I ate nearly identical meals at In-N-Out and Fatburger and found the lesser-known chain had an even better burger

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

On a recent trip to Los Angeles, I ate at both Fatburger and In-N-Out.

• In-N-Out is California's favorite burger chain.
• But Fatburger, a lesser-known chain also based on the West Coast, is highly underrated.
• On a recent trip to Los Angeles, I ate at both chains, and while I loved my burgers at both, I found that Fatburger's was bigger, juicier, and just better overall.
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In-N-Out is California's golden burger.

Eternally hip and effortlessly photogenic, In-N-Out is the retro farm-to-table fast-food chain of young America's dreams. But somewhere in the shadow of In-N-Out's glory is Fatburger, an LA-based chain with a following of its own.

Fatburger is the Jonathan Byers to In-N-Out's Steve Harrington. But gravity-defying style doesn't mean the latter has more substance.

On a recent trip to Los Angeles, I ate at both Fatburger and In-N-Out. While I loved both, Fatburger's burger was bigger, juicier, and just plain better. Here's the burger breakdown: