one of the most beautiful spots in town. “Like our pancake with bacon, apple and syrup — savoury on the one hand and sweet on the other — it’s an explosion of flavours,” he smiles.

This foodie hotspot is located in a narrow 17th century Dutch East India Company (VOC) warehouse on the Prinsengracht, called ‘Hope’. The building is one of three; the one on the left is called ‘Faith’, the one on the right, ‘Love’. “We have a terrace right next to the canal, and when the sun is out, you have an amazing view.”

The Pancake Bakery opened its doors in 1973. The Schaafsma family lived above it and in 1980, Bastiaan’s parents took over. On the menu are 75 different pancakes, including gluten free and some vegan options. “More would be too much to choose from, but guests can really have anything they want.” They are all made with the Pancake Bakery’s own batter. Bastiaan: “My father wanted a batter which always has the same quality. With his brother, a food engineer, he created his own in a laboratory. Nobody has the same batter as we do.”

And the guests love it so much that the Pancake Bakery has been awarded multiple awards on review websites such as TripAdvisor. “We are very proud of that, that people love the thing we love to make. The recipe may be simple, but the result is divine.”

https://pancake.nl