Try 12 McDonald's International Items In The U.S. With These Ordering Hacks

As one of the largest fast food chains in the world, McDonald's operates in over 100 countries. In most of them, they offer unique menu items that cater to local tastes, which is how delicacies like the Malaysian Golden Prosperity Burger (a McRib with a custom sauce and a hash brown as a topping) or the Spanish McExtreme Pulled Pork (a burger topped with BBQ pulled pork, chipotle sauce, and bacon) were created. For devoted American fans of McDonald's, the fact that they aren't able to enjoy these international offerings can be the source of endless frustration. But the good news is that there are not one but two ways that you can try these exotic creations without leaving the confines of the U.S.

The first is to go to the McDonald's Global Headquarters in Chicago, IL. This is where all the McDonald's recipes are brainstormed and perfected; it's also the location of the McDonald's Hamburger University. The headquarters' restaurant offers a rotating menu of international items that can't be bought anywhere else. At the time of this writing, the menu at HQ features such mouth-watering items as the salted caramel dipped cone (South Korea), the Bacon BBQ Stack (Britain), the Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy (Canada), and the Spicy Garlic Black Pepper McNuggets (Japan). If you're in the Windy City, it's worth a detour just for bragging rights.

If you can't make it to Chicago in person, there's another way to try the McDonald's international menu. Go to your nearest McDonald's and use the following hacks to create your own kinda, sorta accurate international items. They may not be 100% authentic, but they're a lot cheaper than flying to Europe or Japan.

Available in Sweden, Canada, and Australia, this deluxe variation on our standard American McMuffin doubles the meat to create an extra-hearty breakfast sandwich. The Mighty McMuffin contains both sausage and bacon, so to hack your own Swedish-style McMuffin, simply ask for bacon to be added to your sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin (or vice versa).

It may not sound like the simple addition of the bacon would add that much to the classic McMuffin. But the crispy, hyper-salty texture of the bacon complements the spongier texture of the sausage and, along with the sausage, serves to perfectly counterbalance the softer, less sharp egg and cheese. In a very real sense, the bacon makes the whole sandwich better. Fans seem to agree: over on Reddit, commenters say it's one of the most consistently satisfying menu items of the last 40 years, and that it's the best of both McMuffin worlds.

For an international McMuffin hack that goes in the opposite direction, look to the health-conscious Norwegians for a way to bulk up your breakfast sandwich while also making it healthier. Instead of adding meat, the Norwegian McMuffin Deluxe hack adds lettuce, tomatoes, and onions to your standard breakfast sandwich to make it more well-rounded and nutritious; for a touch of further Nordic authenticity, ask if you can replace the sausage or bacon with a beef patty.

Lettuce, tomatoes, and onions are toppings for lunch and dinner items, so every franchise may not have them available during breakfast. You can order them in-app, or ask during ordering, but be prepared for the possibility of being denied. This ordering hack falls into the "10:35" category, which is the informal term for McDonald's items that use ingredients from both the breakfast and lunch menus. Ordering these items during the changeover from breakfast to lunch increases the odds that they'll be available– but keep in mind that attempting these unconventional combinations are up to employee discretion. (Over on Reddit, some commenters say they've successfully done it, and one McDonald's employee says that "it's about being in the right place, at the right time, with the right attitude.")

Crucially, the Norwegian McMuffin Deluxe also features McFeast sauce, which isn't on American menus. But if one looks closely at the ingredients of McFeast sauce, which include sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard, it seems like it could be similar to tart but sweet honey mustard. Even if it's not a perfect match, asking for some honey mustard on your hacked McMuffin Deluxe will enable you to have a nearly Nordic breakfast experience.

With caramelized onions in soy sauce, a rye bun, and melted cheddar cheese sauce, this iconic Brazilian burger has a novel taste profile that's like nothing on the American McDonald's menu. That's ironic, because the Cheddar McMelt was originally an American sandwich, back in the 1980s (and briefly again in 2014, though only in Wisconsin). When it was cooked stateside, the burger had a teriyaki sauce glaze to go with the caramelized onions and cheddar cheese sauce. But like so many original menu items from that era (the McPizza, for instance), it went away.

In this case, the Cheddar McMelt didn't vanish into oblivion; it simply moved south, to Brazil, where it remains a popular item on the country's McDonald's menu. There's no straightforward ordering hack that'll get you an authentic Rio de Janeiro-style Cheddar McMelt, but you can jury-rig one with a few improvisations. First, order a double Quarter Pounder with cheese. Then, the most important element is the caramelized onions. 

Ideally, you'll want to see if you can substitute the grilled onions from breakfast items like the Steak, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Bagel. That means your best bet for a semi-legit McMelt is to get there soon after breakfast ends at 10:30 AM. Those grilled onions aren't going to be exactly like the caramelized McMelt onions — they are made with butter, salt, and pepper instead of soy sauce — but they're close. For the cheddar sauce, your best bet is to order several extra slices of cheese and slap them next to the hot patty so they melt as much as possible.

This hearty burger from the other side of the planet is essentially a Quarter Pounder with two additions: an egg, and a big slice of beet. The Kiwiburger is somewhat elusive in New Zealand, where it's rotated on and off local McDonald's menus, much like the American McRib.

Beets are a very popular food in New Zealand and Australia, and many burgers there have beets as a core topping. You won't be able to ask for a slice of beet on your American Quarter Pounder, but you should be able to ask for an egg to be added, if it hasn't been too long since breakfast service closed down.

A lot of McDonald's hacks that require mixing regular items with sides or toppings from the breakfast menu are informally referred to as "10:35" items, since they're most likely to be gettable at 10:35 a.m., after breakfast has just ended and the regular menu is just starting up. If there are leftover breakfast ingredients around, and employees are open to bending the rules, this is the best time to order one of these combo items; simply ask for a McMuffin egg to be put on your burger. 

If you want to do it by-the-book, the easiest way is to simply order a McMuffin as breakfast is ending, then order a Quarter Pounder as lunch starts. Take the egg off the McMuffin, transfer it to your Quarter Pounder, and you'll have a protein-rich burger that's more or less authentically Down Under. If only you could get a slice of beet somewhere.

The Egg McMuffin is arguably a perfect breakfast sandwich, except for one small aspect: the egg. McDonald's cooks its eggs in what it calls an "egg ring" to make them come out uniformly circle-shaped, and a perfect fit for the round English muffin. The practical advantages of cooking the eggs like this are clear, but the egg in an Egg McMuffin can seem a little artificial, at least aesthetically speaking.

If you'd prefer a more natural egg, the Egg McMuffin on the small Pacific island of Fiji comes with scrambled eggs instead of the American-style molded egg. You could hack your own version of the Fiji Egg McMuffin by asking to have the scrambled eggs from the McDonald's Big Breakfast substituted onto your McMuffin in place of the standard perfectly round slab of egg. 

In locations that won't let you substitute, a potential hack is to order a Big Breakfast on the side, and just swap the eggs. The small touch of authenticity from putting scrambled eggs on the McMuffin could potentially elevate it from great to borderline perfect. It should also be noted that the genuine Fiji Egg McMuffin only has scrambled eggs and cheese on it– no meat of any kind.

The McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwich is a nearly perfect item, with one potential flaw: the tartar sauce. If either too much tartar sauce is put on the sandwich, or it isn't sufficiently spread around, diners eventually get a bite that's mostly tartar sauce. It can throw off the whole meal, especially if one is on the fence about tartar sauce in the first place. Let's be honest: mayonnaise is great, and pickles are great. But the combination of them is a little puzzling.

If you want to swap out that tartar sauce for something a little smoother, the continent of Europe is a step ahead. On this European version of the Filet-o-Fish, called the McFish, that creamy, sour tartar sauce is swapped out for ketchup. While the combination of tomato-based ketchup and fried fish might strike many Americans as strange, it makes a lot of sense. The sweet, smooth textured ketchup might be the perfect complement to the salty, crunchy fish filet, and the absence of cheese — another departure from the American version — leaves the fish as the undisputed star of the show. In many ways, the European McFish takes what makes the Filet-o-Fish great, and subtracts all its questionable or unnecessary elements.

In Poland, their equivalent to the classic McDonald's McCrispy chicken sandwich is called the "Chikker." In America, the deluxe version of the McCrispy chicken sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. But in Poland, the tomato and mayonnaise is eliminated, and honey mustard is added. This is a textbook case of "addition by subtraction," as this simpler version of the classic chicken sandwich offers a much more texturally consistent experience, and the sweetness of the honey mustard goes nicely with the savory crunch of the crispy chicken.

To hack your own version of the Polish "Chikker," simply order a McCrispy Deluxe, ask for the tomato and mayonnaise to be withheld, and then order a side of honey mustard. Spread the honey mustard on the sandwich, and enjoy.

If this sounds a little too sweet for your tastes, Poland also offers a "Red Chikker," which features a "tomato onion" sauce in place of the honey mustard. This sounds like a pretty Poland-specific condiment, but adding a side of spicy Buffalo sauce, possibly mixed with a little ketchup, is your best shot at improvising a stateside "Red Chikker."

Croatia has a unique spin on the Big Mac, and it might be an improvement on the McDonald's classic, depending on your tastes. If you've ever eaten a Sausage McMuffin and thought to yourself, "this would be even better in the form of a Big Mac," then this is definitely the sandwich for you. The Croatian McCountry substitutes in two pork sausage patties for the Big Mac's beef patties, while keeping the lettuce, tomato, and onion. 

It also uses what they call McDeluxe Sauce, which from the ingredients list seems like mayonnaise, although some people who've tried the McCountry in its native country have reported that the sauce tastes mustardy. (It should also be noted that it has a slice of cheddar cheese, instead of the Big Mac's American cheese, and it doesn't contain the classic Big Mac middle bun.)

Like a couple other items on this list, it's probably easiest to order one of these around 10:35 A.M., when the McDonald's is transitioning from the breakfast menu to the daytime menu and employees have theoretical access to both menus. Just remember that McDonald's doesn't officially make these crossover items, so it'll be up to employee discretion. Order your custom item in-app or ask while ordering at the counter. If they can't accommodate you, simply order a breakfast sandwich before 10:30, then order a Big Mac after the changeover to lunch. Then manually switch out the Big Mac beef patties for the pork patties. For the most authentic version of the Croatian McDeluxe sauce, mix equal parts mayonnaise and mustard yourself for a creamy, tangy topping.

With a name like the "McFeast," you'd probably be expecting a pretty delicious concoction — and you'd be right. The South African McFeast is essentially a Big Mac turned up to 10. It comes with a larger, 4.5 inch bun (possibly to make up for the lack of the Big Mac's iconic middle bun), two beef patties, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and two slices of cheese. Instead of the standard Big Mac Special Sauce, it features two separate condiments: McChicken Sauce and McBraai Sauce.

It's tough to say exactly what's in these two non-American condiments, but we can make an educated guess. The McChicken page on the South African McDonald's site lists "McChicken Sauce" as an ingredient, but the sandwich's description says it "creamy mayonnaise" on it, so if we take their word for it, this is an easy substitution. McBraai sauce is a little tougher to pin down. 

"Braai" is a South African word that describes grilling large quantities of meat over a wood fire – equivalent to an American BBQ. According to some people online, there is also an equivalent to BBQ sauce, which they call braai sauce. Interestingly, if you look at the ingredients of a standard braai sauce, it includes almost the exact same ingredients as a traditional American BBQ sauce: tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, molasses, honey, and liquid smoke. It should be noted that some recipes also call for garlic, onions, and peppers.

So, how do you make your own McFeast? Order a Big Mac, hold the extra bun, ask for an extra slice of cheese, and add plenty of BBQ sauce and mayonnaise. If you're looking for that extra bit of authenticity, add a little mustard on top of the mayo, to give it a little kick.

Coming from McDonald's Portugal, the McRoyal Bacon and Egg is essentially a Quarter Pounder with Cheese combined with a Bacon Egg McMuffin. It features a beef patty, a fried egg, multiple slices of bacon, and melted cheese, as well as the McRoyal Sauce, which looks very similar to Big Mac Sauce. That's an incredible bounty of protein, held together with cheese and sauce.

To make your own version of the Portuguese McRoyal Bacon and Egg, you can try one of two paths. One possibility is to order a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a Bacon Egg McMuffin, and then simply move the contents of the McMuffin onto your Quarter Pounder. (You can save the English muffin for later, or discard it, whichever you prefer.) That still leaves you with the problem of the McRoyal Sauce, though; ask for a serving of Big Mac Special Sauce on the side. 

Your other option is to order a Big Mac and a Bacon Egg McMuffin, and move the contents of the McMuffin onto your Big Mac. Then discard the third Big Mac middle bun, as well as the English muffin. If you want to be really authentic, remove the lettuce and onions from the Big Mac before you dig in. 

Whichever route you choose, keep in mind that this item combines a breakfast and a lunch/dinner item, so it might be possible to order during the "10:35" window, when breakfast service is transitioning over to lunch. However, McDonald's doesn't officially make these crossover items, so it'll really be up to individual employee discretion. You may have to order a Bacon Egg McMuffin during breakfast service, wait until lunch starts, order a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, and then combine them yourself. 

In Norway, McDonald's offers an enhanced version of the Filet-o-Fish called the Fish McFeast. In addition to the standard fried fish patty and slice of cheese, the Fish McFeast has ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. There's no tartar sauce, and the Fish McFeast uses a sesame seed bun instead of the standard Filet-o-Fish steamed bun.

To get your Filet-o-Fish Norwegian style, simply ask for tomatoes, lettuce, onions, ketchup and mustard, and have them hold the tartar sauce. For the ultimate in Nordic authenticity, ask to have a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder sesame seed bun substituted in.

The Fish McFeast also has McFeast sauce on it, which according to McDonald's Norway contains sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and mustard (among other ingredients), which seems like a plausible match for American honey mustard. Ask for a side of honey mustard and see if it adds a Nordic flair to your hacked Fish McFeast.