IHOP

This may be obvious to many Celiacs to not eat at IHOP… But for some, it may be deceiving as menu items are indicated gf. I went to this location one night hoping for breakfast for dinner, and got got asked to leave. I went to place my order, and said I was Celiac, and our waiter was just like “Ohhh no… Nah, man. We can’t feed you here. Like you got a serious allergy? Nah, you’ve got to go to Whole foods or somethin’. We can’t feed you here.” And basically asked me to leave. Which is fair enough, but it was just a really funny experience. We ended up having to run to near by ABC stores that were still open to grab last minute, chips, turkey slices, and hummus.

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

Gluten free options at IHOP!!

After learning I have celiac and knowing IHOP has traditionally put pancake batter in eggs for omelettes, I had written this chain off as an option. But I recently learned from our local gluten free group that IHOP has made huge improvements for GF diners, so my family and I gave it another try.

We called our location (Westerville off Polaris) in advance, talked to the manager and she assured off their safety protocols, the most important being a separate grill area and listed ingredients from their gf pancake blend. So we ventured in and for the first time since I was diagnosed, I was able to get a gluten free version of a rooty tooty fresh n fruity. (Gluten free pancakes with strawberries, 2 eggs, meat choice and hash browns). The pancakes were tender and a little bouncy with a hint of sweetness. In fact they were so good. I wondered if they maybe weren’t gf, but they are marked and served separately from the gluten ones. Also they are visually a bit different than the gluten ones (my hubby is not celiac and he had the regular pancakes and tasted mine first to compare to his.). When we got the bill we were pleasantly surprised to see the price difference was minimal compared to other restaurants offering gf pancakes, too.

I waited a few days to see if I’d have any kind of reaction, and I did not. My teen celiac son (who ate a lot more gf pancakes than me) also had no issues after the fact, so we’ll definitely come back. And if an omelette is what you want, they do offer gf/egg only omelettes cooked on the gf safe area of their grills as well.

I’m not sure all IHOP locations do gluten free as well as this one, but I hope so. IHOP is a great quick stop when traveling.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Super yummy! Tastes just like regular pancakes!! definitely recommend!!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

As of Tuesday, this iHop now offers the gluten friendly pancakes. As with ALL iHOPs, I am extremely careful about what I order. GF pancakes and waffles I have never had a problem with. If you order scrambled eggs or omelettes make sure you order them as ‘CRACKED’ eggs/omlettes. If you don’t specify this, they are made with pancake batter in them. (That’s how they are so fluffy!) My server today was really awesome. He asked if they would make the gf waffle I ordered with the lemon ricotta blueberry topping. He seemed to have never had anyone ask for a topping from the pancakes for the waffles. (He sure hadn’t for the gf waffle since it’s been in the menu here 6 days! 😂) Other than the newness of gf waffles to their menu, this is just like any other iHOP. As long as they know it’s an allergy/celiac (& they remind you that it’s not gluten free but friendly) if you order from the breakfast menu and follow the gf selections, it SHOULD be safe. As of now, I haven’t reacted to food I’ve eaten here. I’ll update after I’ve eaten and let my body have time to react or not.

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for breakfast
• Good for brunch
• Good for kids
• Good for takeout

I had gf pancakes, over easy eggs and ham. Call ahead to ask about the pancakes - when I called they hadn’t made the gf batter yet but when I said I was definitely coming they had it by the time I got there. They seemed pretty aware of safety.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

They have gluten free pancakes at any ihop but this one was awful. My wife (who has celiac) and I sat down and went to order. We let the waitress know that she had celiac disease and to please clean the grill before cooking, our waitress Alexa walked away and shook her fist at her manager after we asked her to clean the grill. We left because we knew she did not care about my wife’s celiac and was not going to be cautious with our food

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor