All Americans, whether they frequent fast food chains or not, are familiar with the
sea of brightly colored signs advertising those chains.
Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, you know the list.
But head to Europe, and you'll find some seriously amazing fast food chains serving up food that's
unlike anything you'll get Stateside, and that should make America sad.
Fortunately, sometimes European restaurants do make the jump across the pond.
So let's check out some of the European fast food joints that haven't made it to America
yet, but that we hope will soon.
Ditsch
The only thing that's possibly more German than sausages are pretzels, and that's why
we want Ditsch to start opening their German bakeries in the U.S.
Ditsch has been making pretzels since 1919.
We're not just talking Auntie Anne-style pretzels here: we're talking the chewy, dark brown,
shiny pretzels you think of when you think of Germany.
Varieties include tear and share pretzel rolls, pizza pretzels, buttered pretzels, pretzels
with seeds, and pretzels with ham.
Plus, they've got sandwiches made with pretzel dough rolls.
Yes, please!
Nordsee
When it comes to fast fish, America has a few options: a smattering of Long John Silver's
locations, or a Filet-O-Fish from McDonald's.
That's a shame, because Germany's Nordsee does fish so, so right.
Nordsee was founded in 1896, built around a fleet of fishing trawlers assembled with
the goal of getting fresh fish from the ocean to the table as fast as possible.
Nordsee customers have a ton of choices, from fish filets and sandwiches to bagels with
lox, fried calamari, salads with shrimp or flaked fish, and BBQ lox wraps.
They're also the largest purveyor of sushi in Germany.
That's how it's done.
Supermac's
Supermac's is like the Irish version of McDonald's, but better.
All their meat is Irish-sourced and 100 percent traceable, and that's a big deal.
They have a lot more than just beef, chicken, and fish burgers, as you can also order full
subs.
Now, let's talk fries, or rather, chips, which are cut by hand, in-store.
Supermac's chips are known for their garlic and cheese, curry and cheese, and taco options.
And then there's dessert.
There's a chocolate muffin and ice cream combo, as well as a sundae called the Swirly, which
is a tub of vanilla ice cream topped with candy.
And, let's be clear, it's not your American soft serve.
It's amazing.
Poppie's Fish & Chips
When you think British fast food, you probably think of fish and chips.
That's exactly why Poppie's Fish & Chips needs to make the jump into America.
It was founded by Pat "Pop" Newland, who started in the fish and chip business in 1952 when
he was 11.
Poppie's also serves calamari rings, scampi, jellied eel, and fillets of mackerel, sole,
plaice, and halibut.
The more traditional fish and chips are done with cod or haddock, and you can get some
super-traditional sides, like mushy peas, pickled onions, pickled eggs, and beans.
West Cornwall Pasty Co.
For anyone not familiar with pasties, they're pockets of thin bread stuffed with all kinds
of hot and tasty fillings.
They were originally developed in Cornwall as a full, hand-held meal for the tin miners,
and they've remained a British favorite.
West Cornwall Pasty Co. still makes them the traditional way, and they even still seal
them by hand.
They have steak and ale pies, chicken and mushroom, chicken and chorizo, even Thai curry
pies, and vegetarian options.
Max
More and more Americans are becoming increasingly aware of what's in their food, and what that
food is doing to the planet.
Sweden's Max is a burger joint that's already well ahead of the game.
All of Max's products are completely free of trans fats, GMOs, antibiotics, and growth
hormones, and their Delifresh menu goes even further.
They offer low-carb, low-fat, low-salt, low-GI options, and they're serious about their environmental
impact, too.
They're the first in the world to produce climate-positive burgers, which means they
have processes in place to offset 110 percent of their emissions from farm to waste products.
A huge part of that offset comes from planting trees, and in 2013, they planted more than
700,000 of them.
We know what you're asking: Can something so healthy really taste as good as a Big Mac?
Max has taken home top honors for most satisfied customers in the country for 14 years in a
row, and that's nothing to scoff at.
Take note, America, it can be done.
"Damn!
This has got to be the best [censored] I've ever been to!"
FEBO
Amsterdam does fast food a little different, thanks to Netherlands-based FEBO.
FEBO is ultra-fast, because you're ordering, paying, and getting your already-ready food
right from a giant wall.
It started in 1960 by combining the idea of a snack bar and an automat, creating an automated
wall of semi-questionable life choices.
FEBO is all over the Netherlands now, and honestly, it needs to be all over the U.S.,
too.
It's absolutely ideal for grabbing a quick bite to eat after leaving the bar, and it's
an introvert's dream, as no human interaction is required.