Ever wished you had some fast food options that weren't the norm?
Longing for something other than another Whopper or Big Mac? Check out these European
fast food chains that haven't made the jump to America yet… and get ready to get jealous.
Swinging through a fast joint for a burger might seem like a distinctly American thing to do,
but the U.S. isn't the only country that's discovered just how delicious a burger can
be — and everyone knows that it's not just about the meat, it's about the sauce, too.
That's where Hesburger comes in. Founded in Finland in 1966,
Hesburger's claim to fame isn't just their burgers — it's also the white cucumber mayonnaise
that's made on-location and served with all their burgers. Delicious? Yes, yes it is.
Hesburger's name is a little deceiving because they also serve kebabs – and again, it's the sauce
that makes them really, really good. The standard kebab sauce is a red pepper mayonnaise, and to
make it clear just how much people love their sauces, they say that during each work shift,
employees can plan on making more than 1,000 gallons of the stuff!
Hesburger also makes their own ketchup — and every year, they mix up about 2,200,000 pounds of it,
made according to their top secret recipe. Sounds pretty good, right? Unfortunately,
you'll have to go to Europe to get it: Most of their locations are in Finland, Lithuania,
Estonia, and Latvia, but they've also expanded to other countries like Germany and Belarus.
"Hesburger is Chuck Norris approved."
Chicken Cottage is a U.K.-based fast food chain that, as the name suggests, specializes
in chicken. But this isn't your usual KFC, and in addition to the standard sort of offerings,
you can also opt for grilled chicken and — even better – grilled satay. Satay options include a
wrap, a chicken burger meal, wings, and a combo, and it's a brilliant change from the usual.
And now, let's say you're ordering out for the family dinner from
Chicken Cottage. You can definitely opt for one of their family meals,
but it's how you can finish dinner – with no extra effort required — that's really delicious.
You can absolutely add on a tub of ice cream that comes in flavors like bubblegum, fudge brownie,
and strawberry cheesecake, or opt for a dessert of chocolate cookie dough. Should you get both? Yes,
yes you should — but you'll still have to go to the UK or Ireland to do it.
While America definitely has no shortage of pizza places,
Telepizza's menu looks both sort of familiar ... and also not at all familiar. Sure,
there's options for the unadventurous, but that's definitely not the allure of Telepizza.
We're talking about some distinctly European offerings. How about a Primavera pizza,
with asparagus and fresh mozzarella? Yep, they've got it! You can also order things
like La Iberica, which comes covered with Iberian ham and massive slices of tomatoes.
Hilariously, Telepizza also has some American pizzas that ... well, honestly,
they're pretty aggressively American. They include things like bacon, beef, a cheese they describe as
"mozzarella-based," and it's drizzled in steak sauce. That's American, right? In all fairness,
if you haven't dipped your pizza in steak sauce, you haven't lived… and that’s just
what people in Spain, Portugal, and even Iran! … do all the time at their local Telepizza.
You can also order pasta, salads, burgers,
and starters like Spiro dogs, crostinis, Camembert bites, and then there's dessert:
ice cream, chocolate truffles, or Oreo cheesecake — Telepizza has you covered.
It's not entirely clear from the name just what customers can expect when they walk into Yo!,
but sushi-lovers might just find that it's worth the trip to their plethora of U.K. locations.
They've also expanded into Denmark, Dubai, France, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. Basically,
customers come in, grab a seat, and are served hand-crafted sushi on a conveyor belt.
Want to see what you're going to eat before you actually do? You can here, and that's a
good thing — there are so many different choices that a menu just doesn't do this place justice.
And if you're not a sushi fan, well, you still need to stop by. Yo! has scored some
major awards for their vegan and vegetarian offerings, while sushi pros will find things
like deep fried octopus balls. It's also pretty perfect for someone who's just looking to dip
their toes in the water, so to speak. Try the sashimi, but if it turns out you're not a fan,
there's also dishes like the Kaiso Seaweed or Shiitake Mushroom Ramen.
Yo! also has order-ahead and delivery services, and you know how you never,
ever feel like cooking after grocery shopping? They have a ton of kiosks at
various grocery stores across the country, too. America, take note.
What the heck is Flunch? The restaurant name comes from combining the words "French" and "lunch,"
and so far, so good. And here's the thing: While you might imagine France is full of restaurants
that only serve pastries and have delicate, wrought-iron furniture, that's not Flunch.
Flunch would be right at home in America, and here's the idea. It's a cafeteria-style
restaurant where you can make lunch as fast or as long as you want. You go in, grab a tray,
walk through the line, and select a main course and — if you like — a dessert. Then, you can
either be on your way, or sit down in the dining area to partake in the unlimited vegetable buffet.
Unlimited vegetables! We can absolutely get on board with that.
"Coca-Cola, for… les infants"
"Two American champagnes."
America might have its fair share of taco joints,
but there's nothing in the States quite like O'Tacos. Founded in 2007,
it's now found across France and Belgium ... and it's not your typical taco place.
At first, their menu looks pretty normal. You start out by choosing whatever size taco
you'd like, and then, you'll pick your meat. That includes some pretty awesome choices like cordon
bleu, chicken tenders, and even falafel. Then, you pick your sauce — and here's where we really start
to get out of typical taco territory. You can opt for fuego, ketchup, biggie burger, curry,
Algerian, BBQ, or Chili Thai, and here's the thing: That's going to go on fries,
then all your fries are going to get wrapped up in your taco, too. Fries in tacos ? Sure!
When it comes to fast fish, America has a few options: a smattering of Long John
Silver's or Captain D’s, or maybe a Filet O'Fish sandwich from McDonald's.
That's a shame, because Germany's Nordsee does fish so, so right.
They've had a lot of experience doing it, too. 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. The company
had their own harbor by 1897, and they've continued to grow and expand across Europe.
And after more than 100 years, we're still talking about really fresh fish. Nordsee
customers have a ton of choices, from fish filets and sandwiches to bagels with lox, fried calamari,
salads with shrimp or flaked fish, BBQ lox wraps, and even sushi. That's how it's done.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite restaurant chains are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.