I have tried In-n-out burger... now what?

Cafe Society
1

So, since moving to CA, I’ve been told from time to time that I totally need to eat at In-N-Out Burger, how it’s the greatest fast food evar, and it’s totally worth having to take a bus out to because there isn’t actually one in the town I live in (I lack automotive transportation)

So, while in San Fran, I happened to be staying in a hotel that was next to an In-N-Out (and on top of a Hooters, amusingly enough). Went over there when I had a burger craving late at night, got my burger with fries and a drink, got back to the room…

Well, it wasn’t bad. Service was of course friendly, I was impressed with how much space they had in the kitchen (I’ve worked in a Wingzone where the kitchen was like a walk-in closet with a deep fryer and a grill), and the food was not bad at all. But I don’t see the hype. As far as how good the food was, this wasn’t no What-a-Burger.

Is this how people outside of Texas react after their first Shiner Bock? Their first Freebird Burrito?

2

Metamucil?

3

I live back East, and had an opportunity on a trip out West last year to try In-n-Out. I agree completely with the OP - it was good, but certainly didn’t seem worthy of all the hype.

I remember when Easterners had similar hard-ons for Coors beer, which wasn’t distributed in the East back then. Now it’s hard to understand what all the fuss was about.

4

I agree, In-n-Out doesn’t live up to the hype. The burgers are better if ordered without onion. Sorry, a five to one patty doesn’t need a 1/2" slab of raw white onion. And the fresh cut fries have a texture I don’t care for.

But. You can easily alter their bumper stickers to read "In-n-Out urge

5

You can order the burgers with grilled onions instead of raw ones. It makes them taste a lot better.

And, if you’re comparing In-n-out unfavorably to whataburger, there’s nothing I can say or do to save your miserable soul.

6

Came in to suggest ya try What-a-Burger.While In and Out is ok,What-a-Burger is far better,IMO.

7

Dude, I was just about to start a thread about this…

Many people know about the In-N-Out Secret Menu. Here is a nice PDF format of it. I’ve known about it for a long time, but just this week tried the “Animal-Style” fries. Ho-ly shit, they are like crack! They make some very blah fries into simply a must-have!

The burgers are very good - I like the Double-Double (or, for that matter, a single burger) with no onions or lettuce. I had a 3X3 once, and am still having hot sweats 3 years later.

ETA : Here is a 100X100 burger.

Joe

8

Secret menu? Grilled onions? Now I’m all intrigued.

Dammit, now I have to go to San Fran to try this again.

Well, not specifically for that. As a member of the Armed Forces, I feel like it would be fun to try and hook up with an ultra-lib girl for some cross-stars romance. (Heh. Swordfights between Airmen and Hippies. I’d pay to see that.)

9

I had a minor heart attack just looking at that.

10

I dunno, it’s just the flavor that I like. I don’t think “gamey” is the right way to describe it, but there just seems to be more to the taste of a Whataburger, very different from other fast food places.

Plus, I lost 20 pounds over a summer on my Whataburger Diet (Whataburger Jr. and a diet coke for lunch pretty much every day on my way into work for 3 months, as part of my overall diet). Only thing I don’t quite care for about What-A-Burger is how their drinks are all one size up. A Medium Drink at What-A-Burger is in one of those big plastic soda cups that are tapered at the bottom to fit in a cupholder.

11

Well, as they say, YMMV. Somewhere in intertoobsland there’s a message board thread full of people agreeing that Shakespeare was a crappy writer.

What he said.

12

I love the look on the cook’s face in the background. :smiley:

13

Now try The Habit. Great burgers, and world’s best chicken sandwich. The Habit is Santa Barbara based – where in Central CA are you?

14

I agree completely. A Double-Double, Animal-Style, beats anything Whataburger can even dream of. But my personal favorite, discounting Fuddrucker’s as being not a drive-in, is The Hat.

15

Another vote for animal style. And the fries improve a lot if you order them well done.
I like the Neopolitan shake as well.

16

I tried In-n-Out once. The burger was nothing special and the fries were horribly undercooked. I had zero desire to go back.

Meanwhile, What-a-burger is holycrap good.

17

In ‘n’ Out is my favorite fast food hamburger, period. I’m a Chicagoan, heard of the In ‘n’ Out hype and, for once, a product truly lives up to the hype.

My standard of comparison for hamburgers is a simple cheeseburger. Their meat is fresh and clean tasting, it’s not covered with weird “special sauce” or other garbage that obscures the flavor of the beef (unless you get it Animal Style, which is a nice change of pace every once in awhile), the fries are pure potatoey goodness, the service is amazingly attentive and friendly. How anybody can not fall in love with this place, I don’t understand. It’s the quintessential pure, unadulterated, American hamburger.

I’ve never had a What-A-Burger, so I can’t compare. My other favorite fast food hamburgers are Culver’s and Fuddrucker’s.

18

Now What?

A good cardio workout!

19

You am say “goodbye” everyone on Bizarro World for me. :smiley:

20

What-A-Burger is basically what I’d call “Upscale Fast Food”. A What-a-burger is basically a patty, chopped onions, mustard, and pickles, I think. It has been around five months since I last was able to get it, because they don’t have it in Monterey.

Oh yeah, MadPansy64, I live around Monterey.