Out of all the different burger joints, the most I ever heard about overseas was the In and Out burgers typically found in California, or at least the west coast. They are known for the freshness and not shipping meat in from factories, hence haven’t made a huge nationwide rollout to all other parts of the US or the world. The other thing they are well known for are the secret menu combinations although I failed to remember any of them when we ordered.

We went along to the one by Fisherman’s Wharf since we were in the area. As we found a table, I found it surprising that for a fast-food joint, this store almost appeared like an oasis of calm. No crazy crowds, things were clean and bright and things just seemed to be pipe along instead of the crazy atmosphere you typically find in a place with Golden Arches. Perhaps it’s because they don’t go overboard on the menu and the secret is a pretty limited menu including burgers (plain, cheese and double cheese burgers), fries and drinks. No bacon. No desserts. No happy meals.

I probably should have skipped the shake with my meal as a double cheeseburger and shake combo (fries included), whilst cheap, was significantly crazy with calories. I have to love the US for forcing large chains to put calorific information on the menu. Whilst it didn’t change my purchase on the day, I would definitely avoid doing this even more than once a month with the total calorific input summing to about 1700 calories.

The burger was pretty decent. Wonderfully melty American style burger cheese and a great special sauce with onions, tomato and lettuce. The fries were probably the biggest let down that started off nice and fresh and crisp but quickly tasted a bit bland. A good thing too as it was a disincentive to eat valueless calories.

Name: In-n-out Burger
Found at: 333 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, United States
Website: http://www.innout.com/