When you're low on ideas (and, let's be honest, cash) you head to McDonald's for a good meal
that won't break your bank. Admittedly, the folks at McDonald's are always coming up with
fresh ideas about what to put on their menu next, but the truth is that its McDonald's
locations outside of the US that have figured out how to make a menu truly amazing. It’s
time to circle the globe and discover 15 McDonald's menu items that you can't buy in America!
Fancy Francis
Ooh la la, Fancy Francis, you say? Well, that doesn't sound like something you would find
at a McDonald's, and if that's what you think then you're only half right. Sure, the Fancy
Francis isn't available at McDonald's in the United States, but it is a popular sandwich
at McDonald's locations in Belgium. What exactly do you get when your order a Fancy Francis?
Surprisingly, it's not a bon vivant who dresses in posh clothes and drives around in a Rolls
Royce. This sandwich consists of two beef patties, mushrooms, onion, arugula (that's
right, arugula, the greens of the bourgeoisie), and, get this, truffle mayonnaise. Yeah, that's
right. This sandwich might still have mayo on it, but it's made with truffles. so, there
you have it. The Fancy Francis more than lives up to its name. If you find yourself in Belgium
any time soon, seek one out. Just make sure it doesn't change you.
Vegetable and Egg Pasta
Pasta for breakfast? Only in our wildest dreams! At least, that's probably what most of us
would be thinking. After all, pasta lovers know that there's really nothing that fills
you up quite like a great bowl of penne or some delicious spaghetti and meatballs. Alas,
North Americans don't yet know the pleasures of pasta for breakfast. If you really want
to have pasta for breakfast, and more specifically, pasta for breakfast at McDonald's, then you'd
have to take a trip to Hong Kong, where McDonald's serves up vegetable and egg pasta for breakfast!
Now that would be a great way to load up on carbs before starting your day. Maybe in the
future, McDonald's in the United States will introduce the idea of eating pasta for breakfast,
but until then, we can only dream, or chop up a McMuffin and throw it on some linguini.
Nurnburger
Do you know what everyone wishes they could get from McDonald's? Sausage. Okay, yes, you
can get sausage patties on any number of breakfast sandwiches, but we're not talking about those
(although they are delicious). We're talking about a real sausage, one that's meaty, delicious,
and cylindrical. Where else in the world would you expect McDonald's to serve something like
that other than Germany? That's exactly what you get when you order the Nurnburger. What
is it, exactly? It's three delicious German sausages on a burger bun, topped with spicy
mustard and onions. It looks and sounds delicious, though it does raise one important question.
Why would anyone think to put sausages on a burger bun? Structurally, it doesn't seem
to make a lot of sense, and yet somehow the Germans manage to do it. We guess you have
to chalk that up to their incredible knack for engineering.
Carbonara Chicken
We've already talked about having pasta for breakfast at McDonald's, but what about having
a sandwich that was inspired by pasta? Woah, did we just blow some minds out there? Well
put your brain back together and listen up, because we're about to tell you about the
chicken carbonara sandwich. This amazing menu item found only at McDonald's locations in
Japan is the kind of thing that would make anyone's mouth water. It may be a fast food
sandwich, but its decadence is beyond compare. You get a crispy chicken patty, dipped in
creamy sauce, and topped with scrambled eggs, bacon, and mozzarella cheese. Yeah, so we
think it's about time that US McDonald's locations adopted this particular sandwich to their
menus because we can't all afford a trip to Japan to try one. Maybe follow it up with
a spaghetti burger? Just a suggestion.
Bacon and Potato Pie
Who said that pies only have to contain fruit filling? Sure, there were the s'mores pies
available at McDonald's a few years ago, but those still fall under the category of being
something to satisfy your sweet tooth. Right now, apple pies remain the most popular of
the McDonald's baked desserts, but what if you could get something more savory than that?
It seems like McDonald's locations in Japan figured this out already, because beyond offering
the same old fruit pies we are all familiar with, they also give their customers the option
of a bacon and potato pie! That's right, you can get that same flaky pie crust you love
filled with mashed potatoes and bacon (which always makes everything better).
Watermelon
Did you know that at one point, McDonald's in Canada offered apple slices as the side
with their happy meals? While that’s no longer the case (though apple slices, in general,
are still a real thing that exists at McDonald’s), people did think it was a novel idea to offer
fruit as a side rather than the standard greasy, salty fries (which are oh so bad for you but
oh so delicious). Well, McDonald's in Spain has also jumped on the fruit as a side bandwagon,
and they are offering something that nobody thought they would ever see inside the walls
of a McDonald's: watermelon. Yes, it's true, you can get a watermelon slice (on a stick,
for good measure) at any McDonald's location in Spain.
We're not sure if fruit on a stick is something that would catch on in United States McDonald's
locations, not unless it was dipped in chocolate or was covered in sugar or something.
Belgian Chocolate Mousse
McFlurrys, sundaes, cones... These are generally the most popular desserts at McDonald's in
the United States. Why wouldn't they be? They are cold, creamy, and refreshing (plus a McFlurry
can be decked out with all kinds of candy flavorings). What if you want something just
a little bit more sophisticated after your quarter pounder, though? Well, for something
that is just a little bit richer than the average McDonald's ice cream, you'd have to
travel to Russia, where instead of the typical vanilla flavored frozen desserts, you can
actually get yourself a Belgian chocolate mousse. Yes, you heard that right, chocolate
mousse at McDonald's, and it's not just served in a pudding cup, either: it comes with chocolate
shavings on top and everything.
Supreme Shrimp Burger
When it comes to seafood at McDonald's, Americans are unfortunately stuck with the plain old
filet-o-fish. This sandwich is literally no one's favorite, with its soft, square fish
patty, smattering of overly sweet tartar sauce, and inexplicable cheese slice. What if there
was a better option? something that wasn't just nondescript whitefish? Well, McDonald's
Korea looked at this seafood deficit issue and said to themselves, "we will be the ones
to fix this!" And fix it they did, with their very own shrimp burger. This sandwich features
a breaded patty made out of delicious shrimp, which is then topped with a sweet and spicy
sauce.
Poutine
McDonald's fries are amazing. this is a known fact and one that almost everyone in the world
can acknowledge without being wrong. So what if someone said that they could make McDonald's
fries better? You might be thinking that it would be blasphemous to even suggest such
a possibility, but you would be mistaken. Americans need look no further than their
neighbor to the north to see just how to make those crispy, salty, golden McDonald's fries
so much tastier. It turns out that Canadians have taken McDonald's fries and turned them
into one of their most sacred and famous foodstuffs: poutine. All it takes is the addition of cheese
curds and gravy. Tell us that your mouth isn't watering. It sometimes seems strange that
it took Canadians (specifically French Canadians) to come up with something as deliciously unhealthy
as poutine, but there it is. McDonald's has fully embraced this food and sells it at all
Canadian locations.
Georgie Pie
What is it about literally any other country than the United States and their relationship
with savory pies? It's like every other place seems to have cracked the code on the fact
that stuffing a pie crust with meat is actually delicious. Sure, Americans have the classic
chicken pot pie. That seems to be their most popular one, but what if you want some red
meat? Well, McDonald's in New Zealand has you covered. Their locations serve something
known as Georgie Pie. No, it's not a pie made from people named George. It's just your average
(but delicious) meat pie, sometimes with cheese. Oddly enough, this happened because McDonald's
took over the locations of a restaurant that sold the pies in New Zealand, but opted to
keep them on the menu. So if you're ever tired of eating beef between two buns, then book
yourself a trip halfway around the world and head to New Zealand for a Georgie pie.
Greek Mac
The Big Mac is the signature McDonald's sandwich. No one would ever dream of making it any different
from its already perfect form, would they? Sure, there have been attempts, like the Big
Mac snack wrap, but even that doesn't fully capture the flavor of McDonald's flagship
sandwich, the one that keeps people coming back through the door. Well, McDonald's in
Greece looked at the Big Mac and thought, "we could make that better." It's a matter
of opinion whether they succeeded or not, but what they came up with was the Greek Mac:
two beef patties in a pita (of course) with lettuce, onion, tomato, and a yogurt based
sauce. Sure, there are plenty of Americans who will not approve of this Mediterranean
twist on the classic sandwich, but we have to admit that it does sound refreshingly different.
Signature Guacamole Burger
Everyone loves a good bowl of guacamole. Do you know what else everyone loves? McDonald's
burgers! Okay, maybe that varies from person to person, but the fact of the matter is that
you probably don't want to be friends with someone if they are turning down both guacamole
and McDonald's. What would be really amazing is if you could somehow combine those flavors
into one delicious food item that would please just about everyone. Well, while you were
imagining it, McDonald's Mexico went ahead and did it, with the signature guacamole burger.
This burger, topped with delicious guacamole, is sure to satisfy the cravings of just about
anyone. Along with the guacamole, this burger is also topped with pico de gallo. As if this
thing couldn't get any better, right?
Slice Chips
As we said earlier, McDonald's fries are just about the best thing that most of us can imagine.
And yet, there are plenty of international locations that look at these delicious golden
sticks and say "we can do better!" You have to admire that kind of ambition, and it seems
like it really does improve on perfection. That's especially true of the McDonald's slice
chips that you can get at McDonald's locations in Italy. These things, unlike the long, slender
fries that we’re all so used to, are actually potato slices that are seasoned and fried
to perfection. They're the kind of thing that you would get if you crossbred a french fry
with a potato chip. Honestly, as much as we love those delicious McDonald's fries, you
have to give it up to other countries' McDonald's for switching things up and giving their customers
some fresh options. Maybe McDonald's locations in the US should take note.
McBeer
You really thought we would make a list of McDonald's items that you can't get in the
United States and we wouldn't include the legendary McBeer? What do we have to say about
this McDonald's innovation that hasn't already been said? Available in many different European
markets, the McBeer is exactly what it sounds like: a cool, frosty cup of beer that you
can enjoy along with your quarter pounder (sorry, royal with cheese) and fries. That
might sound like it would cause a bit of culture shock, but you know that given the chance,
you would definitely get a beer at McDonald's if only to say you did it. Unfortunately,
this might be something that never catches on in the United States, and that might be
a good thing. After all, the US has a much more complicated relationship with alcohol
than the European countries where this kind of thing is normal.
Cheese Croquettes
Who doesn't want more cheese with almost anything they're eating? Okay, fine, we guess it depends
on what you're eating in the first place. More cheese with your brownies? No thanks!
More cheese with your pizza? Bring it on! There's almost no reason that cheese can't
make your day better. That seems to be the exact thing that the folks at McDonald's Morocco
have figured out. They serve cheese croquettes at their locations, and if that doesn't sound
like a food you know about, let us explain how great these things are: they are literally
just deep-fried balls of cheese. So why is it that the McDonald's locations in the United
States seem to be falling behind in advancing their menu and trying new things? We might
never know, so it's possible that if you want to try any of these items, you might have
to plan a big trip.
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