DENNY’S: 5/5 IHOP: 5/5 KRISTA: The fact that these two meals were SO similar-looking was eery! The meals looked pretty much IDENTICAL except for the fact that the Denny’s pancakes were slightly bigger. So, Denny’s gets a point for that. It’s a VERY even race here on appearance because even both their promo shots look identical. They both even came in similar to-go containers! Bigger pancakes mean more to me, though, so Denny’s wins by a smidge on this one. DENNY’S: 4.4/5 IHOP: 4.3/5
DENNY’S: 4/5 IHOP: 2.5/5 KRISTA: I think it’s pretty obvious Denny’s wins on value here. Their pancake was actually a lot bigger than I initially thought just eye-balling it, and I give a tip of the hat to them for the price — even though I still think $15+ is pretty expensive, it’s still cheaper than IHOP by quite a bit. Kudos, Denny’s! DENNY’S: 4.7/5 IHOP: 4.4/5 KRISTA: The actual meal itself — minus the pancakes — was pretty much exactly what I thought it was going to be. It’s a chain breakfast. It wasn’t the worst, but it’s also not the best. It’s a pretty standard OK-tasting breakfast. The pancakes are what we were really interested in, and these ones were pretty good! They are very dense and have a cake-like taste to them. It’s hard to explain, but it had a flavor that resembled a sweet dessert. 9.4/10 KRISTA: I could repeat the same verbiage from Denny’s about IHOP’s breakfast meal. It’s very run-of-the-mill, and I don’t think much differentiated it from Denny’s. Everything tasted pretty much the same. So, onto the pancakes. IHOP definitely has more of the flavor I would expect from a pancake. It was less sweet and felt less like a dessert to me and more like a meal if that makes sense. Their pancake was a bit ~lighter~, and I really enjoyed it. 9.6/10 KRISTA: IMO, Denny’s wins on the butter, but IHOP wins on the syrup. The Denny’s syrup is really, really runny, and the flavor was fine, but I don’t like how diluted it felt. Their butter, however, was supreme and melty — the perfect pair for a nice, warm pancake. IHOP has amazing syrup — a very thick and rich maple flavor. Their butter is just meh. I think the syrup is overall more important when it comes to pancake eating, so IHOP wins this one. KRISTA: Even though Denny’s reigns supreme in value and presentation, taste is such a huge factor. I will admit, BOTH have a good pancake, but I did slightly prefer IHOP more (plus, their syrup is way better). So, the International House of Pancakes has lived up to its name, offering a better pancake than Denny’s at least. 🥞🏆 (But both breakfast menu options are tied for clarity.)
