Elevation Burger

Wheaton Mall
1160 Veirs Mill Road
Wheaton, MD 20902
301-933-0333

(and several other locations)

http://www.elevationburger.com

Pros: very much the same feel as In-N-Out

Cons: not enough locations as In-N-Out

Ask just about any Californian, and he/she will tell you that the pinnacle of fast food burgers is In-N-Out. As a Californian transplanted here on the East Coast, I have longed to find something comparable. Whereas some East Coasters live and die by Five Guys, I actually feel overwhelmed by their burgers and fries. The lone FatBurger in Columbia, MD definitely comes close to that West Coast magic, yet they are rather limited in their burger toppings.

Enter Elevation Burger, which we found by way of Groupon. The Wheaton Mall Elevation Burger definitely feels like In-N-Out with a different color scheme. You get the added bonus that all ingredients are organic, and they boast an environmentally-friendly agenda, something that these two quasi-hippies definitely appreciate. And their toppings…you actually get a pretty wide array of toppings, probably a little bit more than your typical fast food place. You also have the opportunity of stacking your burgers with a customizable number of patties and slices of cheese (up to 10 each). So the In-N-Out’s double-double (aka Elevation Burger) is a standard menu option, and you can add on more, if you choose to. All in all, I still prefer the taste of the meat patties from FatBurger, but there’s not much to really complain about with Elevation Burger’s actual burgers; they are beautifully juicy and hand-rolled! The fries are very thinly and freshly cut. The olive oil base for the fries makes it wonderful for my wife who has peanut allergies (look a little more deeply, and you’d be surprised by how many places boast frying their fries in peanut oil).

I have not yet tried to find out if Elevation Burger has a secret menu much like In-N-Out’s not-so-secret menu. They definitely have the ingredients to simulate “Animal Style,” but they probably would look at me weird if I requested my fries such. Still, I would welcome readers to let me know if there is some comparable secret menu.

For this West Coaster transplanted to the East Coast, Elevation Burger is definitely approaching the feel that I grew up with, especially with an environmentally-friendly and organic kick.