15 Regional McDonald's Menu Items You Need To Try
If there's one thing McDonald's does well, it's selection. The fast food titan may be known for its burgers and fries, but its standard menu is deceptively broad, with burritos, breakfast items, fruit options, and McNuggets alongside its Big Macs and Quarter Pounders.
As an international company, it also understands the importance of playing to different markets. There's a dizzying range of international McDonald's items out there, from the Belgian Wacko Guaco Burger, a sandwich topped with guacamole, pico de gallo, and cheddar, to the McPinto Deluxe, a Costa Rica exclusive consisting of a plate of rice and beans, scrambled eggs, fried plantains, and a side of custard. It's enough to give you some serious food envy.
But if you're reading this and thinking that the United States menu pales in comparison, you might be surprised. The truth is that McDonald's menus can vary from state to state, and certain parts of the country have regional menu items that aren't available anywhere else. Most of these regional items are designed to reflect the tastes and regional cuisines of these areas, and many of them offer location-specific favorites at a reasonable price. We stacked up some of our favorites right here.
Read more: The Ultimate American Fast Food Restaurants Ranked
Hawaii's Haupia Pie Is A Sweet Treat
Hawaiian food culture is rich, complex, and completely distinctive, with modern tastes shaped simultaneously by the traditional native produce available on the islands and the influence of hundreds of years of migration. This is captured pretty clearly in the McDonald's Haupia Pie, a Hawaii-only menu exclusive. This item places a coconut pudding called haupia, which has a sweet taste and a jelly-like consistency, in the center of a flaky pastry, which is then fried. The resultant pie is hot, gooey, and sweet, with the exterior of it turning crispy and puffing up with little air bubbles.
McDonald's doesn't always stock the Haupia Pie in its stores, and it may be rotated in and out, depending on the season and the restaurant you're going to. If you're not lucky enough to find one of these fan favorites, though, there are plenty of other places to try haupia across the various Hawaiian islands. Bear in mind, though, that bakeries stocking their own version of haupia pie usually prepare it in a more traditional, round style, filling or topping the pie with haupia and serving it in slices, instead of the McDonald's style, which is to serve it in handheld form.
You'll Have To Get To Texas For The Lone Star Stack
Texas has a lot of things to be proud of, but one thing it knows better than nearly anywhere else is beef. The Lone Star State has been arguably the most important cattle ranching location in the country for centuries, and you can't go a few blocks in its major cities without seeing a steakhouse or burger shacks.
So it's only natural that McDonald's ended up making its own Texas-focused burger with the Lone Star Stack. This seasonal item, only available in Texas, places one or two patties (depending on how hungry you are) in between two thick slices of Texas toast. It then piles on white cheddar, American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, pickles, caramelized onions, and a sweet onion barbecue sauce to finish things off.
All of this adds up to a pretty substantial meal: The Lone Star Stack comes in at 730 calories, with a fairly high sodium level of 1680 milligrams and 17 grams of saturated fat. But if you're itching to try something Texas-specific when you're in town, it could be the one for you. Just bear in mind that while it's a quick and easy way to try out some regional flavors, you might get a better bite elsewhere. Reviewers haven't been totally impressed by the Lone Star Stack in the past. Some people have said that this menu item is not authentically Texan.
In Hawaii, The McTeri Deluxe Is A Must-Try
Japanese food culture has had an enormous influence on Hawaiian cuisine, partly due to the large increase in the Japanese population and migration to the islands during the 20th century. This has resulted in certain flavors and ingredients, like teriyaki sauce, becoming super common across the islands. McDonald's reflects this with its McTeri Deluxe, a sweet-savory burger available only in Hawaii.
The McTeri Deluxe takes one of the McDonald's large beef patties and completely smothers it in a dark, sticky teriyaki sauce. It then throws on some sliced red onion, tomato, and lettuce and a coating of mayonnaise slathered on the sesame seed bun. The winning element in this burger truly is the sauce, which has a savory base provided by shoyu, combined with a punch of sweetness and the slight spice of ginger. As with the other burgers on the McDonald's menu, you can grab the McTeri Deluxe as part of a meal, with fries and a drink.
As with other region-specific McDonald's items, the McTeri Deluxe may only be available during certain periods of the year and only at certain restaurants across the state. The McTeri Deluxe is also periodically available in Guam.
Head To Alaska For The Denali Big Mac
How do you make the most iconic of burgers, the Big Mac, even more iconic? McDonald's has the answer with its Denali Big Mac. This burger, named after the highest mountain peak in North America, is an Alaska-only menu item. Formerly called the McKinley Mac, it was rebranded when the mountain was renamed to reflect its original name in the native Koyukon language.
This bigger Big Mac has one big difference -- and it's all in the patties. Instead of using the classic beef patties a Big Mac employs, a Denali Big Mac opts for two quarter pounders. It then adorns these patties with all of the regular Big Mac favorites, including its trademark sauce, American cheese, pickles, lettuce, and onions, in a three-part sesame seed bun.
As you might expect, this mountainous sandwich is a far more substantial meal, which is reflected in its nutritional information. The Denali Big Mac has 840 calories per serving and a whopping 20 grams of saturated fat (more than the entire amount you should be eating in a day, according to the American Heart Association), as well as 50 grams of protein from all of that beef. If you're looking to stock up on some filling food before you head out on a trek, though, this could be a good choice.
The Green Chile Double Cheeseburger Is A New Mexico Exclusive
Burgers are rarely one-size-fits-all, and as you travel across the country, you can find a host of regional burger styles. One of them, the green chile burger, is well-known in New Mexico and was created in a moment of culinary inspiration in the 1940s at the Owl Bar and Café. Its popularity stuck -- so much so that McDonald's cottoned on and made one of its own.
The McDonald's Green Chile Double Cheeseburger packs a lot into its relatively small package. The burger places two patties in a standard hamburger bun and places a slice of American cheese between them. Because of this, it starts life looking pretty similar to a McDouble -- but things start to get fun when the restaurant tops the patties with an abundance of Hatch green chiles. It finishes things off with some standard Mickey D's toppings in the form of ketchup, chopped onions, and mustard.
The Hatch chiles, native to New Mexico, can vary in their strength, ranging from mild to extra-hot. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how much you like heat), McDonald's plays it safe with its burger, using green chiles that have a little kick but not too much.
In Some Southern States, You Might Find Biscuits And Gravy
Biscuits and gravy is one of the quintessential Southern breakfast dishes, and any diner worth its salt in the South will have its own version. So, it only makes sense that McDonald's would expand its breakfast menu in certain states to include it. McDonald's Biscuits and Gravy uses two of its classic biscuits -- which show up in some of its other menu items -- and ladle 8 ounces of sausage gravy over them after splitting them in half.
It's worth pointing out that the resulting meal isn't exactly a light bite, and nor is it low in salt. The McDonald's Biscuits and Gravy will set you back roughly 940 calories, with 20 grams of saturated fat and almost 2,500 milligrams of sodium. However, this meal was never exactly designed as a diet meal, and people seem to be big fans of this McDonald's version, with the gravy gaining particular praise for its creaminess.
As you might expect, this item is available in Southern McDonald's branches across states like Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas. But every now and again, it shows up in a location you might not expect. McDonald's Biscuits and Gravy have been found in stores in the northern state of Michigan, as well as northeast Ohio.
Spam Eggs And Rice Is Only Available In Hawaii
In Hawaii, breakfast is done a little differently. One of the most enjoyable ways to start the morning is with a plate of Spam, eggs, and rice, with pan-fried Spam next to scrambled eggs and white rice, all topped with soy sauce and furikake seasoning. This classic breakfast taps into Hawaii's unique love of Spam, which evolved due to the military presence on the islands and the meat product being served on the soldiers' menus.
Never one to miss out on tapping into local tastes, McDonald's has produced its own version of the breakfast dish. Its Spam Eggs and Rice is a basic but tasty dish, and it omits the regular seasoning elements of soy and furikake to keep things simple. This doesn't seem to have an impact on its taste, though, with the Spam Eggs and Rice being beloved by customers and the Spam doing more than enough work flavor-wise to stop the meal being bland. It's pretty pleasing, too, to see that this breakfast dish is largely free of any preservatives or additives, apart from the Spam itself, which is a processed meat product.
You May Only Find Its Cookies And Creme Pie In Major Cities
McDonald's is great at nailing specific items, and its Baked Apple Pie is a great example of this, beloved around the world for its combination of crispy pastry and sweet filling. But that's far from the only pie it makes. In certain locations, like Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and New York, McDonald's has also offered a Cookies and Crème Pie. The pie is made with a cocoa-infused pastry that's studded with white, crunchy balls. Inside, there's a generous filling of vanilla-infused cream. While the pie isn't overly sweet, some folks have found that the flavor combination isn't well-suited to being warmed up.
The pie first cropped up in July 2023, with restaurants in Ohio, New Jersey, and Oklahoma also offering the new dessert. While the pie was marketed as a limited-time offer, McDonald's items have a habit of reappearing later down the line, so we'd expect to see more of this pie in the future. Interestingly, too, the calorie count on the Cookies and Creme Pie is actually lower than the regular apple pie offering at the restaurant, clocking in at 220 calories per serving.
Michigan's McDonald's Branches Serve Vernor's
Not all of the McDonald's regional exclusives are made by McDonald's itself. This is shown by the soda selection in its Michigan restaurants, which stock Vernor's Ginger Ale. This ginger ale is part of Michigan history, having been first made by Detroit local James Vernor way back in 1866. Having originally concocted a mixture of ginger, vanilla, and spices for medicinal purposes, Vernor found that once aged, the beverage became a tasty soft drink.
Vernor's is available in many other states, but Michigan is where you're most likely to find it. The drink is still drunk for its ability to calm the stomach and has a huge amount of cultural and social significance in the area, which McDonald's has tapped into. These days, Vernor's still has the vanilla flavors that it contained when it was first made, with a light tanginess, and is especially notable for the strength of its carbonation -- this drink is super fizzy, folks. Each large McDonald's serving size contains approximately 80 calories, making it significantly less calorific than the equivalent size of other soft drinks like Coke and way less sugary, too.
You'll Have To Travel For Its Steak And Egg Burrito
On its official menu, McDonald's only has one solitary Sausage Burrito, made with a combination of sausage, egg, vegetables, and cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla. But if you look hard enough, there are other burritos out there. McDonald's also has a Steak and Egg Burrito available in certain states. This menu item dates all the way back to 1991 and periodically still pops up across the country, although it currently only seems to be available in New York, California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The Steak and Egg Burrito combines tender shredded beef with scrambled eggs, American cheese, and a salsa roja, which stops everything from getting too dense and meaty. The mystery of why McDonald's doesn't serve this item across the country remains unsolved, given that the Steak and Egg Burrito is a food item that's enjoyed in way more than those four states.
For its part, McDonald's states: "We try to adapt our menu to reflect different tastes and local traditions for every country in which we have restaurants." While this definitely makes sense and implies that it also may do the same thing from state to state, it doesn't quite cover why an item like this isn't available nationwide.
The Fried Taro Pie Can Be Found In Hawaii
Taro may not be the most popular food item in the mainland U.S., but in certain regions, it's a big deal. This root vegetable is similar to a potato, but its pinkish flesh and slight sweetness mean that it's gained popularity in dessert dishes in places like Hawaii, where it has a long tradition of being used. And McDonald's has responded to this local demand with its Fried Taro Pie. Inside each pastry casing is a filling of taro root in a viscous lavender sauce, which has a gently sweet taste and a slightly chunky consistency. There's also a subtle undertone of vanilla, which helps to stop the root vegetable-based pie from tasting too dense.
The Fried Taro Pie is also available in other countries around the world, particularly those in East and Southeast Asia. Malaysian, Thai, and Chinese McDonald's branches all have the pie on menus. Importantly, though, while restaurants in China usually have the pie available year-round, in Hawaii, the item is seasonal and is usually only available for a few months at a time.
The Steak, Egg, And Cheese Bagel Is Only In Certain States
McDonald's may have mastered the art of the burger, but when it comes to another round, stuffed sandwich, it tends to shy away. Bagels aren't a common fixture on the McDonald's menu, with the chain preferring to stock muffins and biscuits for its breakfast menu. In a few states, though, you might be lucky enough to encounter the Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel. This hearty bagel will certainly set you up for the day, containing a steak patty with an omelet slice on top, crowned with grilled onions and American cheese.
There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of logic in where this bagel is available, though. This seasonal item has popped up in states as far down as South Florida and as north as Michigan. Elsewhere, the Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagels have popped up in Maryland and Philadelphia. It's safe to say, however, that this item has accrued a serious fanbase. A dedicated Facebook page, set up to track the whereabouts of the Steak, Egg, and Cheese bagel, has amassed approximately 4,700 followers, who frequently implore the food company to bring it back full-time.
Some Areas Still Sell Fried Apple Pies
The regular apple pie at McDonald's is beloved by people all around the world. But in Hawaii, it does things a little differently. The state's McDonald's restaurants also stock a Fried Apple Pie, which has a noticeably crispier crust than its standard offering. The Fried Apple Pie was actually the chain's original apple pie version, and from 1968 to 1992, it was what you received when you ordered them. However, McDonald's opted to switch to its baked version to give customers a healthier alternative.
These days, though, you can still find the Fried Apple Pie if you head to Hawaii, and it's also popped up here and there in restaurants in Florida. If you're ever in California, you can also grab them at the McDonald's in Downey on Lakewood Boulevard, the oldest McDonald's branch that's still in operation, which still retains its original 50's styling.
Interestingly, while the pies were switched due to health concerns, the current Baked Apple Pie that McDonald's stocks actually seems to be worse from a nutritional standpoint. The Baked Apple Pie contains more added sugars, more saturated fat, less fiber, and more calories than the fried version.
You May Come Across Its Cheese Curds In Wisconsin
Wisconsin is the home of cheese in America. The state makes over a quarter of all of the homegrown cheese in the country, with its approximately 11,400 dairy farms helping to produce around 2 billion pounds of cheese annually. So it's little surprise that McDonald's had a cheesy focus in its Wisconsin restaurants. Across the state, you could find Cheese Curds on its menu, which are made with Wisconsin cheese. Each order consisted of a box filled with nuggets of deep-fried cheese in a crumb coating for the reasonable price of $3.
The Cheese Curds in McDonald's were a hit with customers, but as a limited item, they have since disappeared. As McDonald's has a habit of bringing back its specials years after they were first sold, however, there's every chance that they'll make a return at some point. In the meantime, you'll have to travel to Canada to sample McDonald's cheese curds, which are part of its Poutine. This McDonald's version of the classic Canadian dish has cheese curds dotted on top of its signature fries, covered in a chicken-flavored gravy.
In New England, The Lobster Roll Is A Seasonal Delight
The Lobster Roll has a long, distinguished history in New England. The classic sandwich was invented in Connecticut in 1927 when the owner of Perry's restaurant decided to make use of the local produce by stuffing lobster into a hot dog bun. News spread of its popularity, and soon, eateries across the entire region were making them for customers.
Eventually, word reached the folks at McDonald's. Its Lobster Roll (also known as the McLobster) is a cost-effective way to sample the sandwich and is available during the summer months each year. Each roll is made with frozen lobster meat that is defrosted in-store, mixed with mayonnaise, and served in a lightly toasted roll with some sliced iceberg lettuce. The roll certainly looks the part and has some pretty juicy meat, considering it's not exactly the super-fresh product you'll find in New England harbor sides.
It's also one of the lighter offerings on the McDonald's menu, with a fairly low fat and saturated fat content and 24 grams of protein per serving. If you're looking for a gourmet product, however, you'll be disappointed, and taste-wise, it doesn't quite hold a candle to other rolls in the area, which often use just-caught local lobster.
Read the original article on Daily Meal.
