The Worst Fast Food Double Cheeseburger Comes From A Popular Chain

What do juicy, thick, restaurant-style burgers and fast food burgers have in common? Not a lot, actually — some offerings even less than others. Especially when foodies envision a double cheeseburger, tantalizing images of toothsome and full-mouthed bites of beef come to mind. Applied to the drive-thru lane, however, something about the alleged doubly-meaty idea gets lost in translation. To determine which are worth ordering and which ones to skip, Tasting Table ranked seven fast food double cheeseburgers, and McDonald's offering fell to last place. 

A word to the wise: McDonald's Double Cheeseburger and McDouble are, in fact, not the same thing (the McDouble has one less slice of cheese). Essentially, the chain's Double Cheeseburger comprises two 100% all-beef patties seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with pickle coins, diced onions, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese. It's a lot of seemingly good elements that somehow add up to nothing. As mentioned in our review, flavors were barely there and textures were exceptionally dry. According to our tester, "The patties themselves had very little flavor — just a vague salty meat taste — and certainly weren't juicy. Two stacked together still didn't amount to much." 

Limp and lackluster, the only offering on McDonald's menu that's any sadder is the single cheeseburger. That second helping of meat makes a big difference. In fact, the moisture and fat from two slices of melty processed cheese make a fairly impactful difference, too. In another review, we tried and ranked every McDonald's burger, and the Double Hamburger (the close relative of the Double Cheeseburger) fell dead last. Ultimately, though, Mickey D's Double Cheeseburger came in 7th out of 11 options, which is still pretty bleak. 

It's worth noting that some folks seem to dig this uninspired, little burger. In one Reddit thread, a fan writes, "[A]t least to me, nothing beats the good ol' McDonald's Double Cheeseburger. I don't have to break my jaw to get a bite, and the flavour is just right." In response, comments range from acquiescing to diplomatically patronizing. "There is a time and a place for a delicious McD double cheeseburger, especially when they're hot, fresh and the cheese is melted just right," says this Redditor. Another user claims, "You are free to think what you want, there is no wrong or right, enjoy your burgers," to which this Redditor retorts, "There is only pleasure and pain." 

In yet another Reddit post, apparent longtime fans maintain that the taste of McDonald's cheeseburger has changed for the worse in recent years, even if the bar wasn't particularly high to begin with. "I miss my old crappy burgers," writes the poster — and that's supposed to be a positive review.

By our count, the best thing about this burger is the catchy jingle from its iconic 1980s ad campaign. "Double, double, cheese, cheese, burger, burger, please," we sing ... before ordering something else. Our advice? Foodies on a time crunch are better off snagging a double cheeseburger from Five Guys or Shake Shack — the fast food chains that topped our ranking for their seriously beefy flavors. Or, if you're hitting McDonald's, order the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, instead.