Hearty bread dipped in milk and eggs, toasted to perfection, and doused in syrup? Count us in! We love all things breakfast at our house and enjoyed trying french toast all around Idaho Falls these past few weeks! We like to eat breakfast for dinner at our house as well and getting to eat delicious french toast any time of that day? Sign us up!
If you thought there couldn’t be anything too different and exciting about this breakfast staple, you were wrong! Our local restaurants’ french toast game is strong and we can attest to it all being delicious! We’re excited to share with you our reviews and are grateful to each restaurant for their amazing hospitality and eats!
We judged the french toast in the following categories:
1. Texture of the bread.
2. Benefit of the toppings.
3. Uniqueness of the French Toast.
4. Flavor of the Syrup.
5. Overall Taste.
We enjoyed every bite!
Abracadabra’s Brunch and Bistro
If you haven’t been to Abracadabra’s Brunch and Bistro, you’re missing out! They opened their doors just over 3 years ago here in Idaho Falls and also have locations in Pocatello and Twin Falls! The decor is so fun and I love the theme of their restaurant. I think the food truly is magical! They make their french toast with giant pieces of french bread which are bigger than your plate! They scored highest overall with the texture of their bread. It was perfectly toasted on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It reminded my kids of a churro. They serve it with butter and maple syrup or their house specialty, buttermilk syrup. We really enjoyed it and want to go back and try their Capn’ Crunch French Toast as well!
Smitty’s Pancake & Steak House
Smitty’s has been an Idaho Falls staple, ran by the Werner family for the last 47 years. They have been called the “little restaurant by the river” and base their business on the principles of love, loyalty, and legacy. They are known for their secret family recipe pancakes and fun family atmosphere. We were delighted with the cinnamon french toast they serve with several different syrups which we thought were delectable! My kids thought it felt like grandmas house as it was so cozy! Smitty’s won in our categories of uniqueness and flavor of the syrup. Their boysenberry and strawberry syrups were our favorite. Be sure to visit on Wednesday nights for Kid’s Night where they have $1.99 kids meals and free face painting. (Check out our Restaurant Family Nights and Kids Eat Free guide for more information!)
Kneader’s
We were excited when Kneaders opened in the Sancreek Commons shopping center a couple of years ago since we had heard great things about their food and we have not been disappointed eating there! They have several appetizing soups, sandwiches, desserts, and salads but we especially loved trying their french toast! They use thick slices of their scratch-made Chunky Cinnamon bread which they grill to perfection and then top with creamy whipped topping, fresh sliced strawberries, and their irresistible caramel syrup. Did I mention that it’s all-you-can-eat? With their adorable seasonal decor items available to purchase, cozy fireplace and very polite employees; it’s a charming place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner! We loved their syrup which tied for best in our benefit of the toppings category!
Dixie’s Diner
Stepping into Dixie’s Diner makes you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time a few decades to a much simpler and carefree time. The awesome 50’s diner decor complete with jukeboxes is super fun and they have a menu full of options sure to suit even your pickiest eater! Tom Hersh and his business partner Dixie Murphy decided to open the themed restaurant back in 2005 and wanted it to be family friendly which it totally is! Their french toast is quite unique as it is made with a sourdough baguette and topped with your choice of toppings. This helped them to tie for the best of our “benefit of toppings” category due to delicious blueberries and strawberries along with butter, whipped cream, and maple syrup. With your choice of eggs and bacon or sausage, the generous serving size was amazing. They also have a meeting room available for large groups.
The Grille
The french toast at The Grille pleasantly surprised us. It was simple yet perfect my kids said, nothing too fancy but just delicious. The toast itself was perfectly crisp and served with butter and a dusting of powdered sugar. They serve it with warm maple syrup and their strawberry jam which they’re known for. The strawberry jam itself is amazing and puts their french toast over the top. They have great customer service and we loved the artistic photographs that cover the walls. Pam Ferguson and her son Tom opened the restaurant after Pam moved back to her roots here in southeast Idaho after running a restaurant in Arizona for several years. They serve down home cooking where everything is made from scratch.
These restaurants made it tough to pick a winner as they all made amazing french toast but when we tallied up our scores, the overall winner was… The Grille with their simple yet amazing dish! We had a few that were just within one point of each other! If you’re wanting something delicious to eat or just craving your favorite breakfast foods, we recommend visiting one of these restaurants for great eats! Take the whole family: no dishes and great food is a win-win for everyone!
