12 Menu Items You Need To Try At Perkins
First opening its doors in 1958, Perkins has grown its operation over the years and is now approaching 300 restaurants across 32 states. Between the classic comfort food on its menu and the welcoming atmosphere it cultivates, Perkins has become a delicious beacon of light to hungry diners across the country. One thing that sets Perkins apart from the pack is the fact it has an in-house bakery attached to its restaurants that serves up some of the tastiest and most tempting sugary delights around. From Homestyle Apple Pie to seasonal treats like Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, there's no doubt Perkins Restaurant and Bakery whips up some of the best sweets to feast on. However, the cozy spot has more than baked goods to offer.
Another thing making Perkins an excellent choice (especially for us night owls who like to roll out of bed a little later): The restaurant serves breakfast all day, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Because Perkins offers such a wide range of different dishes, it's an ideal destination for a diverse crowd with varying tastes. From building the omelet of your dreams to Homemade Meatloaf topped with crispy onions, there are plenty of eclectic options to choose from. But with so much satisfying comfort food on offer, how do you know what to go for? That's where we come in. Here are 12 menu items you need to try at Perkins.
1. Peanut Butter Silk Pie
There's something deliciously decadent about peanut butter. Creamy and smooth, the taste of roasted peanut butter is rich and satisfying — and also a good source of protein (via Healthline). As one of the world's most popular treats, pairing it with something sweet is a surefire way to kick the flavor up a notch. Because Perkins has a fully-fledged bakery on-site, there's a good chance you'll catch an alluring glimpse of one of its finest creations: Peanut Butter Silk Pie.
Some diners have fallen so in love with the Peanut Butter Silk Pie at Perkins, they've felt the need to warn the rest of us about its deliciousness. Others have found solace in a slice after a long day, simply describing the experience as "amazing." It's easy to see why: Just a look at the ingredients is enough to make the mouth water. Each piece of pie is layered with chocolate, topped with a smooth peanut butter filling, and smothered with a thick coat of whipped cream before getting crowned with a chocolate peanut butter cup. If you appreciate the holy union of peanut butter and chocolate, this is the pie you've been waiting for. Once you taste your first forkful, you'll be hooked for life.
2. California Avocado Benedict
Eggs Benedict is an undeniable breakfast classic. Typically served with Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise over toasted English muffins, eggs Benedict has a rich, buttery, lemony flavor profile that always hits the spot when you wake up with a healthy appetite. There are also plenty of twists to this classic — one of the most successful recent manifestations is the California Avocado Benedict at Perkins.
The dish comes with two basted eggs, applewood-smoked bacon, fresh slices of creamy avocado, pepper jack cheese, hollandaise, and garlic seasoning on top of a freshly-toasted English muffin. Plenty of diners report enjoying this dish at Perkins, which makes perfect sense. When the taste of smoky bacon mixes with creamy pepper jack, avocado, and tender egg yolks, each flavor complements and balances the others. The hint of garlic ties everything together to make this one of the best dishes on Perkins' menu.
3. Country-Fried Steak
It's hard to think of a more indulgent dish than country-fried steak. Belly-busting and blissfully delicious, it consists of a tenderized piece of beef that is battered thin, coated in seasoned flour, and fried in oil until it reaches a crispy, golden brown color (via Willow Ranch). Country-fried steak is usually served with brown gravy, while chicken-fried steak is usually breaded and comes with white gravy.
The Country-Fried Steak at Perkins is lightly breaded, which allows the flavor of the beef to shine through. Using a thinner batter in this context is clever since thicker breading can overwhelm a dish. The bottom line: It's best to let the steak be the star of the show. The steak also comes with a choice of two sides, including creamy mashed potatoes and corn. What this all adds up to is one of the heartiest and most delicious meals on the menu. Some diners have even gone so far as to describe it as "to die for," commenting that after a lifetime of trying different versions of country-fried steak, Perkins ranks up there with the best of them.
4. Pot Roast Melt
Take a peek at the menu in any American-style diner or restaurant, and there's a good chance you'll spot a melt in some form. Usually it's a patty melt, which typically comes with a juicy burger, Swiss cheese, and grilled onions on griddled rye bread (via Burger Beast). But it's also fairly common to see inventive, regional riffs that break from tradition and include some surprising ingredients, resulting in some serious deliciousness.
Such is the case with the Pot Roast Melt at Perkins. Instead of using a burger patty, Perkins adds a "generous portion" of tender, braised beef and tops that with slices of cheddar cheese. Mix in some grilled red onions, and this melt knocks it out the park. The inclusion of braised beef ensures a high level of juicy tenderness with each bite. The grilled sourdough bread offers big flavor with just enough structural integrity to hold everything together. All in all, the pot roast melt at Perkins is one of the best handheld creations the restaurant has to offer.
5. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mammoth Muffin
As crimson leaves float down from the trees every fall, pumpkin-flavored dishes spread across the country like wildfire, ushering in the beginning of the holidays. Perkins celebrates the essence of the pumpkin to great effect in its bakeries, churning out a handful of seasonal delights like Pumpkin Spice Pancakes and Pumpkin Pie made with real pumpkin filling. But as far as we're concerned, the real star of the seasonal menu is the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mammoth Muffin.
The Mammoth Muffin captures the cozy flavors we associate with fall, without being overly sweet. According to one customer, you've got to try one, whatever flavor you choose. Because this is a muffin and not a cupcake, it has a more wholesome flavor to it. When you see that dollop of cream cheese frosting sitting on top of the muffin like a dairy cherry, it's practically impossible to resist taking a big bite. The whole thing blends together in a way that screams "fall" in the best way possible.
6. Chicken Strips Dinner
While Perkins may not necessarily be the first place that comes to mind when you think of good fried chicken, it cooks up a great version. A Redditor asked the very important question: What's the best dish to get at Perkins? One of the very first responses gave a shout-out to the Chicken Strips Dinner. Others have agreed and taken the time to express to the world how well-seasoned, crispy, and delicious the chicken tenders at Perkins are (via Tripadvisor).
The chicken strips at Perkins are made with white meat but still come out consistently tender and succulent. The accompanying classic honey mustard sauce is tangy with just a touch of earthy sweetness and provides the perfect dip for these freshly-fried chunks of crispy chicken. Perkins pumps out some impressively good fried chicken strips that hit all the right notes when it comes to flavor and crispiness.
7. Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie is a classic dessert. When you're craving something fruity and tart, it's one of the best dishes to scratch that itch with its trademark citrusy sweetness. Luckily for us, Perkins happens to bake fresh whole pies at its in-house bakeries on a regular basis. Plenty of diners have gone wild for it over the years — some have even compared it to the homemade pies their mother used to bake when they were growing up (via Tripadvisor). That sure sounds like a compliment if we've ever heard one.
The Lemon Meringue Pie at Perkins comes with a thick, tangy lemon filling. Bright yellow, the filling is vibrantly colored and gives the slice a warm, appetizing glow. The topping is light and fluffy, striking a nice balance with the tart sweetness of the lemon filling. Each pie has about six servings, which makes this a great choice when you're looking for a dessert to share with loved ones.
8. Steak & Peppers Skillet
Whether joining forces in fajitas or shish kabobs, steak and peppers are a winning combination. The juicy beefiness and grassy sweetness blend together in a way that's truly satisfying, bite after bite. Perkins includes a Steak & Peppers Skillet on its menu that gives diners bags of tasty flavors at an affordable price point. In fact, some diners on Yelp have confessed to how pleasantly surprised they were by the dish, remarking on how well it paired with other vegetables on the plate.
Here's the whole shebang: The Steak & Peppers Skillet comes with USDA steak tips, succulent slices of red bell pepper, mushrooms, and grilled onions over a bed of crispy potatoes. A generous drizzle of a savory beef gravy ties everything together for a super rich dish that's teeming with big, bold flavors. You can get a little bit of everything with each bite — like a mini-meal in every mouthful.
9. Chocolate French Silk Pie
When it comes to chocolate, one of the best ways to enjoy it is by grabbing a cool, creamy slice of French silk pie. The Chocolate French Silk Pie at Perkins comes with decadent, luscious layers of chocolate and whipped cream. Topped with curls of dark chocolate shavings, this pie is one of the best desserts the restaurant has to offer.
Some diners have been so mesmerized by its chocolatey goodness they felt the need to share the good news of its deliciousness with the world. It's nearly impossible to resist digging into a pie this thick and rich. Another thing that makes Perkins' Chocolate French Silk Pie so great is that if you don't want to take down a whole pie (no judgment from us if you do), you can always opt for a single slice. All things considered, it's absolutely worth swinging by Perkins to score a slice.
10. Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Platter
It's easy to see why blueberries are such a popular fruit. Sweet, with just a touch of sourness, blueberries can be used in a wide variety of dishes. Deliciousness aside, blueberries also happen to be packed with antioxidants and other health benefits (via Healthline). And one of the most classic combinations featuring blueberries is, of course, blueberries and pancakes.
Luckily for everyone, you can always enjoy a hot Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Platter at Perkins. One order comes with a trio of pancakes cooked on the griddle and brimming with succulent blueberries, dusted with powdered sugar, and topped with a dollop of soft butter. Some diners contend that Perkins makes the best blueberry pancakes in America. Others love them so much that they've requested the recipe. The next time you're at Perkins for some breakfast, do yourself a solid and treat yourself to a taste of these bad boys to see what you've been missing out on.
11. Big Country Sunrise Skillet
There's something undeniably satisfying about a breakfast skillet. Typically featuring eggs, cheese, and breakfast meats over a piping hot bed of roasted potatoes, breakfast skillets offer a forkful of our favorite flavors in every bite. That said, some skillets achieve better results than others, depending on the ingredients used. The good news is, Perkins offers a couple of tasty options in this department, and its Big Country Sunrise Skillet is absolutely delicious.
Featuring juicy breakfast sausage, two eggs, white country gravy, applewood-smoked bacon, and American cheese over a sizzling skillet of crispy tater tots, this dish is supremely filling in the best way possible. The tater tots get thoroughly coated in a tasty sheen of gravy, cheese, and eggs, which is breakfast perfection. At the same time, the tots still maintain their crispness to provide some textural variation. It's no surprise diners often rave about the Big Country Sunrise Skillet: The creamy gravy ties everything together and perfectly mixes with everything else on the plate.
12. Magnificent Seven
When you wake up with a big appetite, it's hard to beat the Magnificent Seven at Perkins. Named after the seven magnificent items on its plate, this dish comes with two eggs, your choice of two breakfast meats (two crispy strips of applewood-smoked bacon or sausage), and three fluffy buttermilk pancakes, topped with a blob of creamy butter. This dish is portioned just right — properly filling, yet not overly indulgent — and showcases a prime example of a well-executed classic breakfast.
Some diners say the Magnificent Seven is their favorite breakfast, thanks in part to the stellar pancakes. Altogether, the Magnificent Seven manages to capture everything we love about breakfast on the same plate: perfect pancakes topped with soft butter and maple syrup, crispy bacon (or flavorful sausage, if that's your pick), and a couple eggs cooked to your liking. If you ask us, over medium is best here, since the yolk achieves a jammy, custard-like consistency that's lovely to mop up with syrup-drizzled chunks of pancake. Without a doubt, the Magnificent Seven is one of the all-stars on the Perkins menu — but as you can see, with so much tasty food to pick from, you're bound to pick a winner no matter what you choose.