Whether you love LA or identify as a staunch, diametrically opposed New Yorker, it’s an undeniable fact that Los Angeles is a heralded foodie city. As of 2024, LA is home to an impressive 24 Michelin-starred restaurants, but none of these establishments earned the coveted title as the number-one culinary destination in Anthony Bourdain’s heart. In a 2015 video interview with Eater, the late great chef-slash-writer named In-N-Out Burger as his all-time favorite restaurant in Los Angeles.
“What can I say about this place?” waxed a burger-eating Bourdain. “It’s the only fast food chain that I actually like and think is reasonably good for the world.” The celebrity chef went on to explain that one of the main reasons he looked forward to doing “The Taste,” a cooking show on which he appeared as a regular judge, is because the show taped in LA. “As soon as I arrive, I’ll hit the airport In-N-Out, and on my way out of town after finishing ‘The Taste,’ I’ll pick up another,” he added.
When Bourdain hit In-N-Out for the interview, he ordered a Double-Double, Animal Style. “I’d tell you what [Animal Style] is, but I’d have to kill you,” he joked. The famed Double-Double Burger includes two beef patties, two slices of American cheese, hand-leafed iceberg lettuce, tomato, onions, and In-N-Out’s signature creamy burger sauce. According to the official In-N-Out website, the fan-favorite “Animal Style” — part of the chain’s not-so-secret “secret menu” — adds a pickle, extra sauce, and grilled onions.
Bourdain called In-N-Out Burger his favorite restaurant in Los Angeles
Quoth the man himself, “I’m a cheap, nasty, low-down, trailer park burger slut.” Yet, identifying and appreciating a truly impressive burger is a bit more nuanced than that, as Bourdain himself was quick to note. More than the bun or the cheese, the chef praises the Double-Double’s high-quality meat, which arrives in the form of two thin patties, creating more burger surface area and providing even more meaty flavor.
Indeed, the type of beef In-N-Out uses is 100% USDA ground chuck beef without any preservatives, fillers, or additives — this is likely why fellow celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay have also named In-N-Out as their favorite fast food burger. Those patties are delivered to stores directly from three specialized facilities in California and Texas, which are dedicated to making In-N-Out burgers, ensuring maximum quality control at the production level.
While Bourdain raved about his meal at Corner Bistro in the West Village and the burger at Greenwich Village’s Minetta Tavern, when he was traveling beyond Manhattan, it had to be In-N-Out. “We don’t have those in New York,” he shared. “In fact, every once in a while, some cruel person starts a rumor, generally on a foodie website, that In-N-Out is coming to Brooklyn, or to one of the boroughs, and everybody in New York goes insane.” Hungry for more appetite-stoking recs? Here are 16 restaurants that Anthony Bourdain practically worshiped.
