International House of Pancakes
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
34 Reviews for International House of Pancakes
This is one of the grossest IHOPS I've ever been to: Flat, mattress-like pancakes, dirty tables & tons of drunk people yelling to each other at their individual tables. On the other hand, IHOP is perfect if you've gone out late and want quick food fast!
Who the hell actually goes to IHOP for great pancakes? Do you guys also go to Applebee's and expect amazing American cuisine? I feel like I've been taking crazy pills reading these reviews. What in the hell people!
This place is the mecca for all drunk assholes, since we don't have any places like Pat's/Geno's like in Philly, or a Weiner's Circle. You come here to shovel your face with greasy ass food after last call, not to savor succulent buttermilk/cream of wheat/asshole pancakes. And there's parking, and lots of seats, unlike South Street Diner. Finally, the food comes out ridiculously fast; clearly not made to order but perfect when you're drunk and just want to eat swine and eggs ASAP.
That being said, holy crap, this location feels like it should be in Chinatown, since ALL of the waitstaff are asian, and mostly have ridiculously splendiferous hair.
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So, I don't go out much, and when I do, I normally stay out late and finish the night off with some greasy food. Since there are few late night options in Boston (I was near Brighton), I decided to go to IHOP. That was mistake # 1. Mistake #2 was ordering food. My friend and I split the breakfast sampler. No joke, the food literally came out in 20 secs. Is that even possible using a microwave? Anyway, the sampler came with 2 pieces of ham (more like 1/2 slice diced into 2 pieces), sausage links, eggs, hash browns (hmm...tasted like KFC chicken?), and pancakes (these would have been ok if they weren't cold). Overall, the food was just of very low quality, and it was clear that it was pre-made. Mistake #3 was sitting at a booth. While the booth itself was fine, the light hanging over it was a buzz kill. I believe the CIA uses the same light in its interrogation rooms. Our waiter was polite, which was probably the highlight of the meal. I guess tonight wasn't a complete waste. It was a reminder of why I stopped going to IHOP in the first place.
"WHOSE D*@K DO I GOTTA SUCK AROUND HERE FOR SOME MORE PANCAKES?!?!?!"
-Me and Theresa C. at 3 a.m. regarding the lack of ALL YOU CAN EAT pancakes that we paid for.
We ordered the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, because sometimes ya gotta, and I am not proud to say that I could not eat very much. It was sooooo much food. Theresa was ashamed of me.
Our waiter ignored us and didn't seem like he really wanted to bring us more pancakes. I feel like he just wanted us to get the hell out and leave him alone. I have to say, I can't really blame him...
Did I just review IHOP? Really? Ugh.
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It's cheap and serves breakfast all day. That's pretty much the best way to summarize such an establishment. Aside from that it is spacious and has lots of parking space but it will get saturated on Sunday mornings after people get out of church. You won't stand a chance trying to get a table.
It is open late, pretty clean and the staff is alright. They serve quickly and have reliable food. It's greasy, fatty, sugary, and really bad for you. But everyone craves that once in a while. You could always drive an extra few minutes to the "Talk of the Town" for a much better breakfast, but this place is opened during more hours.... 24/7 actually if I recall correctly. That's really rare and that's one of the top reasons as to why this place is great.
So yeah if it's late and your not counting your calories, swing by this place and clog your arteries on their pancakes!
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*shrugs* It's alright, I had no problems. Then again, maybe I'm low-maintenence. Everything was alright though.
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I'm one of those people who could have breakfast for every meal. So heading to a place that has so many pancake options is enough to almost make my head explode. However this place is a little too touch and go (although I feel like I'm Forrest Gump and giving you the IHOP is like a box of chocolates...). I'm sure they have a problem with staff turnover but the experience is just too inconsistent. It can be great or horrible. And the place is usually pretty dirty.
Who says you can't have breakfast whenever you want? Especially when you're drunk and got the drunchies! While it is a bit dingy, you have to expect that from IHOP. You didn't expect 5 star dining at 3 am did you? IHOP has always been there whenever I am hungry in the middle of the night and craving for some breakfast foods. Or even on one Christmas morning long ago. Thank you for feeding me when I needed it most.
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Remember those Almond Joy commercials? "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't." Well, sometimes I feel like a greasy gross breakfast and some pancakes covered with limp strawberries mascerated in high fructose syrup. Don't hate.
I've been to this IHOP several times now, and I've found that their service and food is a notch or two below what you'd expect at a standard IHOP. The pancakes are a little rubbery, the eggs are a little dry from sitting underneath the heat lamps, and the waitstaff don't have it all there, if you know what I mean. However, a meal here is beyond cheap, so you're not paying for a 5 star dining experience.
I do have to bump it up to 2 stars for their Monster Burger and Stuffed French Toast. Very yummy in a "OMG, I can't believe I just ate the whole thing" kind of way. So if you're in the mood for some greasy grub, put on your stretchy pants, beer soaked sneakers, and don't bother brushing your hair. Also, avoid using the bathroom... you'll thank me for it. :)
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Hungover in Brighton....those were the days.
Now I'm more likely to be found brunching in the South End or JP, but it wasn't long ago when the International House of Pancakes was the home away from home for my grease-starved-hungover tummy.
Nothing says class like strolling into the restaurant with a pair of mismatching flip flops, beer soaked jeans, an ashtray scented hoodie, bed head, and of course the Hollywood shades. But at least you know you won't be the worst looking person here--guaranteed--says it on the door.
There is not much else to say about this place when it comes to food, staff, decor, etc. It's an IHOP. If you expect anything more than a 3-star or less meal, then you need a reality check. Just know that this place is here to serve you and the rest of the Brighton/Allston drunk clientele. Prepare to wait for a table and watch for people who try to cut you in line at the hostess station--drunk crack whores are sneaky.
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Two stars for being open 24 hours, a rarity in Boston.
That's about all I have to say. It's an IHOP for cryin' out loud.
both of my parents have gotten food poisoning here. not one, but both of them. this is most likely because ihop stores their eggs in a place which is not the fridge. as a result, we have not been here since 1996, and whenever we eat breakfast out, my mom generally goes for the fruit cup and english muffin.
This place is a shit hole. The pancakes are floppy over cooked cakes, the syrup does not even attempt to be maple flavored. Don't even get me started on the service, which would be handled better by a bunch of seven year old blind kids with ADHD. The one appeal is 24-hours, which isn't very appealing when you see the obligatory puke in the parking lot.
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Wow. Hm. Well, this was my first time going to an iHop. I love the idea of a HOUSE of PANCAKES - come on, should be amazing!
I really have no problem with chain restaurants that serve unimpressive food. That said, the amount of food that you get for your money is TINY. My boyfriend and I both ordered the crepes, and my tummy was completely unsatisfied. They don't even try, as far as flavor. To top it off, our server was notably depressed and treated us as an annoyance to her life.
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this is no gourmet dining experience, but they offer a lot to choose from, it's consistently OK and it's cheaper than cheap!
OK, on weekends it a long wait, OK it's filled with kids and a lot of people who don't speak English, but it's always open and willing to take you hungry/drunk/tired/bored ass in and help you out.
I used to come here in High school and torture the late night staff. I still feel bad so I feel like I need to add an extra star.
And you can even buy Christmas trees here in the winter!
C'mon, what's not to like? It's freakin' I HOP dude!
bottomless coffee for pennies, they'll never kick you out, and it's open 24/7
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So this isn't Sonsie on Newbury Street, but it's cheap and it's pretty good. Breakfast is served all the time obviously and though some things seem a little expensive other stuff is way cheap.
They have pretty fast service for the amount of people this place sees, the waitresses are generally nice but don't pay a ton of attention to you because they have 19 other tables I would assume.
The egg sandwich was good and so was the breakfast I had that came with 2 pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. And you could pick a fruit topping for the pancakes. Delicious!
If you're going to go on a Sunday after church you're gonna wait. But I'm pretty sure it's one of the only places in Boston that's open 24 hours!
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I like to come here when I am hung over and need to consume my entire body weight in refined starches, grease and caffeine.
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I hadn't been to IHOP in like 10 years. It was our after hours hang out when I was in high school (because it was either this place or the Store 24). The two stars it gets are for being open 24 hours a day.
If there is ANY place else open, or you are sober, go there instead of IHOP. I went today at lunch time. I didn't even get food, and I was grossed out. I ordered a root beer (which was on the menu) and the waitress said they don't have root beer. Not that they're out. They just don't have it. Huh. The bathrooms... yikes. I won't go on. But I won't go again.
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This IHOP brings back memories.
Back in college years, I would come here after I partied in Cambridge with all the schools &/or Wellesley girls. IHOP is a safe bet location that everybody would agree on. Since my other "after party" joint is in Chinatown, if I go with a group of people who I don't know that well, I would suggest IHOP so that nobody would disagree.
I dined at this local for my first IHOP experience.
I didn't really have high hopes for this joint, and it lived up to every expectation.
I chose to dine on their namesake, the pancakes. Bad idea, but they did look better than the other slop I saw on other plates.
Maybe I didn't order right, maybe it was the location, but I doubt I'll be traveling to this outpost ever again!
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I'm sorry, maybe it's because I spent my younger drunk days going to Denny's when I was in Connecticut, which don't get me wrong it is just as equally as bad as IHOP, but IHOP is awful. Ok they might have breakfast food all day and be open very late but it's really bad breakfast food. Really, if these were the international standard for pancakes, I'd hate pancakes. Yeah they have various types of syrup to put on them but none of them seem to add enough flavor into the tiny circular sponge that they just put in front of you, to make a difference. Speaking of the syrup, when is the last time they cleaned the containers, I know everyone who has ever been to IHOP has gotten syrup hands by touching these things, and a napkin never helps it just sticks to the syrup on your hand. Anyway, never get an omelet either unless you want something that looks more golden brown than bright and yellow and contains more grease than a fry-o-lator. This place is just awful and not even a night out drinking should be able to give you the beer goggles or the appropriate coating in your stomach to make this slop the least bit digestible.
I couldn't agree with Jess K. More. I usually love IHOP. The IHOP in San Francisco that I used to go to was killer. I've been to other IHOPS and have generally always been satisfied. But this IHOP stinks. Seriously. It smells nasty. The last two times I went there (once around 2 am and once at a more normal noon) there was this godawful smell over by the kitchen. Luckily, the second time we were seated far away.
Bottom line: Service sucks, place stinks, food is not very fresh, eggs are undercooked, hash browns are undercooked and have a funny taste, but the Swedish crepes are oh-so-tasty and the only reason I subject myself to the otherwise icky experience.
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I don't understand why people are hating on IHOP!!!
No, it is not fine cuisine, nor should you really be dining @ IHOP if that is what you want at all - but at 3.00 am - ? this is the only place open on my way home to the suburbs that can satiate my late night appetite. Matthew H.'s review is so on point .... I posted a picture under my photos which only begins to describe the good times I have had with my friends at this fine establishment late night style...
Eggs Benedict and a short stack.... 3.00 am happiness.
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Its just another 24-hr IHOP... dun be hatin'. I do agree that they can do a better job at cleaning this place up though.
This definitely isn't the best IHOP I've ever been to, probably a lot lower on the chain -- but, now that I think of it, I don't go to many IHOP's. The food here was OK, but, definitely what you would expect from an IHOP. I lived in the area, so I was bound to go here sooner or later.
Great for some quick food late at night, specially if you love pancakes.
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I generally love IHOP. At the IHOP on Long Island that I frequent, I have never been disappointed. Here, I have never been satisfied. The chocolate chip pancakes are dinky, dried out, and nasty. How can you totally mess up a pancake!? How!? Who cares that this place is 24 hours. So is Bova's in the North End, the South Street diner, and a few other places. Come on.
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3 am, drunk, drunken munchies, the rutti tutti fresh and fruity calls out, mmmm bacon...mmm pancakes with strawberries...give me grease!
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Every semester, I make my pilgrimage here with our army of 30+ girls...hungry girls. Props to IHOP for handling all our food requests/orders. Amongst all of us, we've ordered everything on this menu and since I graze off of everyone's plate, let me make the following recommendations:
The omelettes are crap. They slap squares of American cheese on half cooked egg...kinda gross but still, edible.
The crepe-style pancakes are drowned in a watery "fruit" syrup. Ew.
The buckwheat pancakes are poop. Order the real deal - buttermilk pancakes. Those are actually very good.
The ice cream/desserts are awesome cause I honestly think they just grab everything that posseses even a remote connection to sweet and sinful and put it on a plate. It doesn't matter if you order a brownie a la mode or an apple cobbler, it's gonna be smothered in ice cream, doused in chocolate, and encrusted in sprinkles.
The waiters usually speak minimal English but it's not hard because there are pictures in the menus - just point.
We guzzle that maple syrup. It's good stuff.
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OPEN 24 HOURS! Do you need to read further? I can't remember the last time I ate in an IHOP during "normal" eating hours so I can't say with great objectivity how good the food is. But you know...it's IHOP. It coats your tummy with a nice layer of grease. It makes you feel all warm inside. It's good eats for the soul.
For most it's a bit out of the way being at the very end of Soldier's Field Road (which for all of you down-towners out there, is what Storrow turns into after Kenmore Sq.), but it's not that long a trip by car. Via other transport, well... the trains and most buses don't run that late anyway.
Did I mention that it's open 24 hours?
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I know that this is a big chain, but I had to write it up for Boston. There are so few places open late at night in this Puritan town. Wide selection and they recently added a sweet cheese stuffed french toast to the menu that is pretty good.
Tip: Ask for the hash browns to be extra crispy. They always undercook it otherwise.
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Do not go on Sunday mornings. You will never get seated! Any other time - enjoy your pancakes and greasy breakfast. You're going to get exactly what you expect.
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I will never go here again. The food is cold and sits under the heatlamps forever because the service is so slow. I've been several times (because, as Matthew H mentioned, it's open 24 hours (!!)) but have never been even halfway satisfied. I'm not snobby. I just hate cold & rubbery food.
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ok so this is a place that i probably will not go if I'm sober.. but i have to say that is really good when you get a out of a bar and you are hungry.. the pancakes are amazing and the chicken fingers too.. this is a good and cheap place to go when you get out of the club and need some beer munchies..
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