Ever since Beer Boor wrote about Waffle House, I admit I’ve been dying to try one. I’ve mentioned before my affinity towards chain restaurants – I am not a food snob, I hope to heaven that I am never accused of being one. I can appreciate the need for chain restaurants, and there are some I like a lot, some I really detest (because the food is bad), and some I will visit over and over and over again whenever I pass by (Cracker Barrel, Denny’s – though I passed many, many of these on my drive down and did not visit a single one!). In any case, I had my eyes open wide when my friends suggested visiting Waffle House on my last day in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, and I was pretty excited.
Something about its Scrabble-esque logo really makes me happy. I don’t know. Anyway, the coffee was OK… I’ve heard varying opinions on it. I’m not a coffee expert.
I thought mine was a bit extra-bitter, maybe burnt? but I happily noted that they grind their own beans, which is a step above what most diners do, right?
When all our food arrived, it was rather scary how much was on the table. This might be because I like to overorder… or because they put everything on individual plates. My sausage patties didn’t have to have their own plate (which is why I quickly dumped them onto my plate and stacked it with another plate before taking this photo). But whatever! Look at my fooooood!!!
Waffle, which I left for the end, and no real butter. Boo for the no real butter, but the waffle was perfectly satisfactory. I only ate like half because I ate everything else… urp.
Two sunny side up eggs – one of my yolks was already popped, wah – buttery white toast, grits, two sausage patties. Yum!!!
But the real deal, what I could get alone and make a meal just of that: hash browns! I had mine with tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, onions, topped with country gravy. It wasn’t the best country gravy ever but holy wow it totally binds the whole thing. I scarfed this down first, and next time? – yeah there’s gonna be a next time! – I will totally get just this, but a larger size. And maybe a side of sausage to cut up into it, hahaha.
Yvo says: This is definitely going into my chain restaurant rotation, though I don’t know if it’ll overtake either of my other favorites. Cracker Barrel remains at the top because there are so many different things I can and do get there, and Waffle House may just be the place for my hash brown fix. And that’s perfectly fine by me. Yum! Cheap, fatty, filling food on road trips south – check!
recommended: it is what it is, which is cheap road food that does its job!
Aimee Self says
MMM….Waffle House! I always get the same thing too.
T.C. says
I want some waffles and hash. Fresh coffee is a good sign too.
chakrateeze says
We LOVE that place! Every time we go there, someone gets the ham & cheese omelet (they put the eggs in the blender so they’re extra fluffy!)and someone gets the PECAN waffle (so much better than plain), and chow down!
Tracie
Aimee Self says
My husband always get stuff like chili on his hash browns. Yikes! Not for me! lol
Feisty Foodie says
But it’s so good!
Hungry says
I keep reading about Waffle House recently. That’s it, I have to try it.
Feisty Foodie says
I’m telling you! I have a car. Let’s go!
BeerBoor says
On a recent trip west to Ohio, I went to two different Waffle Houses in one day. Enough said. Dirt cheap, filling, and rather tasty. Not getting any Michelin stars any time soon.
The hash browns are really the only must-order, and the relatively new addition of country gravy to the possibilities? Genius.
I assume you didn’t want “chunked” (with diced ham)? It’s more about the sausage than just having pig mixed into the hash browns?
Feisty Foodie says
Have we met? I don’t eat ham.
kelly says
The hash browns look really yummy!