Best Pancakes in Houston: 10 Stacks Worth the Wait
Date Published
The best pancakes in Houston are spread across a Midtown diner with 45-minute weekend waits, a Montrose café that has been flipping stacks since 1994, a 24-hour kitchen on Kirby that has never closed in nearly 60 years, and a single-location import from Oregon that puts one caramelized apple pancake in the oven and makes you wait 20 minutes for it. All 10 spots on this list were confirmed open against their own official websites or current directory listings.
Weekend waits at the most popular spots can stretch long. Each entry includes the best time to go, so you can pick your stack and your strategy.
The quick list
- Best known: The Breakfast Klub, Midtown
- Best creative flights: Snooze AM Eatery, five Houston locations
- Best classic Montrose spot: Empire Café, Montrose
- Best Red Velvet Pancakes: Barnaby’s Café, seven citywide locations
- Best Dutch Baby: Weights + Measures, Midtown
- Best at 3 a.m.: House of Pies, Kirby and Westheimer
- Best late-night diner stack: Katz’s Deli, Westheimer
- Best for dietary variety: Dish Society, Heights and suburbs
- Best Jazz Brunch setting: Brennan’s of Houston, Midtown
- Best baked pancake: The Original Pancake House, South Houston
How we chose
Every spot was confirmed open with current hours posted on its official website or a verified directory listing. Each had to serve an actual pancake — not just French toast or a waffle. We noted weekday vs. weekend hours, typical wait times where published, and dietary options. Hours change often; treat every schedule below as typical and check the official site before you go.
The Breakfast Klub — Midtown
3711 Travis St · weekdays 7 a.m.–2 p.m., weekends 8 a.m.–2 p.m. · no reservations
If you’ve been to Houston once, someone has told you to go to The Breakfast Klub. The spot in Midtown is famous for Wings & Waffle, but the menu runs buttermilk “pankakes” — the deliberate misspelling is a house trademark from founder Marcus Davis that became part of the restaurant’s identity. Order a full plate: three pankakes with two eggs and your choice of meat, with optional add-ons for pecans, bananas, blueberries, or strawberries. The Breakfast Klub has been recognized by Good Morning America, USA Today, and Esquire.
Weekend waits run 45–90 minutes and no reservations are taken. Go Tuesday through Thursday morning for a shorter line.
Order: Wings & Pankakes (the waffle can be subbed for pankakes), or the full buttermilk pankake plate.
Creative flights — Snooze AM Eatery
Five Houston locations: The Heights (718 W 18th St), Montrose (3217 Montrose Blvd), Memorial, Galleria/Uptown, and West U · typically daily 6:30 a.m.–2:30–4 p.m.
Snooze invented the pancake flight: a build-your-own order of three different half-size pancakes, so you’re not locked into one flavor. The current Houston menu includes Pineapple Upside Down (caramelized pineapple, vanilla cream, cinnamon butter), Strawberry Shortcake (strawberry coulis, strawberry mascarpone, almond streusel), Sweet Potato (house caramel, candied pecans, ginger butter), and Banana Bliss (vegan, made with coconut and almond milks). You can build your own combination or order the Signature Flight.
Five locations means you can find a Snooze near most neighborhoods. Arrive at opening on weekends to beat the wait.
Order: Build-your-own flight with Pineapple Upside Down as one of the three.
Montrose and Westheimer
Empire Café — Montrose
1732 Westheimer Rd · daily 7:30 a.m.–10 p.m. (Fri–Sat until 11 p.m.)
Empire Café has been open on Westheimer since 1994, which makes it one of the longest-running Montrose breakfast spots in the city. The menu lists three buttermilk pancakes at around $11.50, and Fruit Pancakes with your choice of two fruits: bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, or cranberries, at around $13.50. It’s a lived-in, no-pressure room open from early morning through late evening, which makes it the right call when you want pancakes without committing to a weekend crowd.
Order: Fruit Pancakes with blueberries and bananas.
Barnaby’s Café — seven locations citywide
Locations include 1701 S Shepherd Dr (Montrose), 181 Heights Blvd ([The Heights](/areas/the-heights)), 1801 Binz St (Midtown) · weekday breakfast 7 a.m.–noon, weekends until 2 p.m.
Barnaby’s has been a Houston diner institution for decades, and the item that sets it apart from every other short-order breakfast spot is the Red Velvet Pancakes: deep crimson stacks with a hint of cocoa, topped with cream cheese syrup. Seven locations citywide means you can find Barnaby’s in most neighborhoods covered in this guide.
Order: Red Velvet Pancakes — nothing else like them at an everyday price point in Houston.
Midtown
Weights + Measures — Midtown
2808 Caroline St · brunch Sat–Sun from 9:30 a.m., Tue–Fri from 11 a.m. · check [weights-measures.com](https://weights-measures.com) for current hours
Weights + Measures is in a converted 1950s warehouse and serves the most chef-driven pancake menu on this list. Three brunch options: a classic buttermilk stack with berries and house buttermilk syrup, Spiced Apple Pancakes with mascarpone butter and Oelke Farms maple syrup, and a Dutch Baby with chamomile-poached pineapple quince, candied walnuts, and mascarpone caramel ice cream. The Dutch Baby takes longer to arrive and is worth every minute. See our Midtown restaurants guide if you’re planning a full day in the area.
Order: Dutch Baby — the chamomile pineapple quince combination exists nowhere else in Houston.
Brennan’s of Houston — Midtown
3300 Smith St · Saturday brunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Sunday Jazz Brunch 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (live band from 10:30 a.m.) · reservations recommended
Brennan’s Sunday Jazz Brunch is one of Houston’s most dependable traditions: a live band, New Orleans-style Creole cooking, and bananas Foster made tableside. The adult brunch menu leans Creole — Eggs Sardou, turtle soup — but pancakes are available and the occasion is the draw. This is the pick when the situation calls for a full Southern brunch production rather than a focused pancake run. Reservations are strongly recommended for Sundays.
Order: Come for the full brunch experience; pancakes are available alongside the Creole menu.
Open at odd hours
House of Pies — Kirby and Westheimer
3112 Kirby Dr and 6142 Westheimer Rd · 24 hours, daily
House of Pies opened on Kirby Drive in 1967 and has never stopped serving through storms and the pandemic alike. The pancakes — a Banana Pecan stack with caramel and powdered sugar, or a plain short stack — are secondary to the pies, and that’s the point. You can order buttermilk pancakes at 3 a.m. alongside a slice of Bayou Goo pie and a cup of drip coffee. That combination, at that hour, in that room, is a specific Houston experience.
Order: Banana Pecan Pancakes, plus whatever pie calls to you from the case.
Katz’s Deli — Westheimer
616 Westheimer Rd (original location) · 24 hours, never closes
Katz’s tagline is “Never Kloses,” and it means it. The original location at 616 Westheimer has operated continuously since 1998. Buttermilk pancakes can be topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, bananas, chocolate chips, or toasted pecans — or all of them at 4 a.m., no judgment. The sleeper hit is the potato pancakes (latkes): crispy, oniony, served with sour cream and apple sauce, a Jewish deli touch rare on Houston breakfast menus.
Order: Potato pancakes (latkes) if you haven’t had them. Buttermilk with chocolate chips and pecans if it’s late.
Multiple neighborhoods — Dish Society
Locations in [The Heights](/areas/the-heights) (1050 Yale St), Memorial, West U, and Katy · brunch service; check [dishsociety.com](https://dishsociety.com) for hours
Dish Society uses locally sourced ingredients and offers two pancake styles: a classic buttermilk stack with pure maple syrup (add white chocolate chips, candied pecans, strawberries, banana, or fried chicken), and Gluten-Friendly Pancakes made with quinoa and chia seeds, coconut flakes, and berries. The quinoa-chia combination is genuinely nutritious rather than a substitution that tastes like one. It’s one of the better dietary-friendly pancake options at a full-service brunch restaurant in the city. The Heights location on Yale is busiest; expect weekend morning waits. See our Heights restaurants guide for the full neighborhood picture.
Order: Gluten-Friendly Pancakes if you want something different; fried chicken add-on to the classic if you don’t.
Worth the drive south — The Original Pancake House
3839 Corder St · Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
The Original Pancake House is a Pacific Northwest chain founded in Portland in 1953, and its most famous dish is the Apple Pancake: a single large pancake baked to order in a skillet with caramelized cinnamon apples. It takes about 20 minutes to arrive and comes out puffed, golden, and filling. The chain uses 93-score butter and 36% whipping cream — standards more common to fine dining than a breakfast counter. The Corder Street location near the Texas Medical Center is the only Houston outpost.
Note: this location opens at 11 a.m. rather than early morning. Call ahead or check the listing if you’re planning a breakfast visit.
Order: Apple Pancake. Order coffee first and use the 20-minute wait.
Save this: pancake checklist
Beats the weekend crowd:
- The Breakfast Klub: go Tuesday through Thursday; avoid Saturday mornings
- Snooze AM Eatery: arrive at opening on weekdays at any of the five locations
- Empire Café: open daily from 7:30 a.m. with little to no wait on weekdays
For a late-night or 3 a.m. run:
- House of Pies (Kirby or Westheimer) — open 24 hours, every day
- Katz’s Deli (616 Westheimer) — open 24 hours, never closes
Worth the reservation:
- Brennan’s Jazz Brunch — book ahead, especially Sundays
- Weights + Measures — check weekend brunch availability
For dietary needs:
- Dish Society: gluten-friendly quinoa-chia pancakes
- Snooze AM Eatery: vegan Banana Bliss pancake flight option
Only one of its kind in Houston:
- The Original Pancake House (Corder St) — the one Houston location; opens at 11 a.m.
More Houston breakfast and brunch
For the full morning spread, see our best brunch in Houston and best breakfast in Houston guides. For Montrose mornings that start with a cup before the wait, our best coffee shops in Houston has the neighborhood covered. Kid-friendly restaurants in Houston has more family-friendly picks if you’re bringing young ones.
Last verified: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous pancake restaurant in Houston?
The Breakfast Klub at 3711 Travis St in Midtown is Houston’s most talked-about breakfast spot. It serves buttermilk “pankakes” (a deliberate house spelling) and has been recognized by Good Morning America, USA Today, and Esquire. Weekend waits typically run 45–90 minutes; no reservations are taken.
Where can I get pancakes in Houston late at night?
House of Pies (3112 Kirby Dr and 6142 Westheimer Rd) and Katz’s Deli (616 Westheimer Rd) are both open 24 hours, every day. House of Pies has been open continuously since 1967; Katz’s has operated without closing since 1998.
What is a pancake flight and where do I get one in Houston?
A pancake flight is a build-your-own order of three different half-size pancakes served at once. Snooze AM Eatery, which has five Houston locations in the Heights, Montrose, Memorial, Galleria/Uptown, and West U, originated the concept. You choose three flavors or order their Signature Flight.
Are there vegan or gluten-free pancake options in Houston?
Yes. Snooze AM Eatery offers a Banana Bliss vegan pancake (made with coconut and almond milks) as a flight option. Dish Society serves Gluten-Friendly Pancakes made with quinoa and chia seeds at its Heights, Memorial, West U, and Katy locations.
What is the Apple Pancake at The Original Pancake House?
The Apple Pancake is a single large pancake baked to order in a skillet, covered in caramelized cinnamon apples. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare. The Original Pancake House at 3839 Corder St near the Texas Medical Center is the only Houston location of this Pacific Northwest chain, which was founded in Portland in 1953.
How long is the wait at The Breakfast Klub in Houston?
Weekend waits at The Breakfast Klub typically run 45–90 minutes. No reservations are taken. Weekday mornings (Tuesday through Thursday) are significantly shorter. Hours are 7 a.m.–2 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.–2 p.m. weekends.