Since it started the drive-thru craze when it opened its first location in Los Angeles 75 years ago, In-N-Out has become a bedrock of California food culture, inspiring cross-country road trips and hosting Academy Award winners for a post-ceremony munch.
In-N-Out, founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder in a 100-square-foot space at Francisquito and Garvey in Baldwin Park, has expanded to 282 locations across the Golden State.
Its consistent no-frills menu has changed very little over the years—the double-double wasn’t introduced until 1963, which is probably why the restaurant’s “secret menu” has become such a big part of In-N-Out lore.
While food hacks may feel like a modern phenomenon, In-N-Out has long embraced customizations of its food offerings—the first animal-style burger was prepared in 1961 in response to customer requests, and its online “Not So Secret” menu is available for everyone to see.
But that just skims the surface of all the customizations you can order.
Here’s everything you need to know to order off In-N-Out’s secret menu like a pro and perfect your burger order.
3×3
Double Double not doing it for you? The 3×3 ups the ante by delivering a burger with three beef patties and three slices of cheese.
4×4
Ordering a 4×4 gets you a burger that looks like a small house, thanks to its four beef patties and four cheese slices. You can go up to a 4×6 to get six slices of cheese. But to really go YOLO and add even more beef patties for a 5×5 or anything bigger, you’ll have to order the extra patties with cheese on the side and add the stuff yourself into the 4×4. Good luck. Have fun.
Animal style
“Animal style” basically means adding cheese, grilled onions, and spread sauce to your order. Animal-style fries, for example, come with melted cheese, grilled onions, and spread sauce on top. Animal-style burgers come with lettuce, tomato, a beef patty grilled in mustard, pickles, grilled onions, and extra spread sauce. You can even get an animal-style grilled cheese, which is basically the animal-style burger minus the beef patty.
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Black and white shake
A shake with vanilla and chocolate. Note that you can also ask for vanilla-strawberry or chocolate-strawberry.
Cheese fries
Fries served with melted cheese on top. A good option for folks who like their fries to be more savory but don’t like spread sauce or grilled onions.
Chopped chilis
This customization option adds bright yellow-green cascabella peppers that In-N-Out offers on the side into your burger in chopped form. This is a good option if adding whole chilis is a bit too much and you want milder heat.
Cold cheese
Instead of melted cheese, this adds a slice of unmelted cheese to your burger.
Double meat
This is an In-N-Out burger with two patties. Unlike the Double Double listed on the menu, the Double Meat does not come with cheese.
Extra everything
Do you want more in life? Asking for “extra everything” will get you a burger with extra lettuce, tomato, onion, spread, pickles, and chilis for good measure. This is for folks who want to have their cake, er, or burger and eat it, too.
Flying Dutchman
In-N-Out’s Flying Dutchman comes with two slices of melted cheese sandwiched between two beef burger patties and nothing else. No bread. No lettuce. No onions. It’s almost like a deconstructed burger.
Fries well done
For some, In-N-Out’s fresh fries can be a tad too limp. To get them extra crispy, ask for them well done. If the well-done is too crispy, you can also ask for them to be light. If you want them even less crispy than normal, ask for Fries Lite. You can also ask for fries with no salt.
Grilled cheese
This is an In-N-Out burger without meat. It comes with two slices of melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread. A good option for vegetarians who can still eat dairy. For those who can’t, see the Wish Burger entry.
Grilled onions
This option replaces the fresh onions on your burger with grilled onions. The onions are caramelized, so they taste richer and sweeter. You can ask for your burger to have fresh and grilled onions simultaneously.
Medium rare
Yes, my dude (or dudette), you can order your burger patty at In-N-Out to be medium rare.
Mustard fried
A customization option that has a burger grilled with mustard and also adds pickles. It’s a lighter option to animal style that takes out the grilled onions and extra spread sauce.
Neapolitan shake
A shake with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
Protein style
This is a traditional In-N-Out burger with no buns. Instead, the burger is wrapped with lettuce. A popular option for people following a keto diet.
Root beer float
It’s a dessert typically made with half root beer and half vanilla. You can further customize by letting staff know if you prefer to have more of one than the other. Just be mindful if it’s super busy, as it can be tricky to make and stressful for staff.
Wish burger
This goes beyond the grilled cheese by taking out the cheese altogether. So you have a “burger” with just vegetable fillings like lettuce, tomato, and onions. A good option for vegetarians who also don’t eat dairy. Other folks will wish for something else on the menu.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: The complete guide to In-N-Out’s secret menu: Here’s how to take your order to a new level
Reporting by Shelby Slade, Jason Hidalgo and Roseann Cattani, Arizona Republic / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
