Best pancakes

Tribeca Tavern (Raleigh) - My family and I had originally planned to go to Sunday brunch somewhere else, when we stumbled upon this place off of Falls of Neuse Road. They have a great brunch, with a specialty pancake of the day (that Sunday it was white chocolate and strawberry). I opted for the chocolate chip flapjacks. They offered the perfect blend of fluff and chocolate. The maple syrup just made it even better. 

Irregardless (Raleigh) - Their made from scratch wheat cakes come in plain, blueberry, chocolate chip, strawberry and banana walnut (which also contains coconut!) I have to give a special shout out to their fruit waffle that comes topped with fresh fruit and yogurt, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

Big City Bagels & Cafe (Raleigh) - This family-owned cafe tucked away in the Celebration shopping area off of Six Forks Road offers New York-style bagels and baked goods, in addition to hot lunches, wraps and salads. But their pancakes are what caught the attention of one of our readers, who tipped us off. The reader said the pancakes here were so good, we needed to do a Five Faves pancakes list. He was right! Their fluffy buttermilk pancakes are as large as a small pizza!. They come with real butter and warm maple syrup. You can even get them loaded with chocolate chips, walnuts or fresh ripe bananas. I had the regular pancakes. Ordering just one is enough because it comes with bacon, ham or sausage on the side. 

Flying Biscuit (Raleigh) - They serve breakfast all day, which means you can enjoy their organic oatmeal pancakes anytime! The pancakes themselves are good, but the warm, peach compote and maple syrup that come on top make them even better. 

Tie: Watt's Grocery (Durham) and Elmo's (Durham) - Watt's gets the nod for its buttermilk pancakes topped with seasonal fruit and warm maple syrup. Elmo's made the list for its great selection of pancakes – plain, banana, cinnamon apple, blueberry, chocolate chip and pecan. Yum!

IHOP, McDonald's and Cracker Barrel - I had to pick these, even though we don't normally include chain restaurants or fast food. IHop was selected specifically for its Cheesecake Pancakes (yes, they are as fattening and good as they sound!). McDonald's made the list because there is just something special about getting an order of their hot cakes in the morning. Reminds me of being a kid again. And Cracker Barrel seriously has my mouth watering with their pancakes, which come with warm, individual bottles of maple syrup.