16 Countries With Unique McDonald's Menus

Special Report

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Published: December 29, 2023 11:11 am

McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), known for its culinary masterpieces and exotic tastes, adapts its menu and offerings depending on the locations of its restaurants. The restaurant giant found success in streamlining the fast-food process and optimizing the production of a select number of items that remain uniform across restaurants. That selection, however, includes interesting additions from different countries. All of them maintain the McDonald’s style and taste but cater to the unique pallet and culture of their customers. So, here are 16 countries with unique McDonald’s menus.

You don’t have to travel across the world to discover these creations. We have compiled a list of some of the most interesting McDonald’s menu items that are still available today. For this list, we include only items that are not included on the menu in locations within the continental United States, and which are currently purchasable. For each country, we will also list some of the more notable menu items.

There are some special menu items that are available only during special events like holidays, national days, or big events like the Olympics, these have been offered on a limited basis from time to time. Other limited-time offerings or options that were discontinued are not included here. Some McDonald’s locations in different countries also offer variations on the typical menu items, like substituting rice for the buns or special local sauces. We will mention these when they are significant.

#16 Hong Kong

Ham N’ Egg Twisty Pasta
Chicken & Egg Burger
Iced Milk Tea
McFloat

Hong Kong is home to some of the fanciest and busiest McDonald’s restaurants in the world. Most locations operate 24 hours a day and offer pasta dishes and cups of corn instead of fries.

The Ham N’ Egg Twisty Pasta can substitute egg, sausage, or grilled chicken if you don’t like ham. You can add an egg to the chicken breakfast sandwich in the United States, but Hong Kong offers the Chicken & Egg Burger, which is the same thing, just easier to order. If you’ve visited Asia at all, you’ll know that milk tea, like every other type of tea, is very popular. Instead of sugary and unhealthy soft drinks, you can order milk tea at any Hong Kong location, or you can order hot tea with lemon if that’s more your style.

#15 Italy

Tomato & Mozzarella Turnovers
Baci Perugina McFlurry
McToast

The Italian menu has included many interesting and culturally-themed options. These include a Nutella burger called the Sweety, a special Italian burger made with 100% Italian meat, the McVeggie burger served without cheese, and the McItaly, which was replaced by the My Selection menu which offers burgers with only high-quality ingredients curated by Joe Bastianich, a judge on MasterChef.

The Tomato & Mozzarella Turnovers are known as panzerotti in Italy, they are tiny pastries filled with, you guessed it, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Baci Perugina is a famous brand of Italian chocolate, so instead of using any old chocolate, Italian McDonald’s uses this kind. The McToast is a breakfast sandwich made with ham and cheese served on two round pieces of toast.

#14 Japan

Gratin Croquette Burger
Banana Shake
Shaka Shaka Chicken
Petit Pancakes

The very first McDonald’s location in Asia was in Japan when the company opened its first restaurant in Tokyo, Japan in July of 1971. Since then, there have been numerous unique offerings on the McDonald’s menus. These include items such as the Teriyaki McBurger, the Fillet-O-Ebi, which is a fried shrimp patty, the Chilli McHotdog, and many others. Like other Asian locations, sweet corn is a regular substitute for fries.

Current options include the Gratin Croquette Burger which is only sold during the winter. It is a fried crab patty and macaroni croquette served on steamed buns. The banana shake is sold in Great Britain and Italy, but they are particularly popular in Japan. The Shaka Shaka Chicken is a chicken strip served with cheese and pepper seasonings which you shake in a paper pouch before eating. And, in addition to their regular-sized pancakes, Japanese locations offer petit pancakes which are the same thing, just much smaller and cuter.

#13 Canada

Landscape view of farm in Ile D’Orleans, Quebec, Canada.

Poutine
Apple Fritter Donut

The first McDonald’s location outside of the United States was in Canada with they opened a restaurant in Richmond, British Colombia. The McFlurry also had its start in a Canadian location before spreading across the continent.

McDonald’s poutine, which is a Canadian cultural staple, is available in every location across the country. It is fries served with cheese and gravy. The Apple Fritter Donut is only one of a few baked desserts available across Canada.

#12 China

Mashed Potato Burger

The first Chinese location opened in Dongmen, Shenzhen in October of 1990. Like other Asian locations, McDonald’s locations in China include small stalls that sell only ice cream and drinks. The Chinese menu has included options like the McWings, which are crispy and spicy chicken wings, Matcha Green Tea ice cream, taro and pineapple pies, and the Grilled Chicken Burger which is sold during Chinese New Year and includes a horoscope and traditional red envelopes. The Mashed Potato Burger is two beef patties, bacon, and a scoop of mashed potatoes served on traditional McDonald’s buns.

#11 United Kingdom

The Clock Tower, home of Big Ben, in London.

Bacon Roll
Irn-bru drink

Great Britain and The Commonwealth have their own unique culture and tastes, so McDonald’s locations often serve similar products within them. The first location opened in the United Kingdom in London in 1974, it was McDonald’s 3,000th restaurant. Unique UK menu options have included curry sauce, a vegetarian burger with chili sauce, the Irn-bru soft drink that is available only in Scotland, the Grand Big Mac Bacon, and Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets.

#10 Australia

KitKat McFlurry
Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry
McOz

The first Australian McDonald’s opened in Yagoona in 1971 and was the first location in the Southern Hemisphere as well. McDonald’s is usually called “Macca’s” by locals. Unique offerings include the McOz, which is a quarter-pounder burger served with beetroot and cooked onion, the Aussie BBQ Angus, and the El Maco burger which includes El Maco Salso and El Maco Shaker Fries.

#9 South Korea

McChicken Mozzarella
Shrimp Beef Burger
Bulgogi Burger

The Bulgogi Burger is a pork patty served with a bulgogi marinade, a special sauce developed just for McDonald’s in South Korea. Other past options have included an affogato dessert and the McBingu, which was McDonald’s take on the traditional patbingsu dessert.

#8 India

Ezhimala beach by Sreejithk2000 — Malabar Coast, India.

Pizza McPuff
Chicken Maharaja Mac
Veg Maharaja Mac

McDonald’s locations in India do not cook or serve pork or beef products out of respect for Muslim beliefs (in the case of pork) and Hindu beliefs (in the case of beef). Vegetarian meals are prepared in a separate part of the restaurant out of deference to religious laws and customs. Those who cook and prepare the vegetarian dishes wear green aprons, while all others wear red aprons to reduce confusion.

The Pizza McPuff is similar to the apple pie pastry available in the United States but stuffed with mozzarella cheese, vegetables, and tomato sauce. Other Indian McDonald’s options have included the Chicken Maharaja Mac which is a chicken patty served with habanero sauce, the Veg Maharaja Mac, which instead has a double corn patty with cocktail sauce, the Mc Aloo Tikki, rice bowls, biriyani, naan wraps, Mexican Spice Chicken and Veg, and the Grilled Chicken Royale.

#7 New Zealand

NYC Benedict Bagel
Massive McMuffin
The Boss

The first New Zealand McDonald’s opened in 1976 in Porirua. Many of the menu options are similar to those offered in Australia, with some notable exceptions. The Kiwiburger was a famous option with egg and beetroot that was discontinued in 2021. The NYC benedict Bagel is one of two ways to order their breakfast bagels, the Massive McMuffin includes two sausage patties, egg, bacon, and cheese on an English muffin, and The Boss is the New Zealand variant of a double-patty burger.

#6 Netherlands

McKroket
Fritessaus
Stroopwafel McFlurries

The first Netherlands location opened in Zaandam in 1971, quickly followed by the second in Amsterdam. The most famous Netherlands option is the McKroket which is a deep-fried roll filled with a beef stew known as ragout. The kroket is a traditional meal sold at snack bars and shops all around the Netherlands. They also sell Fritessaus (American Sauce) which is a yellow sauce like mayonnaise eaten with fries. Other options have included the Maestro Burger with two Angus beef patties and the Joppie Burger which used Joppie sauce, a mayonnaise-like sauce with curry powder popular in the Netherlands.

#5 Philippines

Chicken McDo With Spaghetti
Burger McDo
Longaniza
Cheesy Eggdesal

In the Phillippines, McDonald’s is typically referred to as McDo, which the restaurant has adapted into its menu items. Unique offerings include the McSpagehtti and Burger McDo. Most of these items have been included to compete with the largest fast food chain in the Philippines: Jollibee, which has spaghetti on its menu. The Twister Fries is a season option like the Shake Shake Fries which is served in a bag and a packet of flavor that the customer has to shake in the bag to season their fries.

#4 Chile

McPalta
Hamburguesa Italiana
Empanadas

McDonald’s arrived in Chile in November 1990. All locations now serve cheese empanadas as sides for all meals. They also serve the McPalta which includes avocado paste on the patty, and the Hamburguesa Italiana which also includes avocado. Papas duquesas (Duchess potatoes) are included in Happy Meals, and the McFlurry Sahne Nuss is available with chocolate, mnajar and strawberry sauces, with a Sahne Nuss bar on top.

#3 Germany

Berlin skyline with Spree river, Germany

Hamburger Royal TS
Lipton Iced Tea McSundae
Beer

The McRib, which is a popular menu item only available at certain times in the rest of the world, is a permanent menu item in Germany. So, if you crave the McRib, you might want to visit Berlin sometime. Other current menu options include the Big Vegan TS which is a vegan burger, and the Lipton Iced Tea McSundae. All German McDonald’s used to sell beer at their location, but the company has since discontinued the practice. You can still buy beer at some of the older locations that are owned by German brewers who were originally given permission to sell beer.

#2 Egypt

McFalafel
Fish Mac
Chicken Big Mac

McDonald’s has around 70 locations in Egypt. The popular Big Mac has alternatives that allow customers to substitute chicken or fish for the typical beef patty. They also offer tartar sauce with fish fingers and Egyptian cookies.

#1 South Africa

Cape Town and the 12 Apostles from above, South Africa.

McFeast
Boerie Burger
Grand Chicken
SA Breakfast

The South African McDonald’s locations, like those on this list, incorporate the slang and traditional names for food into their menu. The McFeast is a beef burger with McBraai sauce and McChicken sauce. The Boerie Burger has boerewors sausage as the meat instead of beef. Boerewors is a traditional and popular African sausage invented in South Africa. The Grand Chicken sandwich includes hot spicy and jalapeño variants, and the SA breakfast is a meal with boerewors patties served with fries (known as hot chips).

They also offer McFizz which is a drink inspired by Sprite with flavors like watermelon and passionfruit.