McDonald’s around the world is not the same McDonald’s you grew up with. The Golden Arches operate in 119 countries, and once you step outside the United States, the menu turns into something you do not recognize. They serve McSpaghetti in the Philippines. They sell beer in Germany. They put pulled pork on a sandwich in Spain. They serve porridge for breakfast in London. The American McDonald’s menu is one of the most boring versions of the chain on Earth.
If you travel for a living, or you travel period, McDonald’s becomes the unofficial passport stamp. You walk in expecting the same six items and walk out with a calzone, a goat cheese burger, or a teriyaki burger you cannot stop thinking about for a month. Here is the global tour, country by country.
United Kingdom: The Porridge Breakfast
McDonald’s around the world does porridge, but the UK does it best. The Quaker Oat So Simple Porridge sits on the McDonald’s UK breakfast menu year round, served with skimmed milk and an optional fruit compote. It is creamy, warm, and a complete left turn from the McGriddles and hash browns Americans expect. The UK menu also runs Mozzarella Dippers, the British version of mozzarella sticks, available as a side or in a sharebox.
Italy: The Pizza Calzone and Spinach Cheese Nuggets
Italy got serious with their McDonald’s menu. The McItaly Pizza Calzone is exactly what it sounds like, a folded pizza pocket with mozzarella, tomato, and prosciutto cotto. The Spinach and Cheese Crocchè are small fried bites filled with spinach and stretchy cheese, sold as nuggets. Italian McDonald’s also runs a rotating Signature Collection that pulls in regional ingredients like Parmigiano Reggiano and pesto.
Japan: The Teriyaki Burger and Ebi Filet O
Japan has been doing McDonald’s better than the United States for decades. The Teriyaki Chicken Filet O is a crispy fried chicken patty smothered in sweet and spicy teriyaki sauce with lettuce and mayo. The Ebi Filet O is a shrimp burger, fried shrimp patty on a sesame bun. Japan also runs seasonal specialties like the Tsukimi Burger, an egg topped burger sold during the September moon viewing season.
Philippines: McSpaghetti and Chicken McDo
The Philippines is the home of McSpaghetti, the dish American McDonald’s tried to launch and could not make work. It is sweet style spaghetti with banana ketchup based sauce, hot dog slices, and grated cheese. Filipinos pair it with Chicken McDo, a piece of fried chicken sold as the main entree. McSpaghetti and fried chicken is a national lunch combo.
India: The McSpicy Paneer and the Maharaja Mac
India does not serve beef or pork at McDonald’s at all. The McSpicy Paneer is a battered fried paneer cheese patty with tandoori sauce, cheese, onions, and lettuce. The Chicken Maharaja Mac is the Indian answer to the Big Mac, two grilled chicken patties with cheese, jalapenos, onions, lettuce, and habanero sauce. India is also the only McDonald’s where the entire menu is built around vegetarian options first.
Germany: The McRib All Year and Beer
Germany has the McRib on the permanent menu. While Americans wait for the seasonal return every fall, Germans have access to it 365 days a year. Germany also still sells beer at some older locations owned by German brewers who got grandfathered in. The German menu runs a Big Vegan TS, one of the earliest vegan burgers on a global fast food menu, and the Hamburger Royal TS, the German name for the Quarter Pounder.
Spain: The McExtreme Pulled Pork and Goat Cheese Burger
Spain went unhinged with their menu. The McExtreme Pulled Pork is a beef patty, pulled pork, bacon, and crispy fried onions topped with smoked cheese, BBQ sauce, and smoked mayo. Their Goat Cheese Burger is now famous enough that McDonald’s brought it to their Chicago headquarters restaurant as a limited tasting item. Spanish McDonald’s also serves Gazpacho seasonally.
France: The Croque McDo and Macarons
France calls McDonald’s “McDo” and treats it like a real restaurant. The Croque McDo is melted Swiss cheese and ham pressed between two English muffins, sold on the Happy Meal menu. French McDonald’s also sells macarons at the McCafe counter in flavors like pistachio, raspberry, and chocolate. Cherry tomatoes and melon are offered as fruit sides instead of fries.
Canada: The McLobster and Poutine
The McLobster shows up at Canadian McDonald’s during summer in the Maritime provinces. It is a lobster roll with mayo, lettuce, and celery on a hot dog bun. Canada also serves poutine, French fries topped with brown gravy and cheese curds, as a standard side option. The Quebec menu adds maple syrup options on the breakfast side.
South Korea: The Bulgogi Burger and Shrimp Burger
South Korea runs a Bulgogi Burger with marinated grilled pork patty, lettuce, and bulgogi sauce. Their Shrimp Burger is similar to the Japanese Ebi Filet O but with a slightly spicier Korean style sauce.
Egypt: The McFalafel and Fish Fingers with Tartar
Egyptian McDonald’s serves a McFalafel sandwich, fried falafel patties on a bun with tahini sauce. The menu also offers fish fingers with tartar sauce as a kid’s option, along with Egyptian cookies for dessert.
Israel: The Corn Sticks Breakfast
Israeli McDonald’s serves corn sticks with carrot munchies on the kid’s breakfast menu. They are a polenta based fried side. Israeli locations also follow kosher rules at certified branches, meaning no cheese on burgers and no dairy products served alongside meat.
Brazil: The Cheddar McMelt and Banana Pie
Brazil offers the Cheddar McMelt, a beef patty with grilled onions, cheddar cheese sauce, and soy sauce on a dark rye bun. Their dessert menu includes a Banana Pie instead of the American apple pie, deep fried hand pie with banana filling.
Hong Kong: The Twisty Pasta and Red Bean Pie
Hong Kong McDonald’s serves twisty pasta on the breakfast menu, a soup style noodle dish with ham and corn. Their dessert lineup includes a Red Bean Pie, the hand pie format with sweet red bean filling instead of fruit.
Netherlands: The McKroket
The McKroket is Dutch comfort food at McDonald’s. It is a deep fried beef ragout croquette on a soft bun with mustard mayo, a fast food version of the bitterballen Amsterdam runs on.
Australia: The Aussie Brekkie Wrap
Australia and New Zealand share the Brekkie Wrap, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown, BBQ sauce, and cheese in a tortilla. Australia also gets the rotating Macca’s exclusives, where Macca’s is the national nickname for McDonald’s.
Thailand: The Samurai Pork Burger
Thailand serves a Samurai Pork Burger with grilled pork patty and teriyaki style sauce. The menu also includes Pineapple Pie as the regional hand pie variant.
Singapore: The Nasi Lemak Burger
Singapore launched the Nasi Lemak Burger in 2017 and it caught fire on global food blogs. It is a coconut rice flavored chicken patty with cucumber, fried egg, sweet chili sauce, and crispy anchovies on a bun. The flavor profile is the national breakfast dish of Singapore turned into a burger.
McDonald’s around the world has become a real travel ritual. Walk into one in any country, scan the menu, and you find out what that country actually eats by what the global chain had to localize. The American menu is the most stripped down version of McDonald’s on Earth. Once you start traveling, you stop ordering Big Macs and start ordering whatever the country put on the board that you cannot get back home. Save this list. Pull it up the next time you land somewhere and need something familiar that is not quite as familiar as you thought.
