Dining Out: IHOP (Kokomo, IN)

 

Dangit. Should have waited for National Pancake Day.

Exterior: 5/5

Ah, a Midwestern parking lot in winter twilight. 

IHOP has been a fixture in Kokomo for a minute now, and its facade continues to be well-maintained and IHOPpy. It's located conveniently on 931 on the South Side of town as you're leaving toward the Indy area. The parking lot is easier to get to from Center Road, though, so go in the side. The smell from the nearby Yummy Bowl restaurant is strong in the parking lot, so be careful not to get tempted away by fried Asian flavors. 

Ambience: 3/5

It got a little more crowded than this right before we left. It was a reasonable amount of people for a breakfast joint on a Friday night.

The inside of the IHOP is also... an IHOP! The color scheme was very greige except for a mural on wall behind us. Things seemed clean and the tables were spaced out well. There were people in the booths on both sides of us but we could still focus on our conversation easily. We had a nice view from our table of a gas station and a local ice cream joint, which doesn't sound worth celebrating but when you're eating with kids having scenery to distract them with is incredibly useful, and my 5YO loved watching the people pulling in and out of the ice cream drive-thru.

Variety: 4/5

Kid's Cupcake Pancake with French Fries

Strawberry Banana French Toast

You're going to find brunchy foods at IHOP, and there are a respectable number of offerings in categories like pancakes, French Toast, omelettes, crepes, waffles, combos, and if you're feeling like not-brunch there are burgers and fried foods and even some old-people meat and veggie plates. They're getting as much variety in as they can within the idiom of the chain, I think, and there was enough in the menu to give everyone viable meal options.

Quality: 3/5

Spinach & Mushroom Omelette

Hash Browns

Things were hit-or-miss here, but mostly hit. My partner loved his French toast and both of our kids were super happy with their pancake and waffle, respectively. I was impressed with my hash brown - crispy on the top but greasy-good underneath. (It took me a while to get them, though; the server said they made the cook redo them after the first try because "they looked like crap.") My omelette left a little to be desired, I have to say. It was soggy with grease and the whole thing tasted like artificial butter flavoring. I count on omelettes to be my relatively healthy mainstay at these kinds of places in contrast with all the dessert-for-dinner options, and this one did not leave me satisfied that I had made a better investment in my body.

Kid-Friendly: 5/5

These pancake characters told jokes about Milennials

Coloring and scolding Mama for trying to help

Kid's Waffle with Strawberry and Banana Slices

Pancakes are a hard-to-beat crowdpleaser with my kids, but I liked that their section of the menu also let them dive into savory options if they wanted. It was nice that they could each choose their sides, and nobody batted an eye that the 5YO was eating a pancake with French fries. There were kids their age all around the restaurant, so it must be satisfying for a lot of other families as well.

Would Eat Again?: Green Light

If you're down for sugary goodness, this will be your jam. The non-sugary items may be a little less exciting, but they're there if you need them. As happy as our kids were to eat there, and as little as a cost for a night on the town (or the closest you can get with a 5YO and a 1YO), we'll definitely be back.