Why You Should Skip IHOP's Steakburgers

"They say if you've had juicy steak burgers, you'll never go back to a regular burger." Who are they? Well, at the very least, "they" applies to the connoisseurs at My Chicago Steak. They describe a steak burger, aka a steakhouse burger, as a mix of an all-beef burger and steak. The "burger" comes together using a ground steak patty, usually with the option to choose a specific cut, instead of ground beef, and providing a better quality meat with flavors that truly shine, and even some health benefits like lower fat and leaner meat. 

In 2018, IHOP infamously, but temporarily, changed their name to IHOb, in a clever and effective plot to call attention to some of its offerings outside of the pancake world, specifically its burgers. As cNBC notes, IHOP (or IHOb at the time) introduced their newest line of burgers, the "Ultimate Steakburgers" to their menu with the prank and had people buzzing, if only because of the name. So what are their specialty steakburgers and why may they not be worth the hype?

Chewboom lays out the rundown on the three steakburgers. There is the Big IHOP Pancake Burger, the Garlic Butter Steakburger, and the Loaded Philly Steakburger, which all sound simultaneously delicious and terrible for you. 

The Pancake Burger, true to its name, includes a buttermilk pancake sandwiched between two Steakburger patties, which are then surrounded by a slew of other toppings including cheddar and American cheeses, "custom-cured hickory-smoked bacon" and "signature IHOP sauce on a grilled Brioche bun". Next up, the Garlic Butter Steakburger includes a topping of "savory housemade Gilroy garlic butter" along with similar accoutrements to the previous burger. Lastly, you have the Loaded Philly Steakburger, which includes sautéed onions and peppers, melted white cheddar, and white cheddar cheese sauce.

Putting aside the difficulty of getting one of the behemoth's in your mouth, while all of these options sound great and packed with flavor, reviewers tended to find them lacking.

If the reviews all have the same consensus, it's a safe bet they're not just hamming it up for the sake of readership. Washington Post's reviewer that IHOP's policy requires their burgers to be cooked at a well done 158 degrees Fahrenheit, when steak is better served less well done. Similarly, an INC reporter tried the new burgers and went simple, ordering a classic burger to see how it fared without the crazy toppings. He noted that the price of the burger, unlike most fast food franchises, was pretty high, coming in at over $10, and more for the crazier of the options,  though he did note the flavor was fine as fast food burgers are concerned — his exact words, not "awful".

The Observer noted that while the burgers were okay, if not a little dry, in some cases the toppings completely overwhelmed the flavor and all things considered, ok was where his review remained, ascertaining that IHOP is no burger joint but excels in its lane.  And let's not even get started on the nutrition...

So if you're really craving a burger and IHOP is your eatery of choice, go for it, but if you want a really solid burger, maybe try somewhere that the burger really shines.