Burgers?! In N Out, Shake Shack or The Habit?

[Syndrome]

Since we are east coasters this one is easy .......
When "out West", it always, In N Out for us .......ALWAYS ! . Usually a Double Double Animal Style with well fries for me . Tried the Animal Style fries , they are ok, but prefer the fries plain .
When home on the East Coast , its 5 Guys . Usually a Jr. Cheeseburger is enough .......and the greasy "bag" of fries , lol . (its literately a brown paper bag full of fries, lol)
That said ..........
Burgers are pretty close , with 5 guys having a slight edge with a "fresher / greasier " tasting burger ? Five guys has superior "fresher" fries .
In N Out animal style Burgers are great . Prices are fantastic .........usually close to half the price of 5 guys when we order our "usually" .

Wish In N Out would make the jump to the east coast some day !

 

[Marshmelo]

1st Shake Shack - best tasting, best quality. Downside: line can be horrendous, it's probably the most expensive option.
2nd In n Out - 2nd best tasting, really good quality, relatively generous locations throughout so-cal. Downside: line can be horrendous, i agree fries need to be eaten right away.
3rd Five Guys - I do like eating here, but their beef is inferior to the above, but they make up for it by letting you add bacon/mayo/mushrooms/etc... so if you're a customizer, go to Five Guys. I also like their cajun fries.
4th Habit - I also like eating here, but this feels like it's too much sometimes. They have a really good grilled cheese if you have a picky eater that only eats grilled cheese.

The real winner? Earl of Sandwich. Cheapest/highest quality eats in Downtown Disney, and it's right next to the monorail station. I could eat their Holiday Turkey sandwich all day. Best of all, you can ubereats that to your hotel if you're off-site.

Thank you for your opinions! We have a 5 Guys 5 minutes from us and I tried it a couple times and don’t like it. We definitely plan to try Earl of Sandwich one day for lunch!

 

[Marshmelo]

A recent national poll had the following order
1) In n Out
2) Five Guys
3) Culver’s

Shake Shack was not on the list and I concur with this. I will take a Five Guy’s or a Culver’s burger over Shake Shack any time. I personally prefer Five Guys and Culver’s to In n Out.

Thanks! I LOVE Culver’s but hate 5 Guys. We have both right near our house.

 

[ardanxela]

I love Shake Shack, but unfortunately you'd need to go to LA or San Diego for that. They only started opening locations in southern CA in recent years, and don't yet have one in Anaheim or Orange County.

There's a Shake Shack in El Segundo not too far from LAX.

 

[MagicalMicycles]

In n Out, In n Out, In n Out. Absolutely cannot go wrong with In n Out. Do not ever listen to anyone who says that it's overrated, or not as good as it sounds, blah blah blah... Trust me, it's an amazing burger. Consistently good. There's a reason why it has long lines, lasting well into the night even on weekdays. Some people say that the fried are not good, but I've always found them to be very crispy, and just salty enough. I can understand when people say that they are a little greasy, but never to the point where they are soggy.

Now, The Habit is an okay burger. They tend to be a little saltier than most other places. Now, THEIR fries are soggy as hell. Don't order them. Instead, get their Tempura Green Beans as your side. Trust me, those things are probably the best thing on the menu at Habit. Going back to the burger, get it on sourdough bread rather than the traditional sesame seed bun. When it's on the sourdough, aside from tasting better, it also comes in a nice plactic container rather than just a wrapper. I prefer it that way so that the cheese and things don't get stuck to the paper. Is Habit as good as In n Out? Not by a long shot. Is it at least cheaper? No. However, the thing that does give it room to stand up against In n Out is the fact that Habit has a bit more variety on the menu.

I can't speak for Shake Shack, but if you'd like to go there, since you'll be coming up to Fuddruckers anyways, I think that there is one in Universal City Walk.

I take it you are familiar with Fuddruckers, so I won't try to sway you either way. I think it's a good burger and is definitely worth a visit... as long as you also eat at In n Out at least once while you are here.

 

[MagicalMicycles]

In N Out fries are an insult to fries. True garbage, in my opinion.

I've seen this opinion a lot, and I must ask... where are these In n Outs with soggy or bad fries? I live in Los Angeles, specifically the San Fernando Valley. I've eaten at a majority of the In n Outs in L.A. and I've never, ever had a batch of soggy fries. I've seen a few limp ones from time to time, but I almost always have a good boat of cripsy, just salty enough fries from In n Out. In fact, they're practically the only fries I eat. Never from Carl's Jr., never from Burger King, rarely from McDonalds, and almost never from most other places, but I love In n Out's fries and I always seem to have an opposite experience than the majority. I've practically gone on a quest, LOOKING for bad In n Out fries and I can never find them. So I must ask, where do you live? Where do you go? I'm genuinely curious as to where people are eating their In n Out with the bad fries, because they're certainly not in L.A.

 

[Sunclytie]

In N Out all the way. And the secret to getting good fries there is to order them well done.

 

[lauritagoddess]

We have Five Guys and Shake Shack by us, and for the burger I would always choose Shake Shack, but for fries, it's Five Guys. Five Guys fries are amazing. But that said, if I'm going to the West Coast, it's always In N Out because we can't get it on the East Coast.

 

[DLgal]

I've seen this opinion a lot, and I must ask... where are these In n Outs with soggy or bad fries? I live in Los Angeles, specifically the San Fernando Valley. I've eaten at a majority of the In n Outs in L.A. and I've never, ever had a batch of soggy fries. I've seen a few limp ones from time to time, but I almost always have a good boat of cripsy, just salty enough fries from In n Out. In fact, they're practically the only fries I eat. Never from Carl's Jr., never from Burger King, rarely from McDonalds, and almost never from most other places, but I love In n Out's fries and I always seem to have an opposite experience than the majority. I've practically gone on a quest, LOOKING for bad In n Out fries and I can never find them. So I must ask, where do you live? Where do you go? I'm genuinely curious as to where people are eating their In n Out with the bad fries, because they're certainly not in L.A.

I think people are misusing the term "soggy." I would say sometimes the fries can feel softer than many are used to, because they lack that outer "crust" that comes from the aforementioned chemical soak that many fast food fries undergo that makes them have a very crispy outside. I have had fries at In n Out that feel soft when you bite into them, but that usually only happens to the ones at the bottom of the tray, or if you take the food to go and you close the bag, steaming them. A quick pop into the toaster oven back home at 400 degrees brings them back to crispy life when we have gone to the drive thru on occasion. This is a normal occurrence for FRESH fried potatoes. They will be crispy immediately out of the fryer, but will limp up after awhile.

I don't imagine people actually mean soggy in the way of being grease soaked or actually wet.

 

[GeneralTso]

Oh gosh....In n Out for sure! The others are more available elsewhere.

 

[SeattleTink]

I'm going against the grain here, I love The Habit Burgers. I have had In n Out many, many times, and used to live in CA. I know how to "order" from their menu, and overall, I just like Habit better. Their burgers are delicious and the fries are so much better, IMHO. I am not a fan of In n Out fries, and when I order them crispy they are over done.

But, like everything in life - this is just my opinion and the best plan is to go to BOTH! I mean you are on vacation....enjoy and then decide for yourself

 

[KPeterso]

Our family prefers The Habit. Great burgers and love the grilled cheese or onion rings too. Also sweet potato fries.

I have tried In-n-Out several times and just do not care for it. We find it seriously overrated. My friends all say it is because I am not here originally that I do not care for it, but it is just meh at best to me.

 

[pahoben]

We have Five Guys and Shake Shack by us, and for the burger I would always choose Shake Shack, but for fries, it's Five Guys. Five Guys fries are amazing. But that said, if I'm going to the West Coast, it's always In N Out because we can't get it on the East Coast.

For me a Five Guys burger with mustard onions and pickles is 850 calories of pure delicious.

I went into a Five Guys a month ago and ordered this burger and the order taker said-We are out of pickles. I asked-How in the world is a hamburger restaurant out of pickles? He just smiled and shrugged. I canceled my order. When it comes to a burger I just don’t have any flexibility.

 

[DLgal]

For me a Five Guys burger with mustard onions and pickles is 850 calories of pure delicious.

I went into a Five Guys a month ago and ordered this burger and the order taker said-We are out of pickles. I asked-How in the world is a hamburger restaurant out of pickles? He just smiled and shrugged. I canceled my order. When it comes to a burger I just don’t have any flexibility.

In n Out has pickles and mustard too. Just so everyone knows. Just ask for it!

 

[asumom]

We love Habit Burger! For us, much better than In and Out. We haven't tried Shake Shack. Habit Burger has toasted buns, yum. I also like the tempura fried green beans instead of french fries.

 

[AustinTink]

In-n-Out in California is out of this world good. We have In-n-Out in Texas, but it doesn't taste the same. In Texas, I'd vote for Shake Shack, a truly juicy delicious burger and their chicken sandwich is the bomb also. In Cali, I'd vote for In-n-Out. Can't beat a classic.

 

[tink89]

If you have never tried any i would say for sure In N out. I have all three here in the bay area but almost never go to The habit or Shake shack. In n out is the favorite.

 

[yetiowine]

I don't even have to read the whole thread --> In n Out

I like a #2 animal style without the sauce. It gets you grilled onions, mustard and pickles

 

[disneychrista]

In & Out.

Never had Shake Shack. Tried Habit once and wasn't that impressed.

 

[FCDub]

I've seen this opinion a lot, and I must ask... where are these In n Outs with soggy or bad fries? I live in Los Angeles, specifically the San Fernando Valley. I've eaten at a majority of the In n Outs in L.A. and I've never, ever had a batch of soggy fries. I've seen a few limp ones from time to time, but I almost always have a good boat of cripsy, just salty enough fries from In n Out. In fact, they're practically the only fries I eat. Never from Carl's Jr., never from Burger King, rarely from McDonalds, and almost never from most other places, but I love In n Out's fries and I always seem to have an opposite experience than the majority. I've practically gone on a quest, LOOKING for bad In n Out fries and I can never find them. So I must ask, where do you live? Where do you go? I'm genuinely curious as to where people are eating their In n Out with the bad fries, because they're certainly not in L.A.

All over the place. LAX, Brentwood, Studio City, even in Vegas. Never had good fries without getting them well done.