What To Order Your First Time At In-N-Out

Walking into In-N-Out for the first time can be a little overwhelming. Not because the menu is huge. In fact, quite the opposite. The burger chain keeps its official menu remarkably small, with just three main burgers: the Hamburger, Cheeseburger and Double-Double. Then there are fries, drinks and shakes, plus the famous “Not So Secret Menu” that lets customers customize their orders in all kinds of delicious ways.

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So, what should a first-timer actually order? Well, there are plenty of ways to build an In-N-Out meal, but you can’t go wrong with these menu items.

Double-Double Animal Style With Grilled Onions

The Double-Double Animal Style is the best way to start.

The regular Double-Double comes with two 100% beef patties, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, sauce, and onions. It’s already the signature In-N-Out burger, so there is no need to overcomplicate the first order with a 3×3 or 4×4.

Animal Style is where things get really interesting. In-N-Out’s official Not So Secret Menu says Animal Style burgers are made with mustard-cooked beef, pickles, extra sauce, and grilled onions.

For an even better version, you can get chopped chilies as an add-on, as they bring a little tangy heat to the rich burger.

The Fries Should Be Animal Style

For a first-time visitor, I don’t think plain fries show off the fun side of the menu nearly as well as Animal Style Fries.

Animal Style Fries come loaded with melted American cheese, grilled onions, and sauce.

It is a much richer version of the regular fries and the combination works particularly well alongside an Animal Style burger.

Wash It Down with Pink Lemonade

For a drink, Signature Pink Lemonade deserves more attention than it usually gets.

The burger and Animal Style Fries are rich, salty, and cheesy. Pink Lemonade brings a sweet, tart contrast that keeps the meal from feeling quite so heavy.

A soda is also perfectly fine, but Pink Lemonade feels like the more interesting first-visit choice.

Neapolitan Shake For Dessert

Instead of forcing a choice between chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, you can go for Neapolitan Shake. This secret-menu favorite combines all three flavors in one cup. The result is creamy, sweet and and packed with the classic flavors that In-N-Out uses for its regular shakes.

Since it’s not even on the Not So Secret menu, you can simply ask for a Neapolitan Shake with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. It’s a fitting way to end your first―but almost certainly, not last―meal at In-N-Out.