World Tour: Double Double Animal Style – In-N-Out Burger, Las Vegas

In-N-Out burger is, to West coast America what Shake Shack and Five Guys are to the East coast. Fast food burgers, but with a difference. Nothing is ever frozen, everything is fresh and the fries are cut and made practically right in front of you. The meat is free from preservatives and additives too. There’s also a (not so) secret menu that you can order from. And it’s seriously cheap too, without skimping on quality. Simply put, In-N-Out is the king of fast food burger chains.

In fact, the food quality statement from In-N-Out’s website is worth posting here:

“Our commitment to quality starts with our hamburgers. And our burgers begin with our patties. We make them from fresh, 100% pure beef. They are free of additives, fillers and preservatives of any kind. But the focus on quality starts well before we deliver our hamburger patties to our stores. We own and operate our own patty-making facilities in Baldwin Park, California and Dallas, Texas. Since we only serve burgers, fries and drinks, making a high-quality hamburger patty is everything to us.”

Located off the Las Vegas strip, it’s possible to walk to In-N-Out, although it’s not recommended. You’ll need to cross a few very busy freeways and it’s not the nicest of walks either. We stayed at the MGM Grand and got a taxi right outside the front entrance to In-N-Out and it cost us $6. Save yourself the walk and just jump in a taxi – it only takes a couple of minutes to get there and you’ll be glad you did.

The menu is VERY small. There are three burgers to choose from, fries and a couple of milkshakes. You’ve probably heard about the secret menu at In-N-Out too, so if you order a ‘Double-Double’ like we did, make sure you ask for it ‘Animal Style’ too. Even though it’s not listed on the menu, asking for a ‘Double-Double Animal Style’ will lead you to the In-N-Out holy grail. Asking for your burger to be done this way will get you everything that comes on the burger as standard, plus pickles, extra burger sauce, grilled onions, and mustard fried into each patty. If you’re wondering if it’s worthwhile asking for Animal Style, DO IT! You need it in your life. If you want an even bigger burger, you can also ask for your Double Double in 3×3 and 4×4 varieties, but remember they’re not on the standard menu. Other secret menu items include ‘Animal Fries’ and a grilled cheese sandwich.

We opted for the Double Double and asked for Animal Style. We also ordered a portion of regular fries and a large soft drink. When you place your order, you get a ticket and wait for your number to be called. Even though the place was packed, we didn’t have to wait long for our food.

The Double Double consists of a double patty, double American cheese, lettuce, tomato and In-N-Out spread. As mentioned, we went Animal style too, so it also came with the pickles, extra sauce, grilled onions and the the patties were mustard-fried. All of this was served on a slightly-sweetened toasted bun. The food comes on bright red trays and the burgers peek out of In-N-Out branded wrappers.

The mustard-fried patties were fantastic. The beef was jam packed full of flavour, with the mustard piercing through only to be mellowed slightly by the In-N-Out spread. The patties were nice and charred on the outside and very, very juicy. I hesitated on ordering the 3×3 or 4×4 Animal Style, but wish I had now. This burger was demolished quickly. The smashed patties, cheese, grilled onions and sauce were all melted together perfectly and the burger delivered just the right amount of crunch along with an extremely satisfying gloopy texture, created from everything being melted together so well for that classic ‘dirty burger’ feel.

I have to mention the salad and vegetables too. These are often treated like an after-thought, especially when it comes to fast food joints, but these tasted fresh, with a lovely crunch. Definitely a higher quality than you’d expect to find on a $3.30 burger.

What about the fries? Oh man, the fries! Remember the old KP potato chip stick crisps that you used to get, many years ago? Well the fries at In-N-Out reminded me of them. These fries were light, with a rather unusual, yet extremely satisfying crunch. It’s hard to explain the taste and texture, but they were cooked perfectly and I immediately regretted not ordering more. Probably the best fast food fries I’ve ever tasted.

In-N-Out was so good that we almost grudged paying upwards of $15-$16 for other burgers on the Strip after our visit. At around $6 for the burger, fries and drink, you won’t find anything better. And you’ll want to go back again and again. I know that when we visit Las Vegas (or anywhere on the West coast) again, it’ll be our first stop. Without a doubt the best fast food burger joint around and the best burger that we got to try during our time in Las Vegas. Highest possible recommendation.

Price: $3.30 (Fries $1.60 extra)

SUMMARY

+ Full of flavour.
+ Juicy.
+ Amazing value.
+ Great fries.

Have you tried this burger? Did you love it? If so, let us know!

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In-N-Out Burger
4888 Dean Martin Drive
3799 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas
NV 89103
Website: http://www.in-n-out.com/

LEGAL / COPYRIGHT INFORMATION James vs. Burger Photography by Pamela Graham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at http://www.jamesvsburger.com.