The Stuffed French Toast at IHOP includes toast stuffed with cream cheese and is topped with strawberries.

IHOP Corp.

The first IHOP opened 50 years ago in Toluca Lake, Calif. But what matters today for those living in Providence is that there is a 24-hour one ready to serve.

IHOP opened on Pleasant Valley Pkway (at the site of the former East Side Mario’s) at the end of January and already they’ve built up a huge weekend following, as I saw on a recent visit. They’ve also already served up a free pancake day to benefit charity, which even drew students who walked down from College Hill according to my dining companion who was among them.

With its stacks of pancakes and waffles adorned with whipped cream and strawberries, IHOP is always a dependable stop for hearty breakfast for the whole family. The new one not only has 54 tables but also a private dining room and the first counter service (with about a dozen seats) in the IHOP family of restaurants which number at least 1,345 in 49 states and internationally.

We started with a carafe of orange juice ($5.49) which refreshed us after our wait of about 20 minutes. A short stack of three buttermilk pancakes ($2.99) was hot and satisfying with plenty of butter and the table’s syrup selection of strawberry, blueberry and maple flavors.

Far more dramatic, yet just too much for this diner, is the Stuffed French Toast Combo ($7.99). It includes toast stuffed with cream cheese and topped with strawberries. But they don’t stop there, instead offering two eggs any way (nicely scrambled), comforting home fries and the choice of two slices of bacon or sausage.

Had I brought any children along I would have had to have some of the “Green Eggs and Ham” dishes that are part of a promotional tie-in with Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! which are only available for a short time. Maybe that’s just the thing to enjoy for a midnight snack.

Details: IHOP, at 45 Pleasant Valley Pkwy., Providence, (401) 626-4314, www.ihop.com.