One of the most famous burger chain in the USA is IN-N-OUT Burger, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, they are not available on the East coast, so every time I traveled to the West coast, I wanted to go to one of their IN-N-OUT locations, but never worked out… So, when I finally got to go to one, I was super excited!
I think one of the main reasons why they are so popular is because they don’t freeze, pre-package, or over-process their ingredients. They do things the old-fashioned way, including making their own patties. The 100% pure beef patties are free of additives, fillers and preservatives of any kind. And of course, they give the same amount of attention and care to all the other ingredients they use. That makes their burgers so tasty and delicious!
We visited the IN-N-OUT Burger located in Fisherman’s Wharf, where the business are bustling with lots and lots of tourists. They are pretty easy to spot, with their bright red and yellow exterior. As soon as you walk in, there are lines of people waiting to order the food. Off to the side were many more people waiting to pick up their orders. They have a very simple menu, so ordering doesn’t take that long. They have hamburger, cheeseburger, double-double, fries, shakes, and other fountain drinks.
They don’t have enough amount of seating, but people don’t really stay long time here, so the turnover is relatively fast. you can find a seat pretty easily with short wait time, but you have to be quick about it. You can always get a seat first (if there is one), and then one person can go order for everyone else.
So, we ordered DOUBLE-DOUBLE (double meat & double cheese) with Animal Style ($4.20). Seems like their Animal Style is one of the most popular way to have their burgers, so that is what we ordered. What is Animal Style? Well, it is a burger of your choice with lettuce, tomato, a mustard cooked beef patty, pickle, extra spread with grilled onions, and a squeeze of the secret sauce. The sauce was really delicious, the burger was juicy and tasty, fresh lettuce and tomato, soft buns… no complaints here, I really enjoyed it very much!
We also ordered their fries, Animal Style ($3.85). The interesting here is, the fries without anything extra, is $1.95. When you make it into Animal Style, it is almost twice as much in price. But, the secret sauce, caramelized onions, and cheese certainly helped the fries which were more… well, very basic and simple. Without the Animal Style, they would be just a regular fries that you can get anywhere else.
We had a shake and iced tea for drink (we shared the burger and fries). The Vanilla Shake ($2.35) had a little bit of pink color, which I don’t know why… Maybe they just finished making Strawberry shake to another customer??? Who knows, but regardless, it was rich, creamy, and very tasty. The Iced Tea ($1.80 for medium) was just a regular iced tea, nothing to show or say here.
Overall, I am very glad that I finally got to go to IN-N-OUT Burger, finally! And I enjoyed their food, it was simple but yet good quality and tasty. They are no longer that “quick stop” place, with so much fame and popularity, they are now “IN-N-WAIT-N-OUT.” The service was just average, nothing special there. They don’t have bathroom, but there is a public bathroom right outside, where they have more eating spots with tables and chairs (you could sit out there instead, if there is no seat inside IN-N-OUT). You need a code to get into the bathroom so make sure you get it from someone, or wait until someone comes out of there. IN-N-OUT is certainly one of those place where you should go try at least once! And if you like it, then go back for more!
IN-N-OUT Burger – 333 Jefferson, San Francisco, CA 94133