It’s true that In-N-Out is perhaps one of the most highly regarded fast-food burger brands in the entire world. People consider themselves lucky if they live or work within driving distance of an In-N-Out location. Some of the burgers here are simply fantastic. 

But not everything is equally good in the In-N-Out menu. If you wish to avoid the more mediocre treats, then avoid the following menu items: 

The Fries

In the actual secret menu for In-N-Out, there are several ways of modifying the French fries. There’s pouring lots of melted cheese, or insisting that they cook the fries well-done. You can order Animal Fries, which adds lots of melted cheese plus the signature sauce and caramelized onions. There’s even the Roadkill version, which adds crumbled bits of beef patty on top of the Animal Fries. 

All these are ways to avoid just having the regular fries, because those regular fries are, in the opinion of most people, just bad. Plenty of experts consider these fries among the worst for texture and taste. Some people outright hate these fries. 

You wouldn’t know it, if you just rely on the In-N-Out description. In-N-Out insist that the fries come straight from the farm and then cut individually. They’re then cooked in 100% sunflower oil, which is presumably a cleaner oil than the regular frying oil. 

A few apologists believe that these things aren’t all that bad, and that they only suffer from comparison with some of the legendary In-N-Out burger options. But even these fans consider these French fries average at best. 

So, what should you do? You can always just enjoy your favorite In-N-Out burger without the fries. But if you think that the burger and fries pairing is simply imperative, then order your burger for takeout, and then get to a McDonald’s (or any other burger joint) and get their fries. It’s basically a sure thing that those other fries will be better. 

The In-N-Out Hamburger

A hamburger costs $2.50, and the low price is among the reasons why In-N-Out is so famous. You’re really getting your money’s worth. But low price aside, you may want to avoid the burger. That’s because even if it’s good, there are just many better options in the menu. 

With the burger, you get the sponge dough buns, that’s nice and fluffy. You get a single thin beef patty, with lettuce, tomato, and the In-N-Out spread. You can have onions as well, and you can pick whether they’re raw or grilled. 

This is a very basic burger. Mind you, it may just be as good as what you can get at Burger King or McDonald’s. But picking this basic burger defeats the real purpose of visiting an In-N-Out. You’ll want something legendary, and this is just run-of-the-mill. 

In other words, it’s looking over all the available ice cream flavors at Ben & Jerry’s or at Baskin-Robbins, and then finally settling down with the vanilla flavor. Like the vanilla ice cream, the In-N-Out burger may not be all that bad, and may even be comfortingly familiar. But seriously, try to be more adventurous, okay? 

4×4

This is part of the Not So Secret Menu listed on the In-N-Out website. The name refers to how it comes with 4 beef patties, along with 4 slices of American cheese. And with all that meat and gooey cheese, you also get the spread, onion, tomato, and lettuce. 

The first problem with this gargantuan burger is that it’s extremely difficult to eat without making a mess. Add all these ingredients, and it’s just too tall. A lot of people just can open their jaws wide enough to accommodate the height of the thing. 

Even holding the entire concoction is problematic. It’s hard to keep everything inside the buns, especially when you take a bite. Just might end up eating this on a plate, with a knife and fork. 

Doctors hate the 4×4 as well. As you might imagine, it comes with too many calories, along with huge amounts of saturated fat. The sodium content here is higher than the recommended sodium intake for the whole day, even for those without hypertension issues. 

The Cheeseburger

Yes, this is better than the basic burger. While cheese aficionados don’t really have many good things to say about American cheese, this type of cheese proves its worth when added to a burger. It just upgrades any sort of burger out there. 

The main issue, however, is that it only comes with a single beef patty. That alone doesn’t really provide a good balance with the fixings. Add the cheese, and you might just wonder where the beef flavor went. The cheese flavor just overpowers the beef.