Are In-N-Out hamburgers *that* good?

[RagingInMiami]

As a native Miamian, I didn't eat my first In-N-Out burger until I moved to California for a job in my 30s.

Everybody out there raves about In-N-Out burgers, especially after smoking some good Californian Chronic. So the first few times I tasted these burgers, I had the serious munchies and thought these are really great burgers, although I found the "natural" fries to be a little undercooked (I later discovered it was better to order the fries a little well-done).

But one day I tried In-N-Out burgers after not smoking the chronic and realized that the burgers were really small, which probably explained why I felt compelled to order several during my chronic binges.
But even after ordering a "double" and a "triple", I still wasn't sure if these burgers had stood up to the Californian Hype.

In fact, after discovering Fatburger, I never went back to In-N-Out.

And another thing I noticed was that even though they ended up opening In-N-Out and Fatburger in Vegas and in Phoenix, neither were as good as the ones in California.

[Broken_Hero]

1. Always been a fan of the Fat Burger myself...:)

Inn N Out was pretty damn good as well...:)

[SteppingRazor]

2. Ragin', I really like you so...

let us never speak of your callous disregard of In-N-Out bugers again

:evilgrin:

[RagingInMiami]

27. Before you throw off the gloves

Just for once, try eating at In-N-Out after NOT smoking the chronic.

[Shakespeare]

3. I really, really like Fatburger, BUT....

....for my taste, their "special sauce" is WAY too relish-heavy, especially as compared to In-N-Out. Sometimes I feel as if I'm just eating a freakin' relish burger. Bleah.

One thing Fatburger absolutely RULES on, however, is their onion rings. Oh my GOD. Best onion rings known to man; they've been known to make people weep with pleasure. Their shakes are awfully damn good, too.

[MsKandice01]

4. Yes, they are...

Fatburger is good too but due to my reduced stomach capacity (gastric bypass surgery), In N Out is a much better match for me. The buns are fabulous (even though most of the time I get my burger "Protein Style", which is just wrapped in lettuce), the meat is fresh, the sauce is excellent, I could go on and on. One other thing I like about In N Out is that they pay their employees quite well and treat them well so it really shows in their level of customer service.

[JI7]

59. agree, never dealt with a bad employee, there was an asshole customer

once when i went. he was being a jerk and yelling at the woman . she was handling it very well and you could see she totally got the concept of "the customer is always right" even when they aren't. the people she served afterwards who saw what happened complimented her on the great service which was nice to see .

there was only one time when my order was wrong and it was because the person heard wrong. he felt really embarrassed and sorry. but i told him it was ok and to just leave the order as it is.

[huskerlaw]

5. No, they're not.

I don't understand the hype, although pre-medicating with some good chronic would probably help.

The burgers are small and flat and not the least bit remarkable. That dressing crap they put on it is disgusting. The fries are undercooked, but they would probably kick ass if they were a bit crispy.

[Zomby Woof]

13. They're not all created equal

You obviously have a weaker one in your neighborhood. :P

You can tell them to hold the dressing - they make them to order like anywhere else.

And once you learn the hidden menu, you will never order them traditionally again.

[huskerlaw]

18. I've tried 2 different ones!

One in Westwood, one in San Diego...and I do tell them to hold the dressing (only made that mistake once).

The hidden menu freaks me out. No, really. It's like a cult code or something.

[Zomby Woof]

19. LOL

You midwesterners are so cute. *pinches cheeks* ;-)

[huskerlaw]

22. Heh.

You native Californians and your appreciation of "beef" is amusing. ;)

[Zomby Woof]

24. Damn straight!

Have you had Tommy's yet? We have to get you to one SOON. You have to like chili though. :P

[huskerlaw]

29. I haven't.

Nor have I tried Fatburger (that just sounds wrong).

I'm also not a big fan of chili...

[Zomby Woof]

34. Hehehe

Fatburger is good. But if you don't want to try their burgers, they make great onion rings and decent shakes.

NO CHILI? Well, drowning your burger in chili and cheese is part of the Tommy's experience. And the fries too. :P I am not sure what the burgers taste like without it!

[GOPisEvil]

50. Umm...return trip to LA is in the planning stages.

We are going to Tommy's. Dammit! :P

[Zomby Woof]

52. YES WE ARE

And you will EMBRACE all that is L.A. without being clouded by provincial midwestern prejudices. :D

(And we shall eat SUSHI too!)

[RagingInMiami]

23. Yes, the hidden menu

Order the fries well-done, something so many Californians do I wonder why they don't just make them well-done in the first place.

[Zomby Woof]

26. I don't mind them the way they are

I guess because they make them from fresh potatoes, I am more forgiving of the softness - so I never order them well done. I consider it one of the quirks of an indie.

[LeftyMom]

6. Yeah. They are.

But you have to be pregnant and hungry to properly appreciate them.

Not that I'd eat one now. But yeah, they were good.

[StrongBad]

7. One thing I learned about California since recently moving here

They really know how to make a good burger!

Although In-N-Out is in my opinion far ahead of the competition, with Fatburger trailing closely, I've come to find that you're going to get some good stuff at any CA hamburger joint.

Perhaps a better question is, aside from franchises like McDonalds, etc., are there any BAD burger joints here??

[yurbud]

8. compared to the grey meat at McDonald's?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. If I am going to eat a fast food burger, it's gonna be In-N-Out

but I agree on the fries...gotta order them well done.

[liontamer]

10. no

californian's are just weird

[Richardo]

11. They're good. But if you're in LA, go to Tommy's...

:9

The absolute BEST!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Initech]

15. Hell yes!

Tommy's is absolute essential LA dining. Especially if you go to the original Rampart Blvd. location.

It's as essential as Pink's Hot Dog Stand or Phillippe's Roast Beef Sandwiches.

[martymar64]

30. If your really brave in L.A. go get an Oki Dog!!!

A few select locations (MidCity on Pico and I think on is on La Cienega? in WeHO).
Can only be best experienced . . . . on weed!?!?

[Shakespeare]

31. Oki Dog is NASTY!!

And they're on Fairfax, just south of Santa Monica Blvd.

[martymar64]

32. Yes they are nasty!

I ate at the one on Fairfax while very drunk about 3 am after a night at Barney's. About an hour later it got really ugly vis a vis my digestive tract.:hurts: :puke:

[Gold Metal Flake]

61. I knew a grossly overweight person who use to eat them 3 at a time.

Yup. A Rush-bot.

[Initech]

33. I dont think I want to know what an Oki Dog is...

but I'll try one!

[Guaranteed]

16. Yup, went there once.

Had the chili-cheese fries, too. Definitely something.

[driver8]

57. I have to say, Tommy's burgers are pretty tasty!!

I get them without that nasty chili, though.

[Zomby Woof]

12. Yes

The beef is always fresh and never frozen, and the buns are baked fresh (kind of like you were, har har), and I love that the fries are cut fresh from potatoes before frying. You can't beat the cheap prices and simple menu (and don't forget the hidden menu).

Another plus: They are still a family-owned outfit, not franchised (the co-founder died a few weeks ago), and they pay their workers great wages, with full benefits.

Next time, try your Double-Double "Animal-style", if you haven't already. :9

(I love Tommy's too... it's required L.A. dining!)

[RagingInMiami]

25. I did like how they pay their workers good

I heard they were owned by a Mormon family. But the workers were getting at least 8 bucks an hour, which is excellent for fast food. Especially back in 1999 when I lived there.

But that also explains why the workers were always cheerful and effecient, as opposed to the underpaid, miserable workers at McD's.

[Zomby Woof]

28. I don't know if they were Mormon

They were born-againers, but I don't know which stripe. They start them at $10 an hour now, and they have health and 401k's. Definitely not McD's drones!

[bullwinkle428]

14. In-N-Out is a clear #1 to me for choices in fast-food burgers. Living

in the Midwest with no access, I do have to say that Steak-n-Shake and Culver's are acceptable substitutes as alternatives to the big players in the fast-food burger business...check them out if you have a chance.

[huskerlaw]

21. Oh honey...

Do yourself a favor. Cross the border into Nebraska and get yourself a real hamburger! I'm talking about Runza. Best darn fast food hamburger in the world. Get a swiss cheese & mushroom burger and then think of me while you eat it. It's one of the very, very few things I miss about Nebraska. Seriously.

(actually, now that I think about it, I believe Iowa has some franchises as well. At least the western part of the state does)

[bullwinkle428]

41. I'd never heard of them before - I'll have to check them out!

Thanks for the recommendation! :applause:

[Zomby Woof]

17. If you're ever in Seattle

Check out a Kidd Valley, which are the best burgers there, and the best milkshakes I have had ANYWHERE.

Some may recommend Dick's, but they are just the White Castle of Seattle, and not my favorite thing.

[chaska]

36. I hated Dicks too.

[Catshrink]

45. Dick's burgers suck, but Dick's fries rock!

[momophile]

20. my husband loves them but

I didn't think they were that good.

If you are ever in the Denver metro area, try Good Times Burgers. The same style (not frozen meet, local beef), but I really like them better than In-N-Out's.

[chaska]

35. I tried In and Out once. That was enough. I don't like Thousand Island on

a burger. Period.

[chaska]

38. A proper burger pour moi must have lots of high quality veggies....

A nice chunk of lettuce and vine ripe tomatoes (3 slices, preferably), and mustard and pickle (sour, no sweet relish crap). Options are nice: mushrooms and swiss, bleu cheese, chili, jalapenos, but only as additions to the basic recipe.

I am a burger nazi. Unrepentently so.

[Taverner]

37. They're better than McDonalds, Jack in the Box and Burger King

The thing that puts them above the rest is that their food comes straight from the farms to the burger shop: they don't refine the meat with sugar and chemicals, nor do they spray HFCS on the french fries to make them uniformly golden brown.

Not to say you're safe from Mad Cow, since they use the same farms the grocery stores do...but at least what you see is what you get.

[chaska]

39. That's setting the bar a little low, doncha think? ;^)

Maybe I'll give 'em another shot.

....Naw, I don't like long lines. I'll leave 'em for those what likes 'em.

[Taverner]

40. Well compared against other burger chains

But compared to say, Kirks Steakburgers in Cupertino, CA - they don't even come close

[Throd]

42. For burger chains, yes

[Starbucks Anarchist]

43. They're okay.

They have a decent taste, and the fries are good, but the burgers are a bit too small for me. Then again, I have the ability to finish off a large pizza in one sitting, so lots of things appear small to me.

[ForrestGump]

44. I love In 'n' Out -- craved it when I was away from LA. But

Fatburger burgers may well have a gustatory edge, though they're also more expensive and take forever for the people to construct.

The thing I always liked most at In 'n' Out was not their burgers (that are, I think, extremely good) but their chocolate shakes...oh, yeah, baby. Fatburger's shakes are exquisite, and probably even better, but again more expensive. Either way, as far as chains go, I'll always have a special fondness for In 'n' Out. I know they're famous for their fries, but I hardly ever get fries with hamburgers...usually get a milkshake, instead.

And, of course, there's all that good stuff about how they're a fixture on the SoCal landscape and how they actually treat and pay their employeees decently, and you can see that the kitchen is spotless and hygiene well maintained. I discovered the secret menu a couple of years ago (maybe even here on DU) and that's added an extra dimension to the whole experience.

However, even though there's an outlet two or three miles from my place (I used to walk there sometimes to get food), I haven't had an In 'n' Out burger in quite a while -- don't think I've had one this year. I have tried, on my way back from work, but the one over by the Vegas Strip always seems to be closing right when I need it. And, yes, I really don't think the food at the three locations I've tried here in Las Vegas is as good as it was in the LA area...just somehow seems a bit different. The Fatburgers here are great, though.

Maybe this would be best for one of those random facts threads: Fatburger was what I had for a wedding meal (in 1989), actually. Sort of. We had a big wedding and were so busy saying hello to people we didn't know that we barely got to eat any of the very expensive wedding meal, and afterward (though we could see the leftovers sitting in the kitchen) the hotel wouldn't let us eat any of the food left over, the f***ers. So we went cruising for food in Marina del Rey and finally found something open, a Fatburger, and ended up eating burgers and fries in the honeymoon suite at three or four in the morning. That was the first time I ever ate at a Fatburger and I didn't eat at one again until I came to Vegas a couple of years ago, though I knew of their legendary reputation among LA-based burger chains even when I first came to the US.

And Tommy's....shoot, Tommy's will eat your insides out. But, yes, it is a must. I have no idea what they put in that chili-substance (the chili cheese fries are even more lethal than the burgers), but it's not like anything else on this planet. A mess. A dangerous, stomach-corroding mess. But it's a must-eat in SoCal. At least once. Just make sure it's Tommy's and not "Tommie's" or any of the other imitators. I used to love to go there as much to see how quickly they make the things -- they don't have them sitting ready, like some McDonald's type of place, but by the time you move the car from the ordering place to the pick-up window they're just slopping on that chili effluent and handing it out the window...I mean, the people at In 'n' Out are very fast in making burgers, but the dudes at Tommy's are natural wonders. I haven't had one of those Tommy's burgers in many, many years, probably since about 1991 or 1992, when I first left SoCal. I probably never need another, except perhaps for old times' sake.

And in San Diego: Boll Weevil. :D

[Awsi Dooger]

58. I agree, In 'n' Out in Las Vegas is nothing special

I live one mile from them and haven't been there in at least a decade.

Now if it were Tommy's, once a week minimum. That was the latenight post midnight craving for 'SC students when I was there in the '80s. Hell, I'm tempted by the Tommy's in Barstow even though that's several hours away. :)

[ForrestGump]

63. There's a Tommy's in Barstow?

:D

I didn't know that...good to know. Thanks!

The In 'n' Out near you wouldn't be the one on Eastern near the 215, would it? It'd be kinda funny if we were neighbors (and, if we are, I apologize profusely for doing the whole night-vision-goggles thing when you had the entire chorus line from Les Folies Bergeres over for that clothing-optional pool party...) :D

Yeah, I don't know where they went wrong at Vegas In 'n' Out franchises. Not bad, at all, just not...not In-n-Out-y, very much, even the shakes.

Then again, we've got all those excellent one-pound burgers at the neighborhood bar type of places, at similarly excellent prices (not that I can these days eat an entire one pound burger and fries in one sitting unless I've been in training with buffets and the like and my stomach is ready for the experience), and that casino somewhere on the Strip (can't remember which one) that has some obscene nine-pound burger, or something like that... :o

No shortage of food here!

[leftofthedial]

46. yes.

[Momgonepostal]

47. No, and their fries blow, too

I have NEVER understood the appeal of In and Out Burger

[L A Woman]

48. YUM YUM YUM

I love In & Out. My only gripe is that everyone else does, too, so they have long lines!

[Kerrytravelers]

49. No.

On a street here in town, people will line up in their cars and literally block traffic.

For a greasy hamburger.

Blech. :puke:

[BrightKnight]

51. living wages and a few simple premium ingredients

The meat is not frozen.

They cut fresh tomatoes.

The bread is fresh baked.

They cut their own fries.

The only have a few menu choices.

They are sort of the Apple Computer of the burger world.

Would it be insane to drive 2k miles to pick up a burger in southern California?

------------

Somebody told me that a religious group was involved in running it. I don't know if that is true.

[smtpgirl]

53. Five Guys Hamburgers based out of VA ARE VERY GOOD!!

Delicious greasy burgers, that taste good, along with french fries fried in peanut oil

DA BOMB burgers




http://www.fiveguys.com/store_locator.aspx

[querelle]

54. CAN WE FINNALY PUT AN END..........

...........TO ALL THIS BURGER BULSHIT? HAMBURGERS ARE NOT FOOD! YOU HEAR ME! HAMBURGER IS MERELY WHAT THEY SWEEP OFF THE FLOOR AFTER THE COWS ARE SLAUTERED. YOU HEAR THAT HAMBURGER FANS? YOU ARE EATING COW LIPS AND ASSHOLES! bon appetit.


Q

[ForrestGump]

55. Nope

That'd be sausage. :D

And 'baloney,' whatever that is (fat, mostly, it seems).

Or McDonald's burgers, yeah, that's true.

[driver8]

56. There is a place called Mojo's in San Jose that makes the

best burger I've had in a long time. I live in Southern Cal. but my family and I were up North visiting my sister-in-law. Her husband took us to Mojo's and it was so good, I asked him to take us there the next day!!

I do like In-n-Out, also. As a matter of fact, when my brother-in-law is in town on business, the first place he wants to go is In-n-Out.

[Gold Metal Flake]

60. No.

Better burgers can be had at Fosters Freeze, Tommy's & Fatburger. Independant places often have killer burgers. Even Carl's Jr. has a better burger. In-N-Out is good. Just good. Not great. Not great with the code words either.

Their fries taste peculiar.

Chronic will make even KFC taste like manna from heaven.

On edit: There is a "Tommy's" in Sylmar that is not a real Tommy's. We call it Fake Tommy's. They have a great burger. Nothing special, just a great burger. Just the way I like them. Although I don't eat burgers anymore. :-(

[RedCappedBandit]

62. fast food?

... :puke:

[pokerfan]

64. Try a Big Kahuna Burger

They make some tasty burgers.

My girlfriend is a vegetarian which pretty much makes me a vegetarian. But I do love the taste of a good burger.