McDonald's Is Testing Out a New Fry Recipe and We're On Board

Watch out, Chick-fil-A.

I’m a purist when it comes to fries of any kind. I prefer a simple, crispy fry with a bit of salt. A good fry to me is one that tastes delicious without all of the extra dips and seasonings. Think: a classic McDonald's fry. So when I heard McDonald's was possibly testing a new french fry recipe, I had to give it a try.

That's right, a new kind of McDonald's French fries has officially hit the U.S. market: Waffle fries. The only catch? They're currently only being served at McDonald's Global Menu Restaurant in Chicago, but they're also currently available for a limited run in Canada—does this mean it might be coming to more US menus soon? First, I had to try them to see if they were any good.

Where Can You Get McDonald's Waffle Fries?

Nestled on the west side of the city, right below McDonald’s global headquarters is a unique version of the iconic chain restaurant. The menu at this location includes the typical American fare, but also a selection of global items. These items can be found only at chains in a handful of countries, and include foods such as the waffle fries I was tasked to try for this story.

While limited, the global menu offers an array of interesting menu items including bulgogi burgers from Japan and Crème Brulee Mini Donuts from Canada. Those both sounded intriguing, but I was there for the waffle fries! I opted to place my order at one of the touch-screen kiosks.

Scrolling through the global menu, I located the waffle fries (called Garlic Pepper Criscut Fries on the menu), which is an item offered in China, but Canada has also seen limited runs of the waffle-cut fries on its McDonald's menus.

What Do McDonald's Waffle Fries Taste Like?

The waffle fries came out super fast. And when they arrived, they were hot, smelled amazing and looked pretty darn good. Not a burnt or sad, limp fry in the batch. When I took a bite, I was pleased to discover they were crunchy on the outside, but soft in the middle. And true to the description, I tasted both garlic and pepper. I paid close to four dollars for a “large” bag (the only size option) which felt a bit steep to me, especially considering you can buy a 22-ounce bag of frozen waffle fries at the grocery store for the same price.

Trying new things is always fun, especially if it’s French fries. Since I’m a self-described connoisseur of fried potatoes, I feel I’m qualified to say that the Garlic Pepper Criscut Fries from the global menu were delicious and perfectly cooked. On occasion, McDonald's does take an item from the global menu and make it available nationwide in the U.S. so we wouldn't be surprised to see these on more menus soon.