The Best Popular In-N-Out Secret Menu Item Hands-Down

In-N-Out holds an unusual distinction among fast food chains, because it's probably the only one where the best thing you can order isn't even on the menu; it's on the secret menu. Secret menus have become popular at several chains in recent years, but no big fast food spot has a history with them like In-N-Out, which has been serving up a known-by-regulars list of customizations since the 1960s. Over the years the list of In-N-Out secret menu items has expanded to include simple options like a grilled cheese to more unusual creations like the bun-less Flying Dutchman burger. But despite the myriad of unlisted options, the best In-N-Out secret menu item, and the best thing you can order at the chain period, remains the classic Animal Style Cheeseburger.

The Animal Style Cheeseburger takes the standard menu item, with one cheeseburger patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, and In-N-Out's house spread, and adds pickles, switches to mustard-grilled burgers, grilled onions instead of raw, and adds extra spread. Our taste tester ranked the Animal Style Cheeseburger number one for the simple reason that it includes the best of everything that In-N-Out offers. According to our reviewer, "There's a creamy, dairy note of cheese, a salty burger, along with the fresh ingredients of lettuce and tomato. There's that complex, slightly caramelized flavor of the grilled onion and the enticing, complex house sauce." But while you can get any burger option prepared as Animal Style at In-N-Out, the Double-Double (which includes an extra patty and cheese slice) might be an even better choice since the chain's relatively small burger patties can be overwhelmed when there is only one of them.

The Animal Style menu option is basically as old as the secret menu itself, being first prepared by the chain in 1961. The name comes not from how messy and packed the burger is, but from some of the first customers who ordered it. Back when the chain first opened, there used to be a group of rowdy, young In-N-Out regulars that would sometimes trash the parking lot and blast loud music from their cars, who the staff affectionately nicknamed "the animals." It was one of these customers who saw a then unnamed Animal Style burger being prepared by a cook for themselves, and asked to try one. The order became a quick favorite with the group, and the staff told them to just call it "Animal Style," when they ordered it.

It's not just our reviewer who loves this item. Reddit threads about customers' go-orders at In-N-Out are filled with people simply restating the Animal Style Cheeseburger (or Double-Double) over and over again. However, fans also have some choice suggestions for how to upgrade it even farther. Many highly recommend adding chopped chilis, as well, for a little kick of spice on your burger. Others note that you can ask for a whole grilled onion slice, which combines the caramelization of grilled onions with the crunch of raw. This just shows that the spirit of customization that created the original Animal Style burgers way back in the day is still going strong at In-N-Out, and even the best options can be improved upon.