Waffle House

Food consistently good like all waffle houses I visit in my travels. I had heard that the other store a mile up the road was better. It was true. The food was equal but the other store is better staffed. This store during breakfast rush, had a cook and a server in training. Fast just wasn’t happening

On my way to catch my flight out of Columbia regional airport on President’s Day 2014 after an epic weekend in Myrtle Beach and Charleston, I was driving up the I-​26 and noticed that I don’t believe that I had been to a Waffle House in like ever. Never ever. I had some time with my flight, so I decided to stop in and see what kind of stuff that they had. Assuming from the name, the Waffle House served up breakfast foods, but here in South Carolina, it’s with a certain southern twang that’s pretty cool to have.
Waffle House is your standard diner eatery. No real frills here, as I found out. Similar to your IHOP, but just different and it specialized in waffles. Yes, how can you not have a waffle while in Waffle House?! That’s just weird, but it works. Friendly service and just a sad feeling to know that I was going home after a great weekend here in South Carolina. Oh well. This Waffle House is located on Airport Boulevard, in West Columbia. Right off the I-​26W from Charleston, just follow the signs right to the restaurant and you are golden. Plus find gas stations nearby to fill up your rental car before returning it to the car rental agency, which is what I exactly did. Bittersweet morning, but it is how it is. I’m glad that they do accept credit cards here, which is always great and welcomed.
I arrived here at this Waffle House about 9:00am from Charleston, while my flight didn’t leave till 12:30pm. Got time. The wait was non existent and got seated right away. I was in a rush that morning, so in hindsight, I should’ve checked in on my Unilocal mobile, but didn’t. Oh well. The restaurant was busy enough, but from the empty seating that were here, it was a tell tale sign that it didn’t seem like it. The restaurant itself was clean and had comfortable seating. Since this is a Waffle House, might as well get some waffles! Along with eggs and corned beef hash, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. They had cheese grits too, so I had a full load worth of food to take with me on my flights back west. I would say that my visit here to the Waffle House is good, but typical. Good food and good service is always a industry standard and not just whenever you feel like it.
The waffles I got were warm, soft, but crispy on the edges. Just like how I wanted. The cheese grits were just terrific and I just wanted to order more, but I was getting full already. The scrambled eggs were just okay and the corned beef hash was also just okay, but good since I don’t eat the stuff everyday, just occasionally, so it was already a treat for me. With that said, a Waffle House takes credit cards with a smile, always a plus in my book — especially while traveling and being on the road. Plenty of parking spaces around the restaurant, so there’s a good chance you don’t need to go anywhere else. While this place can be a hit or miss, it was nice to have it hit on so many levels, but at the end of the day, the gold service and the overall experience of the restaurant was just okay. Maybe I’ll come back and hope to experience it better next time. For now, it was good and it helped me start my day the right way.
3.5 stars, rounded to 4.0.
Support local!
B