5 Secret Menu Burgers You Can Order At In-N-Out

If you were born and raised in California, you know that the Golden State has one sacred rule: In-N-Out Burger is, far and away, the crowning jewel of the West Coast's fast food scene. If you attend college somewhere else or move away, every trip back home will begin with a meal of animal-style fries, melting into crisp, cheesy nostalgia with every sauce-slathered bite.

Still, sometimes being too attached to your usual order causes you to miss out on everything else that's out there. Even though In-N-Out does stick to just burgers and fries, there's a surprising number of fan-made and official variations that put a little spin on the meal you know and love. So whether you're a regular patron looking to switch things up, or an out-of-stater wanting to order like a local, here are a few not-so-secret menu items to try when the regular cheeseburger just isn't cutting it.

First on the docket is a meat lover's dream: the double meat, easily confused but distinct from the double-double, features two beef patties, lettuce, tomato, and spread on the typical bread bun, with the option of adding onions. In comparison, the double-double includes both double the meat and double the cheese. This might seem like a difference subtle enough that it needs no special name, but current and former In-N-Out employees disagree — there is reportedly no button on the cashier's terminal to remove cheese from an order after they've inputted it. Instead, they have to remove the burger and re-add it as a hamburger rather than as a cheeseburger. So if you're lactose intolerant or simply not a fan of American cheese, do your cashier a solid and order a double meat by name to spare them the trouble.

Are two patties just not enough for you? If you find it hard to fill up on a simple burger, these high-stacked burgers are made for you — if you can manage to take a bite. As implied by the name, the 3x3 comes with three meat patties and three slices of cheese on a bread bun, as well as the usual lettuce, tomato, spread, and onion accoutrements. The 4x4 is the same but with one more meat patty and one more piece of cheese. In the past, the chain even allowed larger stacks, but it's now limited to a max of four. However, you can order patties a la carte, so if you're craving more, order separately and manually build the burger stack of your dreams.

If you're a vegetarian, an avoider of red meat, or just not that hungry, In-N-Out's light but still delicious grilled cheese "burger" is a great secret menu option. Completely meatless, the grilled cheese features tomato, lettuce, optional onions, and two slices of cheese rather than the standard one, all tucked within a toasted bun. This is the polar opposite of the sky-high stacks of the 3x3 or 4x4, but if all you're looking for is a late-night treat, this might just hit the spot. This is also a good option for kids who can't finish a whole burger.

This option is not technically a burger in its own right but rather a common modification. Any burger you order "protein style" will come wrapped in lettuce rather than sandwiched between bread buns. This is especially popular among those trying to lower their carb intake, but even those not on a diet report enjoying the freshness and lightness that the lettuce wrap adds. Also, a pro tip from In-N-Out employees: Make sure you specify which burger you want (cheeseburger, hamburger, double-double, etc.) alongside a protein style request — simply asking for "the protein style" will leave your cashier with follow-up questions.

In the same way as protein style, animal style is a modification you can layer onto your order for any burger on the menu. In addition to the usual toppings, it adds pickles and extra sauce, swaps the regular raw onion rings for chopped, caramelized, grilled onions, and swaps out the typical beef patty for one that's mustard-grilled. These modifications somehow improve upon perfection, adding more texture and flavor that overlap to create a wonderfully balanced bite. And by the way, it's Chowhound-approved — those mustard burgers even topped our list of best In-N-Out secret menu items.

Officially, that about wraps up the secret menu burgers that In-N-Out offers — but there are a couple more common hacks that are establishment-approved and easy to request (just please don't try ordering these fake secret menu items). For one, you can always pick and choose which secret menu modifications you want. For example, you could order a double-double animal style, but without pickles, or you could order a double meat burger mustard-grilled and topped with grilled onions. You can also make modifications manually, like by requesting extra veggies on the side to stack up later or adding a layer of animal-style fries to the middle of your burger for an added crunch. Finally, you can always ask for extra sauce packets when you're grabbing your food from the pick-up counter at no charge.