I ordered the same breakfast at Cracker Barrel and IHOP. Both offered value, but only one dominated most categories.

Cracker Barrel is simply a Tennessee-based concatenation operating almost 660 locations crossed 44 states.

Around since 1969, it's known for Southern comfortableness food, an all-day meal menu, and state stores attached to its restaurants.

The location I visited intelligibly seemed to clasp its roots, featuring outdoor rocking chairs, farmhouse-style windows and furniture, patriotic bunting, and vintage-style decor.

Nearly each array was occupied.

Only half a mile distant stood IHOP, a importantly larger concatenation pinch complete 1,800 restaurants worldwide.

Established successful California successful 1958, IHOP is recognized for its fluffy buttermilk pancakes and expansive meal menu, arsenic good arsenic prime 24-hour locations.

At astir 70% full, this edifice didn't lucifer the bustle of Cracker Barrel and, by comparison, I felt it lacked characteristic pinch its minimal design. The leathery booths looked basal but sleek, and the walls were mostly dressed up pinch what appeared to beryllium promotional photos of paper items.

To beryllium fair, IHOP's taxable is much "pancakes," not Southern comfort.

At Cracker Barrel, I ordered grandma's sampler pinch 2 buttermilk pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs, and a sampling of bacon, sausage, and ham. My repast besides came pinch 1 side, truthful I picked hash-brown casserole.

It costs $13.49.

My IHOP meal sampler included 2 buttermilk pancakes, 2 eggs (again, I chose scrambled), 2 strips of bacon, 2 sausage links, 2 slices of ham, and hash browns.

It came to $14.79.

As a Starbucks Pike Place girl, I felt Cracker Barrel's brew tasted anemic and watered down. It reminded maine of instant java and wasn't arsenic beardown arsenic I usually like.

On the agleam side, it wasn't bitter aliases acidic, and it came retired piping hot. My cup costs $3.39, which seemed steep until I learned astir the bottomless refills.

When my server brought retired a individual cookware and a darling mug, the java acquisition felt instantly special. A signature IHOP move, yes, but it sewage me.

The java tasted stronger than Cracker Barrel's, though not by much. The cookware and mug were highlights, not the java itself.

My java (also pinch unlimited refills) costs $3.69.

I was impressed by the sheer size of Cracker Barrel's pancakes, the hefty serving of butter, and the individual syrup bottles.

The pancakes had a classical buttermilk spirit and a sweet, nostalgic taste, moreover without syrup. More spongy than soft, they had a chewy wound — not fluffy," per se, but still enjoyable.

I had precocious expectations for IHOP's pancakes, and they delivered.

Light and pillowy pinch a cake-like softness, these went supra and beyond successful the texture department.

Taste-wise, they were rich, somewhat tangy, and much buttery than sweet, truthful the syrup brought the cleanable balance. I opted for old-fashioned syrup, conscionable 1 of the 4 options sitting connected the table.

The food wasn't arsenic generous arsenic Cracker Barrel's, nor was the size, but these pancakes made up for it successful thickness.

I for illustration my scrambled eggs airy and moist, not dense and dry.

Unfortunately, the eggs I sewage astatine Cracker Barrel this clip seemed overcooked, and the spirit didn't redeem them. In fact, they didn't sensation for illustration overmuch of thing to me, moreover aft I added salt.

Next time, I mightiness effort ordering my eggs cooked otherwise here.

Soft, bodied, and well-salted, IHOP's scrambled eggs felt for illustration the other of Cracker Barrel's.

They tasted buttery and a hint cheesy — delicious yet surprising, since, arsenic acold arsenic I tin tell, the scramble did not see either ingredient.

If bacon is crisp and tender, salty and smoky, it's bound to beryllium a triumph for me.

Cracker Barrel's bacon deed astir of the above, but it missed connected crispiness. I wished the strips had much crunch and little fat.

I thought Cracker Barrel's bacon was fatty, but IHOP's made it look little so. On these strips, I couldn't dodge the rubbery parts.

To its credit, the bacon had a coagulated flavor. However, the squishy texture and excess grease made it a difficult walk for me.

Small but mighty, the sausage patty had a amazingly bold, steaming flavor. It tasted cured — almost for illustration ham.

The patty was smaller than the thenar of my hand, and I wish the information size had been a spot bigger.

Distinct from Cracker Barrel's azygous patty, IHOP's sampler came pinch 2 links.

They were the meaning of meal sausage links: salted, spiced, and juicy connected the inside. I enjoyed them dipped successful syrup.

I took a break from meal meats to effort hash-brown casserole. It features shredded potatoes, Colby cheese, onions, and the chain's signature seasoning blend, each baked together.

I'd spell backmost to the edifice for this broadside alone.

These spuds had a robust flavor. The bulb and spices popped, arsenic did the cheese. It evoked a cozy, comforting loaded potato, seasoned to perfection.

I enjoyed the oven-browned apical and the soft, not-soggy middle. My only critique: The apical could person been crispier. However, I chalked it up to the crockery being baked alternatively than fried.

With aureate edges and caramelized bits, each shimmering pinch oil, I knew IHOP's hash browns would beryllium crispy.

Unfortunately, the sensation wasn't arsenic exciting. These hash browns reminded maine of bland tots, and they near maine dreaming of Cracker Barrel's casserole version.

When I saw a multicolored and segmented portion of ham connected my plate, I was skeptical. Although the information size seemed decent, it didn't look ace appetizing to me.

Cracker Barrel's ham had a bacon-like spirit and a tough, chewy texture. I could forgive the flavor, but the firmness made it difficult to eat. I wouldn't get this again.

After Cracker Barrel, I hoped for a regular portion of ham astatine IHOP. I sewage two.

IHOP's ham didn't consciousness for illustration thing special, but I approved of the azygous color, tenderness, and bully glazed edges. Above each else, I was gladsome it tasted for illustration ham and wasn't overly chewy.

Before taxation and tip, my sampler and java costs $16.88 astatine Cracker Barrel and $18.48 astatine IHOP.

Considering the magnitude of nutrient I got, some chains seemed for illustration a awesome value.

Yes, my IHOP repast costs $1.60 more, but I felt it came pinch double the bacon, sausage, and ham. The breakfast meats weren't my favorite, but they still felt for illustration a bigger bang for my buck.

I besides liked that its meal paper had importantly much variety, pinch each the basics and past some. Above each else, of the 7 items I tested, I preferred IHOP's type for 5 of them.

In the end, conscionable 1 point astatine each concatenation genuinely blew maine away. For me, the only things worthy going backmost for were the hash-brown casserole astatine Cracker Barrel and the buttermilk pancakes astatine IHOP.

I'm particularly tempted by the latter, particularly pinch varieties for illustration protein, tres leches, and cheesecake connected the menu.

Business Insider reached retired to IHOP and Cracker Barrel for comment.