8 New IHOP Menu Items, Ranked and Reviewed by a Food Editor

• What It Is: crepes, folded and topped with fresh bananas, buttery brown sugar sauce and powdered sugar
• Price: $12

This was my first time having IHOP’s crepes, and truthfully, I wasn’t a fan. The texture was nice (very pliable without being rubbery), but their flavor was very, very eggy. They were also drenched in the bananas foster sauce, which I enjoyed more on other menu items that have more surface area or thickness to hold their own against the topping.

• What It Is: sliced French toasted with powdered sugar
• Price: $7

The last time I did a tasting at IHOP, I felt the French toast was thick and soft, but very under-battered. I felt the same way about these sticks, which were delightfully doughy but, all in all, pretty bland. I wished they were soaked a bit longer in whatever custard or egg mixture they use. This is something I’d order for picky kids.

• What It Is: cheesecake pancakes topped with glazed strawberries
• Price (short stack): $6

As a lover of strawberries and cheesecake, I was really excited for this menu item. While it was tasty, it fell a bit short of my expectations. The pancakes were studded with melty, creamy cheesecake bites, which had great texture but none of the tang I craved. The glazed strawberry topping was also really pretty, but the fruit itself was oversaturated and mushy. Give me raw strawbs any day!

• What It Is: French toast topped with fresh bananas, buttery brown sugar sauce and powdered sugar
• Price: $12

This piece of French toast was more generously battered than the sticks. I also appreciated how hardy the extra-thick bread was; it could maintain its texture against the pool of caramelly sauce on top. However, it was blander than the pancake option (more on that later), since the French toast didn’t have banana inside and because it was so thick. The topping was really the only thing carrying the French toast in the flavor department.

• What It Is: lemonade, lemon-lime soda and pineapple syrup, topped with fresh strawberries and pineapple chunks
• Price (16 ounces): $4

I liked this drink a lot more than I thought I would. From the description, I thought it would be excessively sweet. But the ratios were just right, resulting in a crisp, lightly effervescent drink that reminded me of a spritzer mocktail. The lemon-lime soda definitely dominated, but the lemonade and pineapple added just the right dose of acidity to combat the soda’s sweetness. The strawberries offered a pop of color too, and I loved how their juices felt slightly fizzy when I snacked on them.

• What It Is: chocolate or buttermilk pancake filled with chocolate chips, topped with whipped topping, a chocolate chip smile and fresh strawberry eyes
• Price: $7

Real talk? The presentation was…lazy. My happy face was missing both its strawberry eyes andchocolate chip smile—those are kind of the whole point, no? That said, the pancake itself was *delicious* with a chocolate milk-like, malty batter. On the inside, there was plenty of bittersweet chocolate, which added indulgent creaminess and flavor to each bite, but also played up the cocoa notes of the pancake in a way that milk chocolate couldn’t have.

• What It Is: lettuce, avocado, red onion, fresh strawberries and your choice of grilled or crispy chicken
• Price: $14

I never thought a salad would rank this high on a list of IHOP’s new menu items, but here we are. I wouldn’t have minded if the greens were dressed, but even dry, this was a filling, well-constructed dish. The avocado was a bit firm, which allowed the pieces to keep their shape once I mixed the salad. The grilled chicken was thoroughly seasoned and tender. The ranch dressing was tangy, herbaceous and very creamy, and the strawberries were superbly juicy, if not a touch overripe. My one bone to pick was the inconsistent size of the onion pieces (many were very long and thick) and lettuce (there were many large pieces that you couldn’t simply pop in your mouth), but the flavor was on point.

• What It Is: banana pancakes topped with fresh bananas and buttery brown sugar sauce
• Price: $11

These were flawless. The pancakes, dappled with sliced banana that got delightfully caramelized on the griddle as the pancakes cooked, were by far the best vehicle for the dreamy bananas foster sauce. They were stunningly balanced between sweet and salty; the sauce sort of played the roles of both butter and syrup here, IMO. The pancakes held the sauce without soaking it all up and turning mushy, and I liked that they came with two times the banana to boot.