I tried Shake Shack and In-N-Out side by side - and it's clear which one is better

Dennis Green/Business Insider

Two burger chain heavyweights, together on one table.

The endless debate. East vs. West. In-N-Out Burger vs. Shake Shack.

While planning a vacation to sunny Austin, Texas, last year, I noticed something peculiar. The city has both a Shake Shack and an In-N-Out Burger within its boundaries. Truly, Austin is a "weird" place.

In fact, Austin is one of only two cities - the other being Las Vegas - where the chains coexist. Shake Shack is based in New York City and has locations primarily clustered around the Northeastern Seaboard, while In-N-Out is based in California with locations clustered around the Southwest.

I saw the perfect opportunity to settle the debate of which makes the better burger by trying both.

Keep scrolling to follow my burger odyssey through the scenic hills of Austin in my quest to finally put to rest the question on everyone's minds.