Customers Love This Rustic Upstate NY Restaurant Where You Can Only Eat Pancakes, Sausage, And Applesauce

When an establishment has limited operating hours, you have to strategically plan visits. In the case of Red's Best Pancake House in Sherman, New York, homemade sausages and buckwheat pancakes, which can be hard to find on diner menus, have earned such a reputation that patience is rewarded. The menu is so well known that there isn't one, and customers heading to Red's Best know exactly what they are in for.

Bill Barney first started serving neighbors in 1971 out of a cabin he built. His family continued the business until it was sold in 1999 to the Redlecki family. The cash-only restaurant is family-run, and the rustic cabin ambiance, complete with a roaring fire, adds to the charm. The maple syrup has been described as some of the best around, and all-you-can-eat pancakes have guests looking forward to their meals. As for the pork sausage, it follows a secret recipe passed between owners, with a special blend of seasonings that can only be guessed at. Cold beverage options are limited to orange juice and water. However, adults can also opt for coffee, which has been swapped with hot chocolate on the kids' menu.   

In addition to the pancakes and sausage patties served at Red's Best Pancake House, customers are thrilled by the applesauce, as well as the products for sale, which include maple syrup, maple sugar candy, maple spread, and toast-friendly maple sugar. Red's Best maple syrup is made onsite from sap that came from local trees on leased farmland. The sap is collected via a tubing process before being boiled down using wood scraps from the family's logging business.

Red's Best Pancake House has built a solid name for itself, and its reputation has been cemented by positive reviews. One Facebook user described its fluffy breakfast fare as "the best pancakes you will get anywhere," while another customer on Google asserted, "Easily the best pancakes I have ever eaten." Others have raved about the restaurant's hand-made sausages, including a Facebook fan who said they were flavorful "and perfectly cooked." In addition to the setting and the tasty food offered, the service is also noted by visitors, with a customer on TripAdvisor describing Red's Best Pancake House as "a place that makes you feel welcome and glad you were there." 

Some of Red's Best maple syrup products are packaged in unique containers in the shape of log cabins, gingerbread men, and maple leaves for customers to take home. For visitors wanting to commemorate their visit with a souvenir, T-shirts can also be purchased. If you are planning a visit to experience Red's Best for yourself, the weekend-only service runs during the month of October and from February to April.