Located an hour and ten minute drive from RIT, Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn is a must visit for the adventurous who love a good pancake breakfast. While an hour drive for pancakes may seem like a lot, if combined with a trip to the area’s popular Letchworth State Park and the experience of homemade maple syrup on unlimited pancakes it’s totally worth it. Cartwright’s has been open since 1963 and their claim to fame is unlimited Great Grama Cartwright’s buckwheat pancakes and pure maple syrup products. The Inn has a rich family history and after a full breakfast, one should visit the restaurant’s basement to view this history up close. In the basement you can walk through artifacts from the beginning of Cartwright's syrup business all the way up to present times where you can see syrup being made and bottled first hand. On your way out of the restaurant stop by the gift shop to buy a bottle of your own homemade syrup to take home.
The restaurant is only open seasonally from early February through early April. Expect long lines for breakfast especially on the weekends, so arrive early and hungry. While the menu includes other foods such as ham, burgers, and eggs, the real star is the pancakes. Once you order pancakes they keep bringing out plates of them until you can’t eat anymore. I don’t know what's better than $9.50 for unlimited pancakes. It’s important to note the restaurant only accepts cash, but don’t worry there is an atm out front.
The dining room has an old fashioned feel, like you’ve stepped back in time a few decades. You can watch as the pancakes are made right infront of you and delivered to your table stacked high. Overall, it's a great experience worth the drive and neighboring visit to Letchworth. Sometimes adventure isn’t always about being out in the woods on a trail. Sometimes it’s about trying new things like homemade buckwheat pancakes.
Here’s a link to their website to learn more!