7 Items You Might Want To Avoid Ordering At In-N-Out

If you know what to get at In-N-Out Burger, you are in for one of the best fast food meals of your life. This West Coast chain makes excellent burgers like the Double-Double and tops them all with onions done in the style of your choice with their legendary spread. You can only find these tasty and still inexpensive burger joints in the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, and Oregon, but foodies who visit from out of state always make sure to put an In-N-Out stop on their list. 

At first glance, the menu at In-N-Out Burger is relatively tiny. But the California-based chain is known for being one of the first to have a fast food secret menu, where many of the most popular fast food secret items are hiding. These days, secret menu options like the animal style are advertised online and in stores as part of the menu, but there are still plenty of unlisted items that you can order just by knowing what to say. 

However, some things from In-N-Out are not worth the cost to your wallet or your daily calorie count. Whether it be for nutritional or taste reasons, these seven items are ones to stay away from on your next trip to In-N-Out Burger.

So, here is a full disclaimer before jumping into this disappointing item. In-N-Out does not serve an official veggie burger or any alternative meat products. Yet, fresh ingredients are one of the self-appointed pillars that In-N-Out credits to its success as a franchise. Despite petitions for the chain to include a vegan-friendly or veggie burger option, it doesn't seem like that is in the cards for In-N-Out. However, if you go to a location and order a veggie burger, here is what you will wind up getting.

The "veggie" burger on the *actual* secret menu at In-N-Out is just lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and the chain's signature spread between two hamburger buns. You can get it without the spread to make it vegan (even more flavorless). Essentially, this is a burger that lacks protein, making it a regrettable choice for pretty much anyone. Instead of including a substitute, this item simply removes the burger patty. First We Feast ranks it as the worst item on the menu, calling it "an unpleasant experience."

If you are a vegetarian, you will be happier trying the fan-favorite grilled cheese sandwich, also on the secret menu. Unfortunately, this still doesn't leave many options for vegans.

Here is another item that is not explicitly on the menu, but it's easy to see why people might ask for it. If someone can't eat cheese or doesn't like veggies, for example, they may ask for a plain hamburger, but they may not get something as flavorful as they wanted.

Often ranked at the bottom of the burger barrel, the plain hamburger is a cheap, boring, and not very nutritious option. Unless the In-N-Out team member behind the register asks you otherwise, ordering a plain burger will result in getting a slab of meat on a bun. This is what we consider one of the items to avoid — at least get some veggies and sauce on there if you can. They don't cost anything, so you aren't saving any money by getting this burger.

However, even a plain hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and onion doesn't compare to the rest of the highlights of the In-N-Out menu. If you can eat the cheese and spread, it's an essential part of the experience.

Once upon a time, the 3X3 and 4X4 were on the infamous secret menu at In-N-Out. These days, the 4X4 is one of the sandwiches advertised on the website's Not So Secret menu section. An evolution of the iconic 2X2 (or Double-Double), this burger monstrosity includes four patties stacked high between four slices of cheese. Onions and veggies are optional. 

You might want to steer clear of the 4X4 (naturally, called the Quad Quad) for a number of reasons. Some consider the 4X4  one of the worst fast food menu items because of its large portion size. If you include the secret menu items in the mix, the 4X4 is the most expensive and caloric item you can get at In-N-Out. For nutritional reasons and the high price compared to everything else on the menu, this behemoth is probably best left to your mind's eye. Your stomach and wallet can opt for the 3X3 instead, which is still quite the undertaking.

The fries from In-N-Out Burger have long been the subject of controversy. If you ask haters of the chain (perhaps people on the East Coast), they will decry the fries from the chain for being flavorless and soggy. While the quality may vary between perspectives, In-N-Out's fries are consistently ranked as one of the worst fast food items to order. So, let's dish about french fries.

Something to avoid when it comes to getting tasty potatoes at In-N-Out is ordering plain fries. There are numerous ways to improve In-N-Out's standard fry. For starters, you can ask to get them well done, resulting in crispier fries. On top of well done fries, you can upgrade to Animal Style, which will top your (now fortified) fries with cheese, spread, and grilled onions. Another good option is ordering cheese fries. Anything besides plain french fries will be a serious upgrade over the limp mediocrity of the standard In-N-Out fry.

One of the stranger menu items to grace In-N-Out's secret menu has got to be the Flying Dutchman. Not immediately identifiable by its creative name, this "burger" is not a sandwich whatsoever. The Flying Dutchman is just two cheese slices between two beef patties — no bun or toppings. Straight up one of the worst items on the menu, The Flying Dutchman is missing everything that makes In-N-Out worth the calories.

The Flying Dutchman lacks fresh and flavorful components that make the In-N-Out Burger special. Sure, you get twice the meat and cheese, but at what cost? The Flying Dutchman is ultimately an unappealing option. If you are looking for a low-carb or gluten-free option at the chain, you can always go with the popular, secret menu option Protein Style, which will wrap your sandwich in lettuce instead of the typical burger bun.

Aside from some of the excessive options on the secret menu, the most caloric item on the regular In-N-Out menu actually isn't a burger. It is the sugar-loaded strawberry shake which is probably the most unhealthy item on the menu — especially if you order a large. Considering it has by far the most calories, it may be best to avoid ordering a large strawberry shake from In-N-Out. In fact, large shakes are not even on the menu, but like most items at the chain, it lives on the secret menu. 

For some reason, the strawberry shake has double the amount of sugar found in the vanilla and chocolate shakes. This is, of course, not counting the secret menu's Neapolitan shake, which is a mix of all three. And while the chocolate shake isn't that far behind in calories, strawberry takes the cake. If strawberry is your flavor of choice and you are unswayed in that position, we suggest getting a regular size. It's plenty of ice cream for one day.

Did you know you can get coffee at In-N-Out Burger? If you said no, that's okay. Most of us don't. You are probably just fine to keep living the rest of your life without ordering this fast food coffee. Not that you would expect a non-breakfast chain to serve good coffee, but given the standard of quality In-N-Out holds its ingredients to, you would think it stands a chance at brewing a decent cup of joe. We are sad to report this is not the case.

In 2022, Thrillist did a ranking of fast food coffees, where they sampled 11 brews from 11 different fast food joints. In-N-Out ranked last on that list, below chains like Burger King and Carl's Jr. When it came to the coffee at In-N-Out, the write-up said, "The chain prides itself on high-quality ingredients, so we know it's not just heating up water and dropping food coloring in it. But that's what it tastes like."

Ouch. It sounds like you will need to fill your caffeine craving elsewhere before stopping by for your Double-Double and Animal Style fries.