A pannekoek is thinner and larger than a pancake, thicker and larger than a crêpe. Although the batter is strictly the same in both versions, pannekoeken can be salty or sweet depending on what comes over them. The most classic recipes are ham, cheese or both. We’ll also find cheese-pineapple, cheese-ginger, bacon-cheese and many more. On the sweet side, traditional pannekoeken are apple-sugar-cinnamon, raisins-sugar, powder sugar or sugar syrup and sugar. Here again, the recipes are endless.
Although many regular restaurants serve Dutch pancakes, the ideal place to enjoy authentic pannekoeken is definitely the pannekoekenhuis (pancake house). There you will find a larger selection, sugar syrup and powder sugar on each table and the mouth-watering smell of freshly made pancakes in the air.
As kids just love pancakes, most of the pannekoeken houses serve specialchildren’s pancakes and provide a kids’ corner or coloring table mats.
Dutch people eat pannekoeken for lunch or dinner. But be aware, as the Dutch usually dine around 6pm, most of the pancake restaurants close no later than 8 or 9pm.
It’s a common thing to eat one or two sweet pancakes for dinner. As pannekoeken tend to be served in large portions, you may want to order 1 for 2 people or 2 for 3. This way you’ll be guaranteed to have enough space for a sweet taste. Besides it’s more gezellig (cosy, friendly, hearty) as the Dutch love to call it.
Depending on the restaurant and the pancake itself, the price of a pannekoek usually ranges from 5 to 10 euros.
De Carrousel (10 min walking from the hotel) – Tweede Weteringplantsoen 1, 625-8002;
De Pancake Bakery (close to the Anne Frank House) – Prinsengracht 191, 625-1333
