Agreed, I went to one in Bakersfield, CA. So freakin' good compared to regular fast food.

Whataburger? As a fmr Houston resident I feel uniquely qualified to say it's not even close to in and out. the freshness, the product quality, the service. All behind In and Out IMHO. The shake is is good though. Perhaps just a little below In and Out.

If Houston is in Texas, which it is ;), then is rhink Brazier is in TX. Their burgers are pretty awful. The Hawaiian Blizzard, however, is excellent...if properly mixed!

I think the reaction to this perception is a leading cause of In and Out bashing. It's the old "I-liked-what-you-like-now-ten-years-ago" or "I-never-llike-anything-that's-too-popular" mentality.

I've never understood how Whataburger stays in business. The absolute nastiest soggiest mess of a chain burger I've ever had. McDonalds is 10 times better and that's not saying much. Wendys could be a very close second to In-N-Out if they used In-N-Out's buns and sauce. Must.have.the.secret.sauce. , and must have the right toasted bun.

"1. EVERY city has better burger places than In N Out. i like Balls' hamburgers in dallas for my "every city has better burger places" but i know that even dallas people have places they like better."

Every city, without fail, has a burger better than that? Care to back up that premise? Have you eaten burgers at each and every city in America? If so, that's a lot of burgers. If not, upon what do you base this premise? Please provide the data.

"2. focusing on chain burger places to be somewhat fair to In N Out - whataburger is multiple times better than In N Out which i personally find average at best."

Multiple times better? Somehow I doubt you know what to order at In N Out. Whataburger is a good burger, but I don't think its as good. Most people who aren't impressed with In N Out just don't know what to order. I'm not about to help them out either as it'd lead to me having to wait longer.

"3. DQ is multpile times better than In N Out but not quite as good as whataburger. *** IMPORTANT *** brazier runs a lot of the DQ franchises and they SUCK. it's not the same as the texas DQ locations. if you see double cheeseburger on the menu, RUN. i don't know if it's the sole indicator, but only order DQ if you see hungerbusters, beltbusters, etc on the menu. that's another reason why i like whatburger - never had a bad one. i know that DQ in So Cal for example tastes like a bad mcdonald's burger. i have no idea why there is such a sharp contrast, but BH should rip the franchises from brazier."

I love my Dairy Queen don't get me wrong, but you have to be ****ing kidding me if you think that DQ is better. They have good burgers and I'm particularly fond of the Flamethrower, but it's nowhere near as good. I actively seek out In N Out burgers when I'm in that part of the country.

"4. i would put wendys above In N Out, too. i don't hate In N Out, but the bang-to-hype ratio is severely out of whack. chances are if i end up at wendys or In N Out it's b/c i don't have any other choices."

Wendy's is meh. They make their burgers with good quality, but I'm always bored by them for some reason. The side dishes can be good, but their burgers just aren't that great. I'd go for a whopper over a Wendy's burger any day.

"5. chik fil a gets my vote over all of these places. Catman and others have extolled the greatness of the original chicken sandwich, but i can't post without mentioning what is by far the best fast food i know. i almost like the fact that there are few chik fil a locations here b/c i enjoy it that much more; however, there's one near my school (where i teach) and near the airport (where i spend too much time), so i get plenty of chik fil a."

Never had it but I'll have to try. You do know that we're talking about burger places here and a chicken sandwich is not a burger.

I'd assume that as a Texan you'd not compare chicken to beef?

I remember them as being the best but its been a long time since I've had one. I better make another trip to California.

In DC, that would describe FIVE GUYS. This local chain expanded very rapidly and the quality of the food dropped just as quickly. Once their burgers were good, now they are a nasty greasy mess. If you don't believe me, go ahead and try one when you are traveling through DC - there are locations airside at both Dulles and Reagan airports. I am sure the majority will agree with me.

I had the pleasure to visit the Dean Martin Drive location of In-N-Out Burger in Las Vegas just last week and the burgers were absolutely perfect - very fresh and tasty. The fries were just average, but still good enough for me.

Chic-fil-a ---off topic thread hijack warning--- makes the absolute best fried chicken sandwiches. The new McD's "Southern Style" chix is bad.

In-n-out is pretty good when animal style for sure.

Whataburger--have been pleased with them every time.

Ahh, but White Spot with extra Triple-O sauce . . . hmmm

I had one at IAD last Thursday morning for breakfast. First I'll note that the food was coming up at an excruciatingly slow rate. Also, and this is something of a question, why do they crush the bun by wrapping the burgers so tight in foil?

I am an unashamed In-N-Out addict. When I am in California or Las Vegas, I go to www.in-n-out.com to find the closest one, if I don't already know where it is. And I will go miles out of my way to find one. I get the same thing almost every time I go: double-double animal style, fries, and spread on the side (for the fries). Occasionally, I will get my d-d animal style and protein style. I have never had my fries well-done, because I think they are fine the way they are. We're going to San Francisco this weekend, so I might have to try them that way. I have even turned my partner husband into an In-N-Out addict, as evidenced by our dinner at one the day after our marriage in SF.

In the Tampa Bay area, we have Five Guys, Whataburger, Fatburger, Steak and Shake, Krystal (like White Castle), and the other usual suspects. Every time I have been to Five Guys, the burger has been more like a foil-wrapped blob of bread, toppings, and meat than a burger. Their fries are outstanding, though. Fatburger and Steak and Shake are the only ones that I consider reasonable substitutes for In-N-Out, but they really don't come close, IMO.

In-n-out is awesome, but there is an inherent limit in how awesome it can be being a fast food burger.

I guess, but there are a few of us who prefer a SoCal style thin patty 'fast-food' hamburger over any other type. Even grilling at home, long ago I quit the 'hand formed monster patty' in favor of thin 80% 1/4 pound pre-formed patties. 2 or 3 of the thin trumps one thick every time.

There are TONS of better burgers than In-N-Out in the greater SoCal area. But I have never had a better burger than In-N-Out outside of the West coast.

I have to admit what make in-out burger not only the simple menu and Delicious burger , but also the french fries that makes it outstanding.

As far as fast food locations not currently operating in Pittsburgh go, I'd rate it behind Culver's and ahead of Jack in the Box. But all 3 are better than anything we have here.

We need Culver's in Pittsburgh.

Coming from a neutral East coaster.. In-N-Out is okay..but Fatburger is MUCH better ^