We heartily encourage you to eat pancakes any day of the year, but tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, which means they are pretty much essential. As this list of restaurants demonstrates, the humble pancake comes in many different guises. Will it be American hotcakes with blueberries, or the timeless French crêpe with lemon and sugar? If you’re struggling to choose, we’ve picked out some of the most mouthwatering menu choices.

My Old Dutch

The original pancake house has branches in Kensington, Holborn and Chelsea and has been serving large flat Dutch pancakes known as pannekoeken since the 50s. The culinary influences extend far beyond the borders of Holland, with Italian, Greek and Chinese-inspired savoury pancakes – look out for the chicken curry one too. The sweet pancakes are more traditional, with tempting combinations including chocolate, syrup, lemon and berries.
Star pancake: It has to be the eponymous My Old Dutch: a favourite from Holland with smoked bacon, chicken, ham, sweet pepper, mushrooms, sweetcorn and cheese.

The Breakfast Club

While this trio of cafés do serve lunch and dinner, go there for the breakfast and brunches. The atmosphere is cosy, as the murmurs of half-asleep punters mix with clattering plates. Pancakes are of the American variety (smaller and fatter than French crêpes or Dutch pannekoeken) and come with cooked breakfasts or with maple syrup, or berries and ice cream for a sweet treat. Breakfast Clubs can be found in Hoxton, Angel, Soho or Spitalfield. Arrive early as they are very popular at weekends.
Star pancake: Pancakes and Bacon with maple syrup – an unrivalled combination of sweet and salty.

Crème de la Crêpe

Silly names and inventive combinations abound at this cool crêperie, which started off with a stall in Borough Market before graduating to its first shop in Covent Garden. Indulgent creations on the menu include the Billy Goat’s Gruff (goat’s cheese, caramelised onion marmalade, sweet cherrybell peppers and rocket) and the Cheap Date (Mars bar with Baileys). It now has a second outlet in South Kensington too.
Star pancake: The adventurous Gone Fishin’, with hot smoked salmon, spring onions, lemon juice, black pepper mayonnaise and rocket.

The Kensington Crêperie

This is where French locals head when they need a crêpe fix. Stalwart sweet options like lemon and sugar are perfect for snacks and puddings, and The Kensington Crêperie also serves a brilliant range of galettes – French pancakes made with buckwheat flour and a savoury filling.
Star pancake: The effortlessly French Tartiflette Galette, a buckwheat pancake filled with the classic French dish of bacon, potatoes, oozing Raclette cheese, cream, onion and white wine.

More information about Pancake Day in London

There’s heaps going on in the capital this weekend, including the launch of a brand new venue , which will open with a bang in a literal sense, and the Wimbledon tennis championships, if you’re prepared to wait in line.

Canada Day

It’s time to celebrate Canada, and how better than with a ceremonial Drop of the Puck by the Canadian High Commissioner before eight teams compete in a street hockey tournament to kick off Canada Day in Trafalgar Square? You can also meet the Mounties and gorge on a pancake breakfast at the party, which is the largest celebration of Canada Day outside the country itself. 1 Jul

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships

If you’re committed to your tennis, tickets to Wimbledon can be bought on the day at the ground at the All England Club. Each day around 500 tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis for courts 1, 2 and Centre Court (except on the final four days for Centre Court). Several thousand tickets for courts 3 to 19 are also on sale – they also allow access to Murray Mount (formerly Henman Hill) where you can watch the top players on Centre Court on a big screen. Be prepared to queue from 8am for ground passes or overnight to guarantee show court tickets. Until 8 July

London Festival of Architecture

‘The Playful City’ is the theme for this year’s festival of London architecture and the Fitzrovia Hub is the focus this weekend. Architecture practices in the area – including London’s architectural HQ at RIBA in Portland Place – are opening their doors for workshops, open studios, exhibitions and games. You can download a Fitzrovia Trail map to guide you over the weekend. 30 Jun-1 Jul

London Pleasure Gardens launch

Don’t miss the chance to explore East London’s brand new cultural hub. London Pleasure Gardens has been built on a derelict dock and will open its doors on Saturday for the first time. Its launch event is the free Paradise Gardens Festival, which promises a spectacular fire and pyrotechnic show from The World Famous firework company. It will fuse music, pyrotechnics, projection and theatre. 30 Jun-1 Jul

The crepe experts are hosting an express stall where crepes will be made fresh on request. The limited edition menu includes indulgent white chocolate and strawberry crepes for those with a sweet tooth, or if you prefer savoury try delectable fresh pesto, goats’ cheese, sun-blushed tomato and rocket crepes.

Not only that, but if you buy a crepe from the express stall today, you’ll get a voucher for the next one free. The stall is open today until 10pm, so there’s still plenty of time to get your fix!

For more information visit www.coventgardenlondonuk.com or follow Covent Garden on Twitter