I'm going to have to disagree with the masses here. I think IHOP is absolutely vile, even worse than Denny's or Village Inn, albeit better than Waffle House. It's basically Crapplebee's for breakfast.

However, when one is incoherently inebriated, IHOP is delicious, as is Waffle House.

IHOP is just fine, as long as you don't go in expecting a 5* dining experience.

Many above have expressed a dislike for items off of the main menu, but my DW raves about the Grilled Tilapia.

I prefer the great local haunt to the chain as well, but there are limitations there. It depends on the city. Here in L.A., we have an amazing selection of awesome breakfast places (Firehouse, Basix and Griddle Cafe immediately come to mind), but those are limited by the fact that they aren't 24 hours and often don't even serve breakfast the whole day. Also, the independent place is often not big enough to handle such groups.

Their coffee is much better than it used to be. They used to serve coffee that was on par with FreshBrew Journeys (look on the United forum if you want to get some insight on that). They improved significantly a couple years ago.

I've actually been to that IHOP just off the 10 in Ahwatukee, near ASU. The sign on the front telling people that they can't carry their guns inside is hilarious.

SACRILEGE! One must ALWAYS go for Boysenberry.

Actually, don't. We want these people to come back and spend their money here - not get scared away by Denny's

One mans treasure....my family can't stand IHOP's new coffee. It's nasty and bitter.

IHOP is great if you need to eat something at 4AM after partying too much....



and for breakfast

I have a secret love for IHOP T-Bone Steak and Eggs too. I rarely get it because it's expensive for IHOP ($14) and the steak is really low quality, but it's a big time guilty pleasure.

A few years ago I was working a 1 PM to Midnight shift and I started craving the steak and eggs at about 7 PM. The longer the night went on, the more I had to have it. Finally, I got off work and headed straight to IHOP and I inhaled the meal. The waiter went "wow, you really ate that fast" and I said "oh yeah, I've been thinking about it all night". His reply? "You've been thinking about this s*** all day?"

No treasure - just better than the old stuff that they served. They served a true iteration of what my late French grand mere used to call "Piss du chat"

Good to hear I'm not the only one who feels this way. ^

Not saying it's the best steak ever (not even close), but for some reason, it really hits the spot.

Denny's is atrocious in my opinion. Nothing there is better than IHOP. I love Waffle House, too, though I don't think that the OP will find that in the locations to which he's traveling.

+1, i love waffle house. Waffle house over IHOP every time ^

Yes, but with the long restaurant name, the mileage posting can appear to be something else.

Cracker Barrel best , IHOP pancakes are the best , Waffle House scattered smothered and covered not so good

Denny's is slightly worse than IHOP, IMO, but if you go to IHOP without a coupon, Denny's is a whole lot cheaper at least around here -- same basic pancakes+eggs+meat breakfast rounds up to $6 at Denny's vs. $8 and some change at IHOP

The 3 fruit flavored syrups at IHOP really made the place for me as a kid; these days I just buy fruit flavored syrups, and make my own pancakes. It's dead easy to make the batter (indeed, the only trick is teaching yourself NOT to overbeat them), and a cheapo electric griddle (has to be just fancy enough to have a thermostat) makes cooking them without burning a breeze.

I can't recall the name right now, but there's an omelette that comes stuffed with hashbrowns; apparently, their omelettes get pancake batter added to them to give 'em broader shoulders. That's all I've ever gotten since passing ten years old-in those seminal years, I'd start things off wrong with a happy face chocolate chip stack. Oh, and they had a cream cheese-filled french toast majig a bunch of years back that I had to try, and then did, and then wondered why.

It depends on the area. In California and many other places, Denny's beats IHOP for breakfast easily IMO. The caveat is I NEVER EVER order anything sweet for Brekkie, so I can only compare their savory items. I have very rarely eaten lunch/dinner meals at either, so no opinion there.