The Absolute Best McDonald's Burger For Your Money

With a lineup of iconic burgers and sandwiches, picking a meal off the McDonald's menu can be a fun, if not challenging, endeavor. For customers seeking the best McDonald's experience for their money, the famous Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a winner every time. If the Big Mac is McDonald's signature burger, then the Quarter Pounder with Cheese might be considered 1A. What you probably didn't know about McDonald's QPC is that it has been a Golden Arches mainstay since 1973, beloved among fast food enthusiasts for its size, simplicity, and authentic ingredients.

Here at Tasting Table, we tried and ranked every McDonald's burger, and the classic Quarter Pounder with Cheese has proven to be the absolute best choice. At its most basic level, the combination of a seasoned burger, cheese, and ketchup and mustard (especially the mustard) just hits the spot. That's precisely why we can't get enough of the QPC. In an age of specialty sauces, ever-changing ingredients, and gourmet burgers, the original Quarter Pounder with Cheese is "Old Reliable." Even among the double and deluxe Quarter Pounder options, we know exactly what we're getting every time. It's always an enjoyable experience, even when the burger may not be hot and fresh off the grill.

Our affinity for the Quarter Pounder with Cheese isn't just limited to "Best of" burger lists. We've also tried more than three dozen items on the menu for our ultimate ranking of McDonald's food items and ranked the QPC as the fourth-best item. Even in fourth place, this made-to-order burger holds the highest ranking for a lunch or dinner option on our list. While breakfast sandwiches took the top three spots, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese stands out for its simplicity and the right ratio of burger to condiments. With this burger, nothing feels out of place.

As fast food menus continue to evolve, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese remains unchanged — just a simple burger with amazing flavor. It helps that it's the only McDonald's burger that's never frozen. While we are also fans of the bacon and deluxe variations of the QPC, when it comes down to it, the big meaty bite of burger and cheese in the original is hard to resist. There's a reason it's been around for over 50 years: It's simple, nostalgic, and represents perfection between a pair of steamed buns.