This Popular Breakfast Chain Serves Up The Worst Waffles We Taste Tested

If there's one thing a breakfast-focused restaurant — whether it's a local mom-and-pop or a chain establishment — should know how to make, it's a basic waffle. If it can't make this simple breakfast staple, how can you trust it to make your eggs over easy or your bacon cooked to your liking? Well, the truth is that one of the most prominent breakfast chains in the country seems to have a difficult time making a decent waffle these days.

When we ranked five breakfast chain waffles from worst to best, we found IHOP to have the most disappointing waffle of the whole bunch. Though this popular breakfast chain offers much more than just breakfast, with an extensive lunch and dinner menu, the name itself (International House of Pancakes) should indicate that it knows a thing or two about making a good breakfast. And in many cases, that may be the truth. However, this once-affordable breakfast chain has gotten pricier over the years.

The Classic Belgian Waffle combo (one waffle, two eggs, two bacon strips, and hash browns) costs anywhere from $10 to $13 before tax, depending on location. While IHOP uses slightly different batters for its pancakes and waffles, you can order the nearly identical World Famous Pancake combo for a similar (or even cheaper) price. By our taste test, whatever sets the waffles apart doesn't seem to be worth the extra cents.

Unfortunately, IHOP's basic waffle was just bland. The exterior texture was tough and chewy, but the syrup helped cover many of the waffle's shortcomings (as syrup tends to do). Of note, the waffle we received via carryout didn't quite fit into the to-go container that IHOP provided — a small but perhaps indicative detail of the effort the pancake restaurant chain puts into its waffles. This was a sad enough effort to make one wonder whether IHOP should just stick to pancakes and ditch the waffles altogether.

Adding some toppings to the plain Belgian waffles might help. IHOP often offers a strawberry cheesecake waffle and an Oreo cookie crumble waffle, which sound so good that they might cover the most egregiously bland waffles. You can also order your waffle as part of a combo with eggs, either bacon, sausage or ham, and hash browns. Or, if you're brave enough, you might be willing to give IHOP's attempt at chicken and waffles a try.

If you're looking for a top-tier waffle, we'd suggest either Waffle House (an Anthony Bourdain favorite) or First Watch as two chains that deliver. Our overall favorite, Waffle House, offers a no-frills waffle that tastes just like a perfect waffle should, without needing loads of syrup or toppings to cover up its faults. It's the polar opposite of the waffles you'll find at IHOP, and that's why we'll gladly order some of this breakfast chain's many other tasty dishes before considering that bland and chewy waffle again.