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15 McDonald’s Items You CAN’T Buy In America (Part 2)
Mickey D’s fans will enjoy learning about another 15 McDonald’s Items that aren’t available in the USA. Discovering international menu items from this fast-food giant will be fun. Some of these recipes from other countries, including Sweden, Germany, and India, look absolutely delicious. Plan a trip to try some yourself.
15. Red Rice Porridge (Singapore)
This tasty menu item is available only at Singapore McDonald’s locations and it’s very nutritious. In fact, it was introduced to appeal to health-conscious people. Red Rice Porridge is made with wheat, tree nuts and soybean. Red rice is a whole grain that has a vibrant hue and lots of fiber. Red rice is actually higher in fiber than brown rice or white rice. If you get the chance to try this Singapore-exclusive menu item, be sure to go for it, especially if you prefer to nosh on plant-based menu items. You’ll find that the vitamin B content in this dish is good for your health. Plus, the taste is top-notch, as this menu item was created by Anna Lim, who is a respected Singaporean chef. Red Rice Porridge was added to the Singapore McDonald’s menu in the spring of 2018 and it’s still on the menu today. It’s a nice alternative to the deep-fried stuff.
14. The McArabia Chicken (Pakistan & Arab Nations)
When in Pakistan or an Arab nation, be sure to indulge in a McArabia Chicken. It’s a chicken sandwich that just isn’t available in America. Made from a couple of Halal grilled chicken patties, plus onions, bold garlic sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes, it’s simply delicious. This sandwich comes on tasty Arabic bread. Customers who prefer crispy chicken to grilled chicken may order the McArabia with crispy chicken. The crispy chicken option was added after the McArabia was already available. The crispy chicken option will have a bit more fat and calories. International menu items from McDonald’s reflect regional and national tastes. What works in one country may not work in another. Sometimes, McDonald’s does bring international menu items to America, but the McArabia isn’t one of those items. It’s a special item that probably won’t make it to the USA anytime soon, or ever. The best way to get it is to go on an adventure where it’s available.
13. McAloo Tikki Burger (India)
This veggie delight was offered at the McDonald’s Chicago Loop location in 2018, as part of its international menu, but it’s not an item that you’ll find on the official American McDonald’s menu. The Chicago Loop location is actually the worldwide HQ of McDonald’s, so that location was an appropriate place to give the McAloo Tikki burger a test run. Since the vegan-friendly sandwich wasn’t introduced all over the USA after its test run, it might not be right for the official McDonald’s USA menu. This veggie burger comes from India, where it’s very popular at Mickey D’s locations. This burger has a veggie patty made from samosa-inspired seasoning, peas, and potatoes. The veggie burger patty is topped with tomato slices, tomato mayo made without eggs and red onions. It’s a lighter, plant-based option for those who prefer vegetarian fare.
12. Sticky BBQ (Sweden)
This unique McSelection is available only in select Swedish McDonald’s locations. It’s a very unique burger that features cheese, bacon, red onion, lettuce, and a flavorful BBQ Cold Brew sauce. The BBQ Cold Brew sauce contains some gourmet-inspired ingredients, such as tamarind paste, cold brew coffee, and rapeseed oil. BBQ fans in the USA would probably love this beef burger, but it hasn’t been introduced all over Sweden yet, much less in America. Sometimes, McDonald’s restaurants offer special items that are designed to appeal to specific regional tastes. These menu items aren’t necessarily destined to be available on a wider scale. It’s about offering customers a little novelty that makes the experience of visiting McDonald’s a bit different and exciting. If you ever visit Sweden and manage to get your hands on one of these Stick BBQ sandwiches, enjoy. It’s bound to be very tasty, based on the high-quality ingredients and overall BBQ theme.
11. Halloumi Muffin (Cyprus)
This special muffin is available at McDonald’s restaurants in Cyprus and its renowned for its local and traditional flavors. It comes with Halloumi cheese that’s been grilled to perfection, plus fresh lettuce and a slice of ripe tomato. The Halloumi cheese is what makes this muffin stand out. It’s a cheese that Cypriots revere and it has been compared to cream cheese or cheese curds. This muffin was also available in the United Arab Emirates for a time. In Cyprus, the Halloumi Muffin is on the breakfast menu, along with a Bacon Halloumi Muffin, and familiar breakfast fare that Americans know and love, such as the Big Breakfast, Sausage McMuffin and Pancakes. A trip to Cyprus, which is an island nation in the Eastern Med, will allow you to sample the legendary Halloumi Muffin for yourself, with or without the bacon. This muffin hasn’t made it to American, but it’s a big hit in Cyprus.
10. Masala Scrambled Egg With Whole Wheat Bun (India)
If you’re a scrambled eggs fan and you love the taste of traditional Indian spice blends, you may wish that you could get the Masala Scrambled Egg with Whole Wheat Bun in America. Eggs contain protein and vitamins, although nutrition experts sometimes argue about whether they should be constant in a healthy diet or not. While specific ingredients for this Indian McDonald’s menu item weren’t available online at the time of this writing, the name of the menu item gives us an important clue about how it tastes. A Masala is a blend of spices that are ground up into paste form and then utilized to flavor Indian dishes. So, these scrambled eggs are going to have a delightfully spicy kick, if you can manage to get to India and order them. The bun on the side will make this meal more substantial and filling. This breakfast menu item sounds amazing, but it’s just not available in the USA.
9. Cheese Melt Dippers (United Kingdom)
Cheese fans in the UK had the opportunity to enjoy Cheese Melt Dippers at local McDonald’s locations. These dippers were made from creamy Camembert cheese covered in a crispy crumb coating. Sounds a little decadent, doesn’t it? In a good way, of course. Camembert is a gourmet cheese with plenty of richness, character, texture, and taste. When it’s coated in a delectable crust, it takes on a whole new level of delicious. These treats seemed to have been limited edition because they’re not currently on the menu at the official McDonald’s UK website, but they may be back. It’s not uncommon for McDonald’s fast-food chains in certain countries to bring back menu items sometimes. In the meantime, UK customers may enjoy a tasty alternative, which is Cheese and Herb Melts. These cheese bites are made with Emmantal and Mozzarella cheeses and then covered in a crunchy coating. They are served with a tomato-flavored dip.
8. Magic Cheese Blueberry Pie (China)
This exciting dessert from McDonald’s China is available for a limited time only. It’s something fun that’s been introduced to get into the spirit of the season. McDonald’s China offers lots of fun menu items that aren’t available in America, including kid-friendly items from the Snowman Food Season menu. As the name suggests, Magic Cheese Blueberry Pie is a unique and inspiring take on classic Blueberry Cheesecake taste. It’s a fun new way of enjoying a traditional sweet treat. In America, dessert at McDonald’s is all about the hot Apple Pies and the McFlurries. Globally, there are other enticing sweet tastes to discover at McDonald’s restaurants. A trip to China will be a great opportunity to sample Magic Blueberry Pie, but you’ll probably need to get to China quickly, as this menu item may not be around for long.
7. McFalafel (Sweden)
Swedish McDonald’s fans who want to skip the meat enjoy ordering McFalafel. It’s a different fast food experience, which still has that whole McDonald’s vibe happening. A lot of Americans have tried Falafel, so they have a sense of how McFalafel from Sweden would taste. The Swedish fast food version is made from chickpeas, fragrant spices, including coriander and cinnamon, potato flour and other good-tasting and wholesome ingredients. These little Falafel bites come in a convenient four-pack. They are a nice light meal or a heartier snack. Unfortunately, USA customers can’t sample these healthy bites for themselves, unless they somehow make it to America. Swedish McDonald’s definitely has some appealing and innovative menu items that most Americans would appreciate. They also offer the Sticky BBQ burger, which would appeal to so many USA BBQ fans.
6. Gran Garlic Pepper Burger (Japan)
This burger is part of the Japan McDonald’s “Gran burger” lineup. Some American tourists who’ve sampled the Gran Garlic Pepper burger and other Gran burgers are very impressed with the results. There are American customers who prefer the Japanese Mickey D’s burgers to the American ones, in part because the Japanese burgers have very airy and fluffy buns. Anyway, the Gran Garlic Pepper burger was introduced in October of 2018 and it gets great reviews from Japanese citizens and tourists. This burger has a sauce with a bit of kick and it accents the meat’s flavor well. This burger comes with lettuce and tomato on the revered Japanese McDonald’s bun. If you’re fond of Garlic Pepper taste, you’ll probably adore this burger. The trio of “Gran” burgers was brought into rotation at Japanese McDonald’s as replacements for the Quarter Pounder.
5. Rustic Potatoes (Russia)
At McDonald’s locations in Russia, it’s possible to enjoy lots of fun and unique menu items that taste great, including Rustic Potatoes. If you’re curious about the full menu lineup, visit the official Mickey D’s website for Russia and then hit the translate button, unless you’re already fluent in Russian. So, what will you see on the Russian menu, besides Rustic Potatoes, which are a chunkier, deep-fried and spiced potato with a real down-home appeal? Well, quite a bit of cool stuff; including the Texas Burger and Western Gourmet Burger. If you’re looking for different McDonald’s sides, you might wish that you could order Rustic Potatoes in America. In the USA, you can enjoy World Famous Fries or a side salad. The other available snacks and sides are on the sweet side, rather than being savory, like Rustic Potatoes. It almost goes without saying that menus change from time to time, so what’s here today may be gone tomorrow.
4. NY Double Beef Bagel (Germany)
German McDonald’s customers are able to enjoy very heartily, Big Apple-inspired taste, by ordering NY Double Beef Bagel sandwiches at McDonald’s. These filling burgers come on New York-style bagels; two all-beef patties are topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and savory sauce. Since bagels are really substantial, thanks to their heavier and chewier texture, this German burger is designed to fill up customers and taste great, too. While it’s inspired by one of America’s coolest cities, it’s not on the American menu. There’s a NY Double Chicken Bagel sandwich for those who prefer poultry to red meat. McDonald’s menu items from Germany are fun. There are lots of interesting things on the menu that are a little novel to Americans, including A Signature Truffles Burger and charmingly named McMilchshakes (sic).
3. Fried Shrimp (Russia)
Fried shrimp are mighty tasty and you can get them as a side dish at Russian McDonald’s locations. These tasty deep-fried snacks won’t last long, because you’ll plunge them into a tasty sauce and inhale them in record time. There’s no telling why McDonald’s hasn’t brought this side dish to the USA, but it might be popular there. After all, Americans do love their shrimp. It’s also fascinating to see what people in other countries enjoy eating when they visit McDonald’s. Most of the items sound delicious, even when they are really offbeat. Fried Shrimp isn’t so unorthodox and it’s probably a guilty pleasure of many Russian fast food fans. It’s a nice change from Chicken McNuggets or other fried fares from Mickey D’s. While deep-fried foods should be enjoyed in moderation, they are definitely something that a lot of fast-food fans crave. Healthier fare sometimes doesn’t sell too well, which says a lot about what fast food customers really want.
2. Galaxy Salted Caramel McFlurry (UK)
This crowd-pleasing McFlurry was launched in the UK in September of 2019. It comes with luscious chunks of beloved Galaxy chocolate, plus a caramel sauce with a little salty kick. If you love whipped ice cream that’s loaded with sweet treats and sauce, you may be salivating over this UK McFlurry right now. Luckily, you’ve got some exciting McFlurry choices in the USA, so you won’t need to feel too deprived. Examples include a McFlurry with M & M’s and a McFlurry with Oreo Cookies. Still, the whole salted caramel thing is a hot trend that’s also delicious, so it’s too bad that American McDonald’s customers can’t get the Galaxy Salted Caramel version of the McFlurry. Maybe there will be a spin on the whole salted caramel trend in McDonald’s USA locations at some point., after all, it’s a food trend that shows no signs of slowing down. New McFlurry desserts are introduced fairly regularly, so customers can look forward to trying new versions whenever they have the opportunity to.
1. Ebi Filet O’Shrimp (Japan)
Shrimp fans do not need to be limited to the fried shrimp at McDonald’s in Russia. They can travel to Japan and get the Ebi Filet O’Shrimp, which was named after a Japanese model called Yuri Ebihara. This model helped to advertise the shrimp burger when it was launched. The burger features a shrimp patty crusted in delicious Panko breading. The patty’s flavor is accented with a sauce with shrimp tempura flavoring. The burger also includes lettuce and mustard. This doesn’t just sound intriguing, it sounds amazing. Americans who love Japanese flavors may wish that they could Uber Eats these burgers to their homes right now, or enjoy them in USA McDonald’s restaurants. Now that you know more about a host of fun menu items from other countries, you know exactly what you are missing. These menu items are terrific, but so out of reach, unless you’re the type who travels to other nations on a regular basis. If you do, make a point of sampling unique menu items from McDonald’s during your travels. It’s a great way to add a little more novelty to an international adventure.