Perhaps Sydney isn’t known for its pancakes, but does it matter? When you’re hungry, sometimes you’ll go to crazy lengths for a proper meal. On this particular day in Sydney, we headed straight for Pancakes on the Rocks after a morning run. As you can tell from the name, the restaurant is located in The Rocks in Sydney.
Now normally I’m not one for patronizing any kind of American style dining while traveling, but this was different. I kind of liked the story of how Pancakes on the Rocks came to be. The original founders took a road trip in the 1950’s across America and noticed the popularity of pancakes on the menu in American restaurants. Next thing you know, they opened their first restaurant in 1965 in Adelaide, Australia. When they parted ways later on, one partner took the concept to Sydney and opened Pancakes on the Rocks. But don’t worry – they don’t serve only pancakes. In 1994 they added new items to the menu like pizzas, salads, and other dishes as they are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But I was there for the pancakes!
Clearly everyone else was there for the pancakes as well! The queue was out the door and onto the landing outside the restaurant.
The decor inside the restaurant is dark wood and metal chairs, but you’re there for the pancakes and not fine dining. What they do have is an abundance of tables on two floors with the restrooms located on the lower level. From my seat, I could see right into the kitchen and the cooks were cranking out massive quantities of pancakes and other breakfast plates.
The menu has many pancake options and although I usually stick with my own vegan pancakes (thank you Isa Chandra Moskowitz and “Vegan Brunch”), I couldn’t exactly ask for a vegan pancake here. When in Rome…
Prior to my trip to Sydney, I had been caffeine-free for several months. Why? Because I travel often, I found that crossing time zones and not having coffee meant I was dealing with crazy coffee withdrawal headaches. But knowing how good the coffee was in Australia, I wasn’t about to pass up a cappuccino. Let me tell you that my reunion with coffee was amazing! With a fast turnover time, service is fast in this restaurant and before long, we had our pancakes.
Macadamia Madness: Macadamia pancakes topped with vanilla ice cream, roasted Macadamia nuts. Served with maple syrup. The pancakes were light and fluffy and oh so good! The best part was that the portions were average size and not the ridiculous, over the top sized portions we see back home.
Strawberry Patch: Buttermilk pancakes with fresh strawberries, cream, vanilla ice cream and strawberry coulis. This is my plate and although I wanted the pancakes, I did eat all of the strawberries and some of the pancakes off Mr. TSG’s plate. Don’t hate!
If you’re looking for a quick breakfast, Pancakes on the Rocks can do the job and does it quickly!
Pancakes on the Rocks
4 Hickson Rd, The Rocks, Sydney
Hours: 24 HOURS, 7 DAYS A WEEK
After breakfast we headed out on an otherwise gloomy, grey, and rainy Australia Day. I should’ve known that for most of my trip to Australia and New Zealand, this is what the weather would be like. But I pulled myself out of my rain funk and admired the view. Here the HMAS Canberra, the Australian Navy’s newly commissioned Landing Helicopter Dock, made its first appearance in Sydney Harbour.
Why was the naval ship in Sydney Harbour for Australia Day? She was located between Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge as a part of the salute to the nation. As the saluting ship, she was also the platform from which choirs were singing on that important day. Prime Minister Tony Abbott presided over a citizenship ceremony onboard the Canberra as well. 25 people from 15 countries became Australian citizens on Australia Day onboard the Canberra. Nationwide, nearly 16,000 people from 152 countries became citizens on that memorable day. No one anywhere was going to let the rain deter them from the festivities of Australia Day!
The day started with a run through Sydney, pancakes, and Australia Day. Does it get better than that? Read more about my time in Sydney here.