A Saturday Morning Must Have
Written: Mar 25 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great food, fast service, big menu, great pancakes!
Cons: can be busy during rush, some sticky tables
The Bottom Line: Give IHOP a try anytime you want a great start to your day. Pancakes are awesome and lots of items to choose from in general. 24 Hours too!
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| posingcarrot's Full Review: IHOP |
Celebrating their 50th year this year (2008), IHOP has been serving up their famous pancakes since 1958 all over the United States. I can say I have eaten my fair share of the food it has served at least since I was born. IHOP has always been a breakfast favorite where I’m from and my family seemed to end up there quite a bit. I guess there is something about 24 hour restaurants that people migrate to. Breakfast at 8:30 at night? Don’t mind if I do.
My husband and I have also tried to keep the tradition alive, since his family also frequented IHOP growing up. Unless we are out of town, usually Saturday or Sunday we wake up early and eat at IHOP. It has become a staple for our weekend.
How is the food?
HUGE menu, considering they have breakfast/lunch/dinner it makes sense. Each section has a nice variety of items, so that is a plus. I can say that most of the times I have eaten at IHOP, it has been for breakfast – but I have also eaten dinner items from time to time.
Breakfast
Breakfast is really where IHOP takes pride (obviously, their name is International House of Pancakes). If you want pancakes… take your pick. Blueberry stacks, strawberry stacks, corn cakes, grain & nut and even old fashioned buttermilk pancakes. All I have tried and all are fantastic! My favorite is the blueberry & buttermilk of course. I think mostly because of tasting them when I was younger. Grab a side of bacon or sausage and you will love it. I love to try the different syrups on the table – strawberry is my favorite.
Omelettes are another specialty of the house with a few options to choose from. I am not really an omelette person, however they look HUGE. The bacon omelette I have tasted, it was good if you like omelettes. Several to choose from including: Steak, Spinach & Mushroom or a few others. Friends of mine order the Colorado omelette every single time and love it.
IHOP has a few signature breakfast plates like my favorite – The Breakfast Sampler, which comes with bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns and pancakes. The ultimate for someone with a big appetite come breakfast. My husband sometimes does the chicken fried steak with gravy & eggs. It also comes with pancakes and that is like the dessert to the meal when it comes to breakfast. They have a regular steak & egg that looks great – however I have never tried it.
There are also a few other items on the menu like the classic 2x2x2 (eggs, pancakes, bacon), quick 2 egg breakfast & smokehouse combo. All come loaded with protein but do taste awesome! They have some of the best French toast & a few waffles (Belgian) that look appetizing. The stuffed French toast also looks to die for. I have never eaten the crepes, just not that big of a fan – so I will leave that for someone else to review.
Dinner/Lunch
IHOP’s dinner/lunch menu is pretty broad in its own right with tons of fried food and some down home traditional foods like chicken fried steak, the patty melt & BBQ ribs. There is definitely enough of a selection to find something for every palette.
Lots of sandwiches & burgers to choose from, remember this is a pancake house! BBQ bacon cheese burger, monster cheeseburger, a bacon & egg cheeseburger and an excellent club sandwich… so it is easy to see there are a variety in just those few mentioned. I have eaten the burger & the club sandwich and both were up to par with any other chain restaurant.
There are a few baskets on the menu, I call the appetizers. Cheese sticks, chicken strips w/ fries, popcorn shrimp w/ fries and onion rings. There is an appetizer sampler also with a bit of each. If you want to sit and munch for a while I guess or for those with a small appetite.
There are a few things on the menu that seem strange. Grilled talapia, shrimp ceasar salad and the before mentioned bacon & egg cheeseburger just to name a few. I haven’t eaten any of the three – but perhaps the bacon & egg cheeseburger is aching to be tried.
Dessert
I have eaten a few items on the dessert menu, the cheesecake, I think it was banana with caramel and it was in some kind of crust. MMmm mmmm. I do suggest you try this one time, it will be worth it. They have a few ice cream selection and I believe some crepes. Still good for a restaurant specializing in breakfast.
How’s the price?
Great value for your dollar. Most of the time it is 7 dollars a person for breakfast, seems like a lot, but in some places there are no other breakfast options. Two people for a BIG breakfast, around 18 dollars with tip. For what you are getting, I would say it was worth it.
The service any good?
I have been to several IHOP(s) over the years and they nail the old fashioned diner as far as service goes. Speedy, usually the host will get your drink order and you have it in minutes. The wait can be long at times, but get there before 8 on the weekend and normally you can get in. After 8AM you will be waiting 10-20 minutes. Never had a problem to have to deal with management… which says something in itself.
How is the atmosphere?
Clean for the most part, however anywhere you have syrup on the table then you can expect some sticky surfaces. It can be a crazy place during the breakfast rush, so if your looking for a quiet place to have a little breakfast come during off hours. It is just a place to eat as far as atmosphere, not much to look at and your nose will likely be in the paper anyhow, so what does it matter.
What is your overall feel?
Like I said, overall it is definitely something I consider positive. The food is great; the service is usually stellar compared to other restaurants. The place is clean, staff is nice and I would recommend to anyone wanting a nice breakfast to start their day, or eating a late night snack since they are open 24 hours.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
posingcarrot
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Location: Midland, TX
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 2 members
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