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A table with plates of breakfast foods: pancakes with butter, toast with strawberries, eggs with bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs with bacon, and waffles with strawberries, plus a mug of coffee and cream cups.
Jing P. / Yelp

Breakfast is wonderful at all times of the day, but at Denny’s, it especially doesn’t matter what time it is. The immensely popular diner chain operates 24/7, meaning that if you’re a deadbeat dad like Tim Allen in “The Santa Clause,” you can take your kid here for dinner on Christmas Eve because you forgot to buy him anything else to eat. 

The Denny’s breakfast menu is expansive, and maybe even a little frightening if you’re new to it. Which is exactly why having the Denny’s breakfast menu ranked can make all the difference. Where do you begin? What should you order?

Here’s everything Denny’s has for breakfast, ranked.

Best: Slams

A breakfast meal on a wooden table with ham and eggs over hashbrowns, a side plate of pancakes with white icing and bacon, a cup of coffee in a Denny's mug, and a glass of water.
1hipG33K/Reddit.com

The Grand Slam, which Denny’s is famous for, will always be one of the best chain restaurant deals in the game. And if you stick to the classics, this is perfectly acceptable food. Starting around $12 (depending on location) you can build a four-piece breakfast plate, with options like eggs, pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and the rest of the breakfast standbys. You can upgrade to French toast and ham steak for a few bucks more, too. And you should. Damn, I love a ham steak.

2. Skillets

A white plate holds two sunny-side-up eggs atop a biscuit covered in white gravy, shredded cheese, and pieces of fried chicken, with a napkin on the side.
©Tripadvisor

Skillets tend to rotate at Denny’s, but if there’s a hot skillet full of eggs, peppers, cheese, and the rest of the breakfast veggies you crave, you probably can’t go wrong. These are so close to classic slams (just hotter and crispier, really) that it feels wrong to stick them anywhere else but the Number 2 slot.

3. Breakfast Sandwiches and Burritos

A Denny's plate with a toasted sandwich filled with ham and egg, cut in half, served alongside a portion of crispy hash browns on a wooden table.
Chuck D. / Yelp

Denny’s has a couple of breakfast sandwiches ready for you, each with varying degrees of insanity. Moons Over My Hammy is pretty simple, featuring just ham, eggs, and cheese on bread, but The Grand Slamwich is a lot more unhinged; think sausage, bacon, ham, and even maple spice spread.

And yeah, Moons Over My Hammy is a pretty good name, but remember when Hoobastank did a Denny’s collab? They made a burrito, and they called it the Hooburrito. It had chicken strips, BBQ sauce, nacho cheese, onion strings, and all manner of other nonsense in there. I think about that all the time.

4. Pancakes and Crepes

Two Denny's pancakes topped with banana slices, chocolate chips, and syrup are served on a white plate. A menu featuring a brownie sundae is visible in the background.
Colton F. / Yelp

They’re far from the nation’s best, but at the end of the day, a pancake is a pancake. The key here is that Denny’s can dress ’em up a variety of ways, depending on just how froggy you’re trying to get. Need ‘em simple? Grab some Hearty 9-Grain pancakes. Want to bring some bigger energy to your day? Chocolate banana pancakes might be just what the doctor ordered.

5. Omelettes

A breakfast plate with an omelet topped with diced tomatoes, onions, and bacon, served with golden brown home fries and two slices of toasted bread. A coffee mug is in the background.
Bradford P. / Yelp

With an omelette, you’re really relying on the quality of Denny’s ingredients for the success of your meal, and like any chain restaurant that’s being run by a 3 a.m. kitchen team, that’s a huge roll of the dice. Ham, peppers, and more (even grilled prime rib) are available, so decorate at your own risk.

6. Eggs Benedict

A plate with eggs Benedict topped with hollandaise sauce, fresh diced tomatoes, and herbs, served alongside a portion of crispy golden hash browns.
©Tripadvisor

You can do a classic Benny at Denny’s, but you can also do a Southwestern Benny (topped with chorizo, pepper sauce, and pico de gallo), and thanks to those dual options, this lands at Number 6. Though if we’re being honest, it feels wrong not to do it that way. Oh, and huge miss not calling these things “Eggs Dennydict.”

7. Steak and Eggs

A plate of food featuring a cooked T-bone steak, two sunny side up eggs, and a serving of crispy hash browns on a wooden table. Other plates of food and a drink are visible in the background.
Jonathan A. / Yelp

This isn’t a steakhouse, folks. You’re at the wrong restaurant if you’ve come here for that. Both T-bone steak and eggs and country fried steak and eggs are options for the red meat breakfast eater lurking inside you. It really just depends on what kind of day you’re trying to have. Both of these roads end with a couch nap, by the way.

More Taste Tests On Cheapism

A croissant breakfast sandwich, inspired by classic fast-food breakfast sandwiches, filled with a folded egg, sausage patty, and melted cheese, served on crinkled white paper.
Robbie R. / Yelp

Meet the Writer

Wilder Shaw is a staff writer at Cheapism who has written for publications like The Washington Post, Thrillist, Time Out, and more, but you most likely recognize him as Trick-or-Treater No. 2 from a 1996 episode of “The Nanny”. Give him a shout on Bluesky and Instagram.