Some Places To Get Your Pancake Fix This Shrove Tuesday

Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday in the Christian calendar, the last day before Lent, the 40 day period of fasting and reflection leading up to Easter. In the UK Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day and, as you might guess from the name, it is all about eating pancakes.

This tradition dates back to around the 16th century when British Christians would eat pancakes in order to use up eggs, butter, fat and other rich foodstuffs ahead of Lent. Nowadays, for a lot of British people it’s just an excuse to stuff ourselves silly with pancakes. So why not join in the tradition? 

Whether you’re a fan of traditional French crêpes, fluffy American pancakes or a good old jianbing, here are a few places around Beijing to satisfy your pancake needs. 

Panorama

When it comes to crêpes nowhere beats Panorama in Sanlitun Courtyard No.4. This French restaurant serves up both savory and sweet crêpes and there are tons of different fillings to choose from. For savory crêpes, or galettes as they are called in French, they have a whopping nine different variations on the menu! 

Our personal favorites are the Captain (RMB 78), which is stuffed with smoked salmon, red onion, dill, capers and cream with a slice of lemon on the side to drizzle over, and the Bollywood (RMB 75,) which is stuffed with grilled chicken curry, bell pepper, Emmental cheese, onion and white wine. Both are served with a side salad. They also have no shortage of sweet crêpes, ten altogether, with traditional offerings like Lemon and Sugar (RMB 40) as well as more indulgent ones like Banana and Nutella (RMB 50).

Panorama
81 Sanlitun Courtyard No. 4, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯机电院81号

Tigers

Tigers, formerly known as Tiger Pancake House, specializes in American style pancakes. Their thick, fluffy pancakes are sure to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth, coming loaded with a variety of ice cream, fruit and whipped cream. Their Special Strawberry Pancake (RMB 68) topped with fresh strawberries, strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, pieces of freeze-dried strawberry and syrup is a must try. 

If you’re looking for a more savory option, you can also order one of their numerous brunch dishes that include pancakes such as the Army Brunch (RMB 78), which sees pancakes served up with a beef patty, Cheddar cheese, fries and coleslaw.

Tigers (Sanyuanqiao Branch)
1, B1 1959 Shijjianli, Fenghuang Lu
凤凰环路1959时间里B1-1号

Peiping Machine

This Chinese brewery takes the humble jianbing and brings it to a whole new level. They have six different kinds of jianbing on their menu, each with a unique twist. A number of them combine the jianbing with another popular Chinese dish such as their Shishan Roast Duck Jianbing (RMB 58) or Braised Pork Belly Jianbing (RMB 38). They also do some western variations on the jianbing, like the simple Cheese Jianbing (RMB 28) or Salmon and Avocado Jianbing (RMB 68). To accompany one of their bings why not also try one of their signature craft brews?

Peiping Machine
E101, 46 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区方家胡同46号院

Lily’s American Diner

Another purveyor of American style pancakes, Lily’s American Diner keep things simple with their American Pancakes (RMB 59 for two, RMB 69 for three) that see buttermilk pancakes served up with two fried eggs and a side of bacon. Their pancakes are available all day so you can even order them in the evening and treat yourself to some brinner. 

Lily’s American Diner (Sanlitun branch)
1-037, Bldg 5, Shoukai Bojun, 8 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区新东路8号院手开铂郡小区底商5号楼1-037号

Bewaffle

At their Pingan Xingfuhui Shopping Center branch Bewaffle also offers up a variety of crêpes along with their signature waffles. They have sweet options available like Nutella (RMB 28) or Cinnamon Apple (RMB 35) and also a few savory options such as Roast Pepper, Ham and Cheese (RMB 42). (Please note that crêpes aren’t available at their Sanlitun store.)

Bewaffle (Pingan Xingfuhui branch)
111, L1, Pingan Xingfuhui, Lize Lu
丽泽路平安幸福汇1层L111号

READ: 2023 Cheesy Pizza Cup Recap: Beijing's Top 16 Pizzas, as Voted by You

Images: Dianping, Meituan Waimai, Unsplash