Gallery: In-N-Out Burger Secret Menu Guide

The Guide to In-N-Out's Secret Menu

5 Different Burgers

Think you know every In-N-Out burger variant on the menu? Think again.

Plain Burger, No-Toast Bun

Buns come toasted by default, and burgers come medium-well by default. You can, of course, request that your bun come "no toast" like this one, or...

Medium Rare Cheeseburger, Extra-Toasted Bun

..."extra toast" like this to help protect it from that burger juice. Say the magic words "medium rare," and any burger can be cooked so that it retains a nice pink center. Don't worry, the patty still manages to form some of that signature In-N-Out brown crust. Want to customize that patty further? Just ask to have it...

Mustard Grilled

...grilled in mustard. Just say "mustard grilled," and after cooking the first side, the cook will squirt some mustard onto the top of the patty before flipping it so that it sizzles into the meat on the grill. It's so good that I've started doing it myself at home. That said, there are those rare moments in life when all you want to savor is the...

Grilled Cheese

...cheese. Order a "grilled cheese," and what you get is a soft toasted In-N-Out bun with two slices of American cheese beautifully melted in between. I like to eat these with pickles. If you ask for it, you can even get the standard lettuce, tomato, and raw onion slices stacked inside. But for my burgers, I prefer to top them with...

Grilled Onions

...caramelized onions. Cooked down in the collected meat juices on the hot griddle, ask for these "grilled onions" to add a sweet and savory kick to every bite. If you don't like them chopped so fine and want your burger to have an even stronger onion flavor, you might want to instead opt for...

Whole Grilled Onion

...a "whole grilled onion." Thomas, my ever-so-friendly cashier said that this was his favorite, describing the flavor as "almost diner-like." I've got to concur. It's fantastic.

What's that you say? Got a hankering for something hot? No problem! Just ask for...

Chopped Chiles

...chiles. You can request any burger with "chopped chiles," and a sprinkling of extraordinarily hot chopped sport peppers will be added to the bottom bun. If you don't trust 'em and want to be able to monitor your own heat level, just ask for...

Chilis On The Side

..."chiles on the side," and you'll receive a plastic packet with two whole pickled peppers in it. I'm no amateur when it comes to heat, but biting one of these diminutive fire-bombs in half nearly brought me to tears. Not for the faint-hearted!

Those who want to mix up the flavor of their condiments without setting fire to their throats might instead want to just ask to...

Mustard or Ketchup

..."add mustard" or "add ketchup." I was surprised when I found that you can opt out of the delicious Thousand Island-style spread and instead go for the more familiar red and yellow squirts. And In-N-Out, anything goes, even if that means...

3 x 3, 4 x 4, 2 x 4, 4 x 2, and Everything In Between

...an unusual meat to cheese ratio. Everyone knows that a cheeseburger is one patty, one slice of cheese, while a Double-Double is two patties, two slices of cheese. But did you know that you can order a three patty, three cheese sandwich or four patty, four cheese sandwich by asking for a "three by three" or a "four by four"?

Or how about a "two by four" (pictured)—that's two patties, four slices of cheese—or for true cheese loves, a "one by four"? If you prefer more meat and less cheese, you can of course ask for a "four by two." And if you're really odd, you can get any slice of cheese...

For those of you asking, they used to accommodate sandwiches larger than 4 by 4 (check out a 100 x 100!), but no longer do.

Four-By-Two, Cold

...unmelted. All you've got to do is utter the passphrase "cold" when adding cheese to your sandwich. This one will earn you deservedly odd looks.

To get back in the good graces of the In-N-Out powers-that-be, go ahead and order the king of In-N-Out sandwiches, the...

Double-Double, Animal Style

...Double-Double, Animal Style. Requesting anything on the menu "animal style" automatically adds extra spread and grilled chopped onions. For burgers, it also means automatic mustard grilled patties, extra pickles, and extra deliciousness.

If for some reason you've decided to step into In-N-Out as a non-meat eater, no worries. You can also forgo all the beefiness for a simple...

Veggie Burger

...salad-in-a-bun. Known as a "veggie burger," or "wish burger" (as in, "I wish there was meat in this burger"), it's a toasted bun piled high with hand-leafed lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and onions, spread, and pickles upon request.

If you really love veggies and really hate carbs, you can also get your burger...

Protein Style

...wrapped in lettuce. Known as "protein style," this sandwich forgoes the bun in lieu of an extra large lettuce wrap. You can, of course, customize those patties in there any which way you'd like.

Some people prefer to keep their roughage and their meat in separate beds. If that adequately describes you, you might consider ordering a...

Side Salad

...salad on the side. Only a few of the deepest, inner-circle In-N-Out employees know what you mean when you say "side salad," but you can always hack your way to it by requesting extra lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on the side. It'll come tucked into a Double-double wrapper. Ask for an extra packet of spread, and you've got yourself a fully-seasoned daily-allowance of vegetables.

That should make you feel better about yourself when you tuck into a...

Flying Dutchman

...meat and cheese fest. It goes by the name of the "Flying Dutchman," and it's the ultimate Atkin's-friendly menu item. Two slices of cheese melted between two burger patties. No hippie vegetables, no wimpy buns, just pure protein and fat. Want to kick up the manliness by yet another factor? Ask for...

Flying Dutchman, Animal-Style

...Flying Dutchman to be served "Animal Style," and they'll add a scoop of diced onions to the cheese. Pickles and spread will come on the side, so you'll have to add them yourself, but the result definitely wins the award for messiest menu item of all time.

If just looking at something as sloppy as that gets on your OCPD nerves, you might want to try ordering your burger...

Cut in Half

...split neatly down the middle instead. Great for families with kids or chronic sharers, you can ask for any burger "cut in half," and they'll do just that, wrapping each neat half individually.

To wash down your totally-customized burger, you might want to consider a...

Neapolitan Shake

...milkshake. Normally, they've got chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Ask for a "Neapolitan," and you get all three. Of course, they can give you any combination of the three flavors that you'd like.

Not big into shakes? Perhaps you'd prefer a...

Root Beer Float

...float? The words "root beer float" will get you a cup full of root beer topped with a swirl of vanilla soft-serve. That just leaves us with the sides.

Everyone knows that In-N-Out's fries are notoriously bad despite being fresh cut in-house—it's because they only fry them once instead of the superior McDonald's-style double-fry. But there are ways to improve them. First you, you can get them...

Well Done

...extra crispy by saying "well done." The fries turn out more dry and crunchy than crispy with a fluffy center, but it's a definite improvement. If you're on the opposite end of the spectrum, you can also request your fries...

Light

..."light," where they'll come to your tray almost completely blond, limp, and greasy. I dunno. Some people like these, apparently. Cashier Thomas assures me that one customer regularly ordered "two minute" fries, which were still crunchy in the middle.

A much better way to improve your fries is to get them...

Cheese Fries

...with cheese. Order "cheese fries," and you'll get one or two slices of American cheese melted directly on top. Eat fast, because the cheese quickly coagulates into a firm sheet. If you want them even messier and tastier, you can get them...

Animal Style Fries

..."animal style." As with the burger, you'll get a scoop of cooked chopped onions, along with a ladleful of spread. Cheese also comes by default. You'll need a fork to eat these, and the key is to mix them up as soon as you get'em so that the cheese doesn't solidify before you reach it.

There is, unfortunately, one obvious customized sandwich that they won't make, and that's a burger with...

Fries Inside

...fries inside it. It's not an uncommon self-applied customization though. I saw two separate people doing it on my most recent visit to the restaurant.

If you want to enjoy your burgers with a bit more style, if you ask extra nice, you might be able to score an...

In-N-Out Hat

...In-N-Out Hat. It's paper, and it's fully customizable. I know, because I have the largest head of anyone I know (literally, if not figuratively). And of course, if you want your gear to match your new headpiece, all you've got to do is request some...

Stickers

...stickers. You can get either the classic In-N-Out crossed palm trees over a white background, or a 16-piece sticker-puzzle that features a couple of boys hiding behind a car and being very naughty indeed.

And that about sums it up. You are now officially a full-fledged member of the In-N-Out Super-Secret Menu Club. Now go forth and burgulate.