Thelife- I tried breakfasts at Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Denny's, and IHOP to see which was the best.
- At each restaurant, I ordered eggs, bacon, and hash browns.
If you're looking for restaurants that serve breakfast all day, there are definitely some options, especially if you're in the US. Though some restaurants specialize in certain fare — IHOP is obviously all about the pancakes — others are about speedy, no-frills service, like Waffle House.
I put four breakfasts from Cracker Barrel, Denny's, IHOP, and Waffle House to the test to see which one satisfied my craving.
Each meal came with bacon, eggs cooked sunny side up, and hash browns. The offerings were relatively similar at each restaurant but the food definitely varied in quality and portion size.
Denny's served the perfect bacon
First up, I tried the breakfast from Denny's. Known for its diner-style menu, Denny's has over 1,400 locations across the US.
The closest Denny's to me was attached to a gas station but you'd never know it based on the quality of food we were served.
Here, I thought the bacon was more evenly cooked and less greasy than at other places I tried.
The hash browns (which can come cheesy but I opted to get plain) were a bit less crispy than I'd like but the portion sizes were much larger than at the other restaurants — a major plus. The eggs were also a little runny for my taste.
Cracker Barrel served the most unique breakfast
Next, I tried Cracker Barrel, another fast-casual chain known for its country-themed restaurants. There are over 600 Cracker Barrel locations in the US.
At Cracker Barrel, the bacon was thicker than at the other places I ordered from, which will definitely please people who prefer it that way.
The cheesy hash-brown casserole is also a nice change of pace from the more traditional potatoes that are served everywhere else, (the restaurant does not serve plain hash browns), and the eggs were cooked just fine.
Everything was fresh and hot, which I definitely appreciated.
IHOP had a bit smaller portion sizes
IHOP, widely known for its variety of pancakes, also serves a selection of different breakfast items. The chain has over 1,600 locations across the US.
At IHOP, the portion sizes seemed to be a bit smaller, only serving two pieces of bacon rather than the three that were served at Cracker Barrel, Dennys, and Waffle House.
But the hash browns were thicker and crispier, cooked perfectly to my taste. The eggs were a bit more well-done than I preferred but they were still tasty.
Waffle House's tasty, quick meal was the winner
Waffle House is known for its more affordable breakfast foods. The chain has over 1,900 restaurants across the US, though most are located in the South.
I ordered the standard breakfast for the taste test at Waffle House, and I wasn't disappointed. Although Waffle House famously offers up hash browns "scattered, smothered, and covered," I opted to order mine plain for comparison's sake.
They were a little crispy for my taste but packed plenty of potato-y goodness. The bacon was good but I thought it was cooked a bit unevenly.
However, where this meal really shines is the eggs, which were cooked perfectly. None of the edges or bottoms were burnt, which can seem almost impossible when it comes to sunny-side-up eggs.