The thoughts have no doubt plagued everyone’s mind at some point: which IHOP should I take my significant other to? Where should I go for a midnight snack of a dozen pancakes? How will I ever know which restaurant I should take my visiting grandparents to?
Worry not, because the Daily Wildcat took on the burden to travel to four of the closest IHOPs to campus to settle the heated debate once and for all: which International House of Pancakes is the best of the best in the city of Tucson.
4. East Broadway Boulevard and North Pantano Road
Sorry, but there must be a reason why the worst IHOP in Tucson is the one farthest away from campus.
First off, the hash browns were the color of the gold-and-white dress that was quite the controversy back in 2015, and were burnt like when you ask for a double toasted bagel from Bagel Talk.
Be wary when you order items on the side, as the conditions they arrive in may just be enough to send them back. For example, they brought out a tiny bowl of chocolate chips that had already begun to melt, making the strategic placement of such chips on those plain buttermilk pancakes a savage spread of chocolate goo.
Perhaps the greatest failure of this IHOP was the fact that they are extremely stingy about refilling water, as customers made obvious attempts to drink air and play with the two ice cubes at the bottom of their glass, but no one saved them from their ailing throats.
Overall impression: D
3. East Grant Road and North Rosemont Boulevard
This IHOP was simply average. There was nothing that made it stand out, but nothing that made it a disappointment either.
The food was average, and not very memorable. Their hash browns were not quite on par with perfection, and were ever so slighty undercooked. Their eggs were simple eggs, something that even a college student with no cooking experience could make.
The server was a little sassy, attempting playful banter with his customers. Failing to really commit to his act, this server just came across as awkward. He did make great food recommendations for customers that were not exactly sure about what they wanted though, which was a redeeming quality on his part.
“They were fine,” said Courtney Olds, a computer science junior, reflecting on her own experience at the restaurant. “It was the day after Halloween and we went in dressed up as cats. They didn’t treat us like we were crazy, which was nice,” Olds said, proving that it was the ambiance that stood out more so than the food.
One warning is that if you are using hot sauce on any part of your meal, double check to make sure there is a stopper. One customer present did not realize that one was missing on a bottle of Tabasco, and made the mistake of flooding their eggs and potatoes with hot pepper juices. Said customer may have lost a what-are-the-odds bet to eat those drenched potatoes. Yes, he may have shed a tear.
Overall impression: C
2. North Oracle Road and West Limberlost Drive
Here is where the scoring gets tough. Ultimately, there were few things that set the IHOP on Oracle off the path of being first, but man, did it put up a good fight.
“IHOP definitely came in clutch,” said Aaron Burnett, a physiology freshman, describing how amazing this IHOP was after a long night and a massive headache.
The hash browns were the color of your favorite golden ring that you just realized was a plastic knock-off. The pancakes melted in your mouth, which is exactly the feeling you should imagine when you think of IHOP.
“It was only $12 for my meal, but I got pancakes, eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast, and lots of water,” Burnett said, showing that this IHOP truly does capture the IHOP spirit of a decent breakfast at a decent price.
The best part about this IHOP is that it has character. Upon sitting down, we couldn’t help but feel the full blast of the air conditioning freezing us into an ice age, and upon complaining, the server told us that the people there previously were rude, and thus the best passive aggressive action to take was not to spit in their food, but to blast the air conditioning in that one little booth. This can either be taken as a pro or con, depending on what kind of patron you are.
The only downside was the fact that, before entering the restaurant, there was an awfully suspicious roach scurrying across the sidewalk directly outside of the door. You may want to look into their health inspection history to make sure they are ensuring a clean atmosphere.
Overall impression: A-
1. I-10 and West Grant Road
Winner winner, pancake dinner!
It’s no surprise that the IHOP closest to all the hotels is the best IHOP in Tucson. No matter how busy this IHOP gets, it seems that the hosts will cut that estimated wait time in half no problem. Because it’s always bustling, your food is bound to be brought to you before you can say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
But don’t think that just because this restaurant is speedy, other factors suffer. The servers are still attentive to your needs and charming with their own personalities. The food was still delicious, with hash browns that were almost mistakably a golden sunset. The classic pancakes are so light and tasty that you may believe that you are simply paying to eat flavored air.
“The people were really nice, the service was fast and it was very clean,” said Camila Suarez, a freshman studying neuroscience and French. Clearly, this IHOP wants to be considered more than just your average casual restaurant.
With multiple praises on everything this IHOP has to offer, it is no wonder why it is ranked number one on the list.
Overall impression: A+
Whichever IHOP you decide to eat at, be sure to keep your receipt for a literally sweet deal on a free stack of buttermilk pancakes after a quick online survey.
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