Is This Really the Best Pancake in Illinois?

Some say the best pancake in Illinois is so good it will ruin all other breakfasts for you. Others claim it's more hype than hotcake. Either way, we need answers.

Is This Really the Best Pancake in Illinois? Let’s Investigate

Mashed named Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe in Chicago the pinnacle of pancake perfection. Reviewers on Trip Advisor practically write love letters to their stacks. Their banana coconut cream pie pancakes sound more like a dessert disguised as breakfast.

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But is Wildberry truly the best pancake spot in Illinois? Or are we being duped by hype and mouthwatering Yelp photos? I'll admit that I feel pleasantly influenced.

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Let's Pancakes (And Where to Find More)

Willdberry's pancakes are undoubtedly elite, but Illinois is a big state, and pancakes don't just stop at the Chicago city limits.

Take Richard Walker’s Pancake House (Schaumburg and beyond), serving up fluffy apple pancakes the size of your head. Then there’s Walker Bros. Original Pancake House, famous for its oven-baked German pancakes that could double as edible art. And if you want an underdog in this pancake war, Charlie Parker’s Diner in Springfield serves plate-sized flapjacks that might actually require a team effort to finish.

In Rockford, where I live, a late-morning plate of Swedish pancakes at Stockholm Inn satisfies—ALWAYS!

If Wildberry really is the best, there's only one way to find out—by eating our way across Illinois in a glorious, syrup-soaked taste test (sugar-free of course, cuz diabetes).

I can't be convinced about Wildberry without trying it, thus a pancake road trip was born. If your local diner makes the best short stack, tell me.

MORE: Illinois’ Best Breakfast Joint is Among the Best in the Nation