We polled our 4,800 Facebook fans and, based on their passionate responses, set off to find who makes the best pancakes in Sarasota. Who says research can’t be fun?

Best overall: Station 400’s blueberry and almond with vanilla bean butter and blueberry syrup, topped with lemon zest. “Rich, sweet and tangy all at once,” said associate editor Hannah Wallace.

Best Plain: Breakfast House. Simplicity reveals a cake’s true character, and Breakfast House’s fluffy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet plain pancakes proved to have impeccable character. “Delicious!” said chef Judi Gallagher between bites.

Best Seasonal: Oasis Café’s  pumpkin pancakes, with their distinct nutty, pumpkin-y flavor. “These taste like fall,” said intern Sarah Gassel.

Most Creative: The Broken Egg. We loved the outrageous artistry of options like banana-split pancakes (bananas wrapped in pancakes and covered with pecans, strawberries, pineapple and chocolate syrup) and Boar in a Quilt (blueberry pancakes wrapped around sausages).

Most Bang for Your Buck: Country Pancake House. The story is that owners Milan and Nada Pavlovic grew up underserved in both food quantity and quality; now they’re dedicated to making sure their guests never go home hungry. Country Pancake House’s pancakes don’t even fit on a large serving platter. They’re that big. —Megan McDonald

“Listen, Station 400 fans. The correct answer is strawberry lavender pancakes.” —Allison Silver Schwartz, setting the record straight when we asked which were the best pancakes in town.

This article appears in the June 2012 issue of Sarasota Magazine.

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