In-n-Out is famous for its cult like following out west, so you may or may not have ever been to one. If you are on the east coast, In-n-Out becomes a go to spot when you head west.
The restaurant has a fairly simple and straight forward menu, but it is also famous for the secret menu items. Some of these are not so secret but the secret menu we know of includes Animal Style, the Extra Toasted Burger, Protein Style, Grilled Cheese, Toasty Buns, The Secret Sauce, Grilled Onions, The Mustard Grilled Patty Burger, the Flying Dutchman, Cheese Fries, Neopolitan Shake, Well done fries, the 3×3, and the 4×4,
Animal Style
We will start with the most famous and many times not-so-secret menu items which is Animal style. The company even will mention this one in advertisements and online.
Animal style includes a burger of your choice with hand leafed lettuce, tomato, a mustard cooked patty, pickles, and extra spread (sauce) with grilled onions. This is a go to for many on their burgers, but a little more secret Animal style is to actually request it on your fries.
Protein Style
For those trying to forgo bread but don’t want to go totally Flying Dutchman, protein style may be for you. The protein style sandwich replaces the buns with lettuce to act more like a burger lettuce wrap.
Grilled Cheese
This one doesn’t really need a whole lot of introduction, but if you aren’t a meat fan, order the grilled cheese. Bread, check. Cheese, check. Grilled Cheese, check it out!
Toasty Buns
Shouldn’t your buns always be toasted for a good burger? Well, if you think that your buns aren’t toasted enough, feel free to ask and make sure you have the toasted buns. This is the way a burger is meant to be consumed.
Grilled Onions
Taking a play out of the White Castle playbook, do you like chopped onions as a part of your burger? These are part of the Animal Style experience, but you can also order just the chopped and grilled onions by themselves. Have it your way!
Mustard Grilled Patty Burger
One of the features of an Animal Style burger is mustard grilled into the patty. If you don’t want the full Animal Style but you like the mustard touch, feel free to just ask for the mustard grilled into the burger.
Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
At In-n-Out, the flying dutchman won’t have the same fate. This secret item is two beef patties with melted cheese between. No buns is a big thing for some special diets, you gluten free types, etc so this may just be what you needed.
Cheese Fries
So you want more than the normal fries, but you aren’t ready to go full animal style? If this is you, you should consider going for cheese fries. When you ask for these fries, you will get an order of regular fries with a few slices of melted cheese on top.
Neapolitan Shake
Do you like a chocolate shake? Is vanilla more your thing? What about strawberry? If you happen to like all of these flavors, you are in luck. The classic three flavor Neopolitan can be yours in shake form. Just ask for all three in your shake, and you won’t be disappointed.
Pro tip: Unless you are dipping fries in your shake (which we highly recommend), wait and get your shake after the meal. Especially if you are going the triple flavor route, you will be happy that it hasn’t melted already.
Custom Cooked Fries (Well Done or Light Well)
The french fries at In-N-Out are sure to be fresh as they are made to order. Given this, you can step up and try to do something custom.
Here are the categories of fries:
- Normal: Say nothing and get hot and fresh fries
- Light well: A little crispier fry
- Well Done: Even Crispier fries
- Extra Well Done: Almost to the point of being burned, but you can have it this way too.
- Lightly done: Like your fries undercooked? Even you are in luck here
3×3 Burger
One of the most popular items on the In-n-Out menu includes the Double-Double. This is their version of the double cheeseburger. In fact, they list it first on their website, so you know it is a popular item.
If you think a double cheeseburger is great, wait until you try the 3×3. The 3×3 is the secret menu item for a triple cheeseburger. If you are going for two, why not go for three?
4×4 Burger
If you have taken our advice and moved up from the double cheeseburger to the 3×3, you now have to decide how full you are. Do you still have a little void in your stomach (or maybe in your heart?) If so, you may be ready to step up once again to the 4×4. Simply put, the 4×4 is a quadruple cheeseburger. Enjoy it, but be warned that you may get some looks from the crowd.
Medium Rare
Have you ever noticed that burgers in fast food are typically well done? This usually isn’t something that most people think about, but many states force burgers to be well done by law.
For some In-n-Out locations, this law isn’t in place, so feel free to order your burger a little less than well done. If that is your thing, In-n-Out will try to make it work for you.
Root Beer Float
Root Beer is that drink that is pretty polarizing, but for many it has a nostalgic feel to it from your childhood. If you like Root Beer, In-n-Out is one of the few restaurants that serves up the drink. They also happen to have ice cream on hand from their famous shakes.
With all the right ingredients in place, go ahead and ask for a root beer float. If you aren’t familiar with a float, it is simply ice cream with root beer added in. Not a root beer fan? Go ahead and try a Coke or Dr. Pepper float. There surely is something that will strike your fancy here!
