I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (2024)

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Review by Erin McDowell

Updated

2024-06-14T16:40:36Z

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (1)

I tried the same order from In-N-Out and McDonald's to see which was the better meal and value.
I ordered a double cheeseburger, fries, and a soft drink from both chains.
I preferred the thicker burger from In-N-Out over McDonald's smaller, but still tasty, burger.

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I ordered a Double-Double burger, regular fries, and a soft drink from In-N-Out.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (5)

My meal cost $9.15, not including tax, which I thought was a good deal considering the amount of food I received.

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Most Double-Double burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (6)

To keep my burger similar to the burger I tried from McDonald's, I ordered it with onions, pickles, and spread. It cost me $4.90, which I thought was an excellent deal for the large burger sitting in front of me.

The burger patties were much thicker than other burgers I've tried at a similar price point, including the McDonald's burger.

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The cheese slices were perfectly melted and enveloped the burger patties in a thick layer of gooey cheese.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (7)

The bun on the burger was pillow-soft. I also enjoyed the special sauce, which had a creamy yet tangy flavor.

In-N-Out's double cheeseburger had a lot of flavor for a low price.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (8)

I thought the West Coast chain really nailed the double cheeseburger, and of all the burgers on In-N-Out's menu, this is the one I'd probably order again. The burger's toppings made it very flavorful, it was large but nottoobig, and it was shockingly inexpensive.

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But the fries were a tad underwhelming, in my opinion.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (9)

That said, the regular fry cost me only $2.15, which I thought was a good deal.

The fries were crispy but could have used a touch more salt.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (10)

The inside was also not fluffy at all, which I thought gave them an odd texture. Overall, I was just slightly underwhelmed by the regular fries, an opinion that I happen to share with other In-N-Out diners.

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I also ordered a double cheeseburger, medium fries, and a medium soft drink from McDonald's.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (11)

The meal from McDonald's came to $14.37, not including tax, making it over $5 more expensive than the In-N-Out meal.

The McDonald's double cheeseburger cost me $5.79.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (12)

The double cheeseburger from McDonald's comes with two beef patties, pickles, chopped onions, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese.

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I thought this burger's ingredients came together well, but I thought the bun was a little dry.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (13)

The bun held everything together and was a good size, but it wasn't as fluffy as the bun from In-N-Out.

The burger was covered in a generous amount of condiments, and the pickles were tart and crunchy, though thinly sliced.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (14)

The chopped onions added a lot of flavor, and the burger patties were juicy despite being much thinner than the In-N-Out ones.

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The fries were crispy and well-salted. I preferred them to the In-N-Out fries.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (15)

While the In-N-Out fries were slightly bland, in my opinion, the McDonald's fries were flavorful and perfectly crispy. They were also slightly more expensive at $6.09, which I thought was high, even for New York City prices — keep in mind that McDonald's menu prices vary by location.

Since In-N-Out doesn't serve many condiments besides ketchup, I decided to eat both fries plain. While the In-N-Out fries were underwhelming without any sauces, the fries from McDonald's held up on their own.

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Overall, I had to give the win to In-N-Out.

I ordered the same meal at In-N-Out and McDonald's, and I preferred the juicier, cheese-coated burger (16)

While I enjoyed both burgers, the double cheeseburger from In-N-Out simply blew me away. It impressed me so much that I forgot all about the fries. Frankly, the burger was filling enough without them, anyway.

I also thought that In-N-Out was an excellent value, even compared with a larger chain like McDonald's. If I were to eat one meal again, I would definitely go for In-N-Out.