IHOP — Restaurant in Evanston Township

The IHOP off of Clark street in Evanston is always bustling with activity at any time of day. Being so close to Northwestern University's campus, there is a steady stream of college students coming through for an inexpensive stack of pancakes or omelette anytime they need a breakfast or lunch fix between classes. While the restaurant can get crowded during peak meal times, the staff does a nice job of keeping wait times relatively short.

This particular IHOP is a bit older and more worn than some of the shinier locations you'll find in the suburbs, but there is a familiar, comfortable vibe to the booth seating and classic checkerboard floor. All the breakfast staples are prepared well - the pancakes are fluffy and the omelettes are cooked perfectly. It's also a decent value given the prices in Evanston tend to be higher than other parts of the metro area. You'll rarely walk away still feeling hungry after a meal here.

Being right on Asbury Avenue also means you are just a short walk from the lakefront trails if you want to burn off some of those pancakes afterward. It's also conveniently positioned between Central Street and Chicago Avenue for hopping on the Purple Line Express for a quick ride into the city. On weekends, you'll sometimes see families or groups of friends lingering with coffee after big breakfasts, taking advantage of the people watching opportunities out the large front windows.

While nothing particularly fancy, the IHOP does what is sets out to do - filling your belly with solid diner grub at affordable rates given the location. It has become a dependable go-to for Evanston locals and Northwestern students alike year after year. Whether you go for a short stack or a Grand Slam, they'll have you covered and send you on your...

We went to try their Willy Wonka inspired food. The lemonade and the hot chocolate were delightful. The chocolate tacos with strawberries was delicious and messy. I got it with the bacon and egg combo. My husband got an omelets and the kid got the Wonka pancake with eggs and bacon. All delicious and in some overly sweet but it was a one time treat. As long as you're not a diabetic and can handle a lot of sugar, give it a shot. I think it's only here for a short time only.

The lemonade did not look exactly like the picture. The picture shows a thick layer of frosting covered with sprinkles. As you will see in the picture, it looks like a semi clear glaze and sprinkles. The cotton candy on top was.surprisingly good. It isn't your average cotton candy flavor. I believe it was also like the lemonade flavor of prickly pear. The lemonade itself was not overly lemon nor prickly pear but a nice combination of both. The hot chocolate has added strawberry syrup so its very much of a chocolate covered strawberry. It's delightful but leans towards the...

I felt the need to write this review as IHOP is descending in many areas and aspects. If I could give zero stars I would. My experience today put the cherry on top. First, the server was very nonchalant, non-responsive, and gave a newbie feeling. She never gave me her name, I didn’t receive a straw and when explaining this whole “ All you can eat pancakes”, she totally sent me off. She even felt the need to tell the manager that me and my guest was trying to get over because we wanted to share a meal ( we weren’t that hungry ) and that it would be a “loophole”. There wasn’t any bad intentions with trying to get the breakfast combo and the “all you can get pancakes”. She couldn’t even explain the deal correctly as I had to tell her about it. In the end we paid separately since she made it seem like she wouldn’t server us if we didn’t buy separate meals. So this problem is clearly the SERVERS. I wouldn’t recommend to eat here as it’s a waste of money. The food is so mediocre now. Not sure what happened to...