In-N-Out Burger — Restaurant in Santa Rosa

FYI, if you don't why hamburgers then "In and Out" is not for you. The burgers are the best on the the west (literally, this is the best west coast fast-food joint you're going to find) though this is only the case when compared to other fast-food restaurants. The service is possibly the best you will get. You can order your burger to have ketchup & spread on half the bun, and only mustard on the other half, exactly 12 and 1/4 pickles and to wrap your burger in lettuce 360 degrees around and to poke a hole in the burger with their thumb, and no joke, they will happily oblige.

The atmosphere is old school 50 style diners and it's been that way since the diner opened, which was back around the 50s. For fast-food the atmosphere is perfect.

The only problems with in and out is

the short menu which consists of a burger with one patty, a burger with one patty and cheese, or the "Double Double" — a burger with two patties and two cheeses. They also have french fries, the 3 Napoleon flavors of milkshakes and a line up of Coke-a-Cola soft drinks to choose from. (Tip: if you order the largest size coke they have you're going to get a half gallon of soda, so unless you're thirsty, and don't have diabetes, just stick with the regular size).

The long long waits. Any gas Food place this good will have a line that wraps out the parking lot and down the street. I'm not kidding. This is no exaggeration, in and out lines are...

As someone from the east coast, this was my first time at any In-n-Out ever, so I don't know if my experience was unique to this location or representative of the brand as a whole, but I was completely blown away. From the second I walked in, you could see the staff working like a well oiled machine and laughter could be heard from one of the prep stations. I was greeted with a big smile and a man took my order. I did my research and got an animal style 3x3 with chopped chilis and it was ready in record time.

This part will probably be common knowledge to any regulars, but coming from the east coast chains, I was not expecting the audible crunch of the lettuce and the thick fresh tomatoes and pickles. All of that greenery was an amazing balance to the symphony of rich flavors from the grilled onions and special sauce slathered over the patties. Before I even got halfway through my burger, an employee came outside to where I was sitting to ask if I needed more water or ketchup. Beginning to end a truly five star fast casual dining experience.

A few Shake Shacks have reached the east so I've been dying to figure out what side I land on in the In-n-Out v Shake Shack debate, and I am so sad that the wrong chain made it out east. If I ever come back to CA, it won't be to visit family. It'll be to get...

If you've been to an In-N-Out burger before, this location is exactly like most other locations. Same layout, same hats, same food, same beverages, not as much parking as you want, and many more people inside than the parking seemed to suggest.

If you haven't been to In-N-Out before, then you may as well try it here since everybody raves about it in California, and if you don't go now, somebody will probably want to take you later. The food tastes more fresh than most fast food places (some of my friends would probably get angry for me just calling it fast food), but it's not like insanely good. The prices are reasonable, the shakes are good (vanilla is bae), and the fries are good. I like to eat a pepper with my burger, but the peppers are spicy so be warned. The lemonade here is sweet, but it tastes good as well.

If you're a tourist, may as well ask them at the front for one of those hats as well. Or get it for the kids.

Why 5-star if I think it's so overrated? People talk about it like it's a 7/5, but really, it's just good fast food. I rate it 5/5 for fast food, not for some fancy...