In & Out VS Whataburger: There Can Only Be One

For most of my life, I've been told that In & Out burger was the best burger on the planet. You have too. Think about every culinary show you've ever watched... at some point, they always talk about how good In & Out is. As I never really travel to few places where In & Out's are, I just chalked it up to ignorance being bliss until I finally had my chance to try it last week.

Critter and I were tasked with picking up a station vehicle in Dallas last week, so on super short notice, we planned a day in Dallas. We don't have too many days that we can both get away from the station at the same time, so we decided to pack in as much stuff as we could. In & Out was the first destination on our journey, and as I'm a Whataburger fanatic, I was interested in what that famous burger was all about.

Let me paint you a picture... I didn't grow up eating Whataburger. In fact, I never had a Whatabuger until I moved to Corpus Christie, Texas after college almost twenty years ago. There I was on a Sunday night. It was my second evening as a new Texas resident, I had my apartment mostly all put together, and for dinner I thought I'd try the local cuisine.

Fun fact, you won't find a Taco Bell that far South. In the land of taquerias, pretend Tex-Mex won't cut it. In my little area of town, we had a few options. There was a Sonic, Dairy Queen, Golden Chick, and a Whataburger. As it was a Texas staple at this point in time, I decided to try it.

The very first bite, I was hooked. What an amazing burger it was. Crispy delicious fries, a big ole drink, and jalapeno spiced ketchup? I became a fan. Over the next few years of moving around radio job to radio job, I always found a Whataburger close by. When I moved to Lawton, there were three and I frequented at least two of them on the regular. Then one day, Critter told me about the new In & Out in Dallas, and he splurged about how delicious they were. That they totally kept up the hype, and I knew one day I'd have to try it.

Here's the thing about In & Out... They have a vintage aesthetic and the menu is no different. There are four things on the menu. Fries, hamburger, cheeseburger, and the double-double (double meat, double cheese). That's it. And the prices are pretty dirt cheap too when you compare... You can get twice the items at In & Out for the same single meal at Whataburger. The plot thickened. So Critter and I each ordered a double-double with fries and a drink, sat down and waited with anticipation.

A few minutes later, the nice young lady that took our order brought out our food. The presentation was legit.

I couldn't wait to try the burger that every foodie in entertainment calls "The best burger in the world." Grabbing hold of that greasy paper wrapped bunch of goodness, I pulled it close to take a bite. As I sunk my teeth into the softest hamburger bun I've ever bit into, that sense of elated mastication lulled into a strong will of thought the moment I started chewing... The thought hit me just as strong as it did the first time I bit into a Whataburger in that small town in Texas twenty years ago... with one difference... In & Out is nothing compared to Whataburger, period.

Don't get me wrong, the double-double was a good burger. Miles beyond any of the fast food joints out there... but the lack of taste in the actual burger is where Whataburger stands alone. The fries were nothing to write home about either. Just like Braum's, they were both crispy and soggy at the same time. Not a bad eat, like I said, probably the best burger bun I've ever eaten... but not the best burger in the world. Even though the Texas giant now resides in Chicago, Whataburger still reigns king.