5 Menu Items To Avoid Ordering From Waffle House, According To Reviews

Waffle House is a staple of fast food breakfast, known for (of course) their waffles. It's also known for being open all night, and is perhaps less known for being a music label. Yes, you read that right. If you've never been to a Waffle House, you can expect an expansive menu of items from waffles to pancakes, sandwiches to hash browns, grilled cheese to BLTs. It's really the waffles and the hash browns that are the main attractions for customers, though, and there are numerous options for waffles as well (including chocolate chip, a classic). If you're heading there for the first time but are dining alone, just don't forget to abide by the chain's big rule — solo diners can't sit in booths and must eat at the counter.

For the uninitiated, it might seem like Waffle House has it all. But as it turns out, there are some items on the menu that you should avoid. We combed social media and review websites to find consensus around five Waffle House menu items that you should stay away from, based on taste and quality of the food. Keep reading if you want to know which items not to order the next time you stop at this iconic chain.

Grits are a southern tradition, and a beloved dish that people really care about getting right. Truly good grits require knowledge and even a passion for getting it right, so if you're going to try and make them yourself, there are some things to take note of before you start venturing into the world of southern grits. You'd think Waffle House would have grits down to a science, but according to reviewers across the internet, it's one thing that the chain really misses the mark on.

Consensus from customers and even employees is that they're watery and bland, with one Redditor calling them a "watery mess." Another person on Reddit shared their experience with Waffle House grits, saying they seemed to be "made with way less water, had no butter added, and no salt or flavor." This is a big deal when it comes to a dish so cherished, but it gets worse from there. A Facebook reviewer went all in on Waffle House for its lackluster grits, saying that they tasted "runny and bland—like someone left a bowl of oatmeal out in the rain and said, 'Close enough.'" Ouch.

There's nothing like a good scrambled egg in the morning, or any style of eggs for that matter. Great eggs make a great breakfast, and of course, there are things you can do to make your eggs top notch. On the flip side, eating a poorly cooked batch of eggs can be a total mood shifter and can totally ruin a meal as well. That's why it's best to stay away from Waffle House's eggs, according to reviews.

The chain actually made headlines in early 2025 for raising the prices on its egg dishes, adding a surcharge to egg-based items, which prompted outrage from customers. They ultimately relented, but it caused a big stir momentarily. However, it seems like customers would have been better off avoiding the eggs altogether, regardless of price. According to insight on Reddit, customers have complained of inconsistency with how their eggs are cooked, which apparently can be blamed in part on how Waffle House defines its methods of cooking eggs. A Reddit user said theirs "came out with the whites not cooked," while a Facebook reviewer had their eggs come out on the opposite end of the spectrum: Extremely overcooked, despite asking for the opposite.

You might be thinking, "Who goes to a Waffle House to order steak?" And you'd be right, according to the internet. Good steak really isn't something to mess around with, especially if you get a great cut. Steak is a true classic that is easily ruined, and best left to those who are passionate about getting it right. Waffle House, as it turns out? Not so concerned with making a good steak.

Reviews of the T-Bone specifically aren't great — one Redditor called it "thin and overcooked," before saliently adding, "But you don't go to WH for a good steak." Another Reddit reviewer was even more brutal in their takedown, saying, "If you order a steak from WH, you deserve all the disappointment you feel." If that isn't enough to scare you away from Waffle House's t-bone, then you can certainly try it at your own risk. For everyone else, take note next time you think ordering a steak at Waffle House is a good idea.

Like grits, there's nothing more southern for breakfast than biscuits and gravy. This classic combo is truly beloved in the region and also across the country. It's even wildly popular in Appalachia, which seems random but is indeed a real thing. Biscuits and gravy are so easy that you might think they're hard to mess up. You might even think a place like Waffle House would get this simple yet delicious dish just right. Customers, however, do not think so at all.

Reviews of the biscuits and gravy at Waffle House were, simply put, not great, and almost uniform in the specific criticism of its quality and flavor. One Facebook user described theirs as "cold watery gravy and [a] stale ass biscuit." Another more straightforward panning of the dish on Reddit described it as "cold and soggy beyond means" and that the reviewer's dog wouldn't even eat it.

A cheeseburger is, arguably, the ultimate comfort food. When you find a great one, there's almost nothing better. And you can certainly find a mouthwatering cheeseburger all over the country if you're looking for the best around. Even fast food cheeseburgers are historically great, whether you like a McDonald's Big Mac or a Five Guys classic with fries. Burgers are peerless, in a league of their own.

That's why it's so disappointing when you come across a bad one, and Waffle House's burger undoubtedly falls right into that category. One Redditor called the chain's burger "one of the worst burgers I've ever had." A response to that statement by another Reddit user was straightforward, saying, "If you went to Waffle House for a burger, I can't help but wonder what other poor choices you've made in life." A ConsumerAffairs review from someone who got a bacon cheeseburger said the bacon specifically was "half burnt and half raw."

In order to help you know what Waffle House items to avoid ordering next time you visit the storied spot, we scoured the internet to find out what folks were saying about the chain's menu. To compile this list, we combed Reddit and other social media sites to come to a consensus around which menu items should be avoided, finding two or more negative reviews per item as criteria for what was included. Our list was judged primarily on taste and quality of the items themselves via customer opinions and feedback across social media. From grits to cheeseburgers, this list was carefully curated to give you the scoop on what you should steer clear of at one of the country's most famous breakfast spots.