Portland Showdown: Gluten-Free Pancakes Round 2

By: Tammy Lynne Stoner | July 20 2011
Posted in Portland - Find It - Portland

Photo by: Tammy Stoner

Gluten-free pancakes are a welcomed standard around Portland these days, becoming so popular that they have broken into the sub-categories of gluten-free cakes with dairy (often buttermilk) and gluten-free cakes without dairy (typically corn-based). Our last showdown featured GF pancakes with dairy. In this Showdown, we’re pitting corn against corn in a gluten and dairy-free fight between two neighborhood cafes from opposite sides of town: Cup & Saucer (3566 NE Hawthorne Blvd) and Vita Café (3023 NE Alberta). 

Cup & Saucer Vs. Vita Café
Vita Café’s vibe is mother-earth comfort; Cup & Saucer’s vibe is super-friendly diner. Both have an eclectic staff, local art on the walls, and great street views. But who has the best gluten-free corn pancake? This showdown came down to taste and texture, with texture defined as the pancake that best controls the natural tendency of corn cakes to be dry. 

Taste. Both restaurants offer the standard syrup and butter accompaniments, but Cup & Saucer focuses on the flavor of the corn, resulting in a simpler pancake than Vita Café, who enhances their NW Corn Cakes with toasted hazelnuts in the batter. Vita Café’s corn pancake is thinner and more complex, with a nod toward rich southern food. You can almost taste the vegan butter used to fry these pancakes.

Taste winner: Vita Café.

Texture. The texture title also went to Vita Café, whose corn pancake wouldn’t dare crumble, despite the cold butter served with them (Vita, babe, leave your butter out to warm up!). Cup & Saucer put up a good fight, but they are no match against Vita Café's NW Corn Cake.