Bites Nearby: IHOP

You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, Hyattsville Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

IHOP: Great for flapjacks, but sometimes a flop

You can get just about anything at IHOP these days. I had the chicken tenders and french fries. Very tasty. And the bottomless coffee did wonders for this bleary-eyed reporter after a late city council meeting in Hyattsville.

A friend of mine suggested IHOP in College Park because it's open 'til 3 a.m. on Monday nights. I had a lot of work to do so I brought my Patch laptop and settled into a booth with my earbuds.

Good thing I brought them because it got pretty loud, pretty quickly. A troupe of college kids came in and primed the pump. Later on, a party of four sat in the booth beside me and made me wish I'd stayed home. They were harrassing the waiters, cursing at the top of their lungs and pestering me about my work. I just wanted to eat in peace.

Thankfully, the wait staff was pleasant and tried to overcompensate for the loud guests. I finished two mugs of coffee and called it a night.

9680 Baltimore Ave., College Park. 301-982-7400. Prices range from a few bucks for a salad to over $10 for entrees.