7 McDonald's Menu Items That Need More Love

McDonald's has a massive menu of assorted dishes served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with two menus split across all hours of the day. From the sweet-savory Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddles to the tangy and meaty combo of a Big Mac, the menus offer plenty of options for customers depending on their tastes. It's what makes McDonald's a go-to fast food spot for many, and it's why I'll always be a lifelong customer. Some of its best dishes are its most popular, from the McChicken to the Quarter Pounder with Cheese. But these beloved menu items are just a taste of what the restaurant provides.

There are a multitude of McDonald's menu items that don't get enough love from customers, are overshadowed by more recognizable ones, or that simply fly under the radar for most patrons. As a regular at the restaurant, I can attest to how delicious these unsung meals are. From burgers introduced relatively recently to breakfast meals that aren't as simple as they seem, I've put together a list of seven McDonald's menu items that deserve a lot more love.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

McDonald's burgers come in all shapes and sizes, from a simple cheeseburger to the gargantuan Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe. One underappreciated burger falls square in the middle: the Daily Double. Introduced to McDonald's international menu in July 2025, this meaty sandwich comes with two beef patties, a single slice of American cheese placed in between. It comes equipped with crisp veggies, too: lettuce, sliced tomato, and chopped onion. It's all topped with mayonnaise as a finishing touch. Smooth buns add to the velvety presentation, making the burger all the softer and more visually pristine. Its $4.19 price tag is more than justified by how well every element of the burger is brought together.

Though it's not as prominent as more simplistic cheeseburgers, the Daily Double's trifecta of toppings, coupled with a creamy, smooth condiment, makes it stand out from the crowd. Each bite is fresh and flavorful, gracing the mouth with a beefy taste. This is, of course, bolstered by its taste combinations. The onion in particular provides a sharp smack, which can make for a good energizer from flavor alone. It makes the Daily Double my go-to McDonald's burger dish. The unique combination of ingredients is delicious. As a newer burger on the menu, it is worthy of more love from the restaurant's customer base.

Although the McDouble is similar to the Daily Double in some ways, this two-pattied burger provides a completely different taste. The only similarity the McDouble has to the Daily Double is the number of patties, plus the slice of American cheese sandwiched between the meat. It's topped with a classic combination of diced onion, sliced pickle, and a generous spread of ketchup and mustard. The $2.59 burger satisfies through simplicity, which makes it deserving of a brighter spotlight.

The taste of the McDouble is comparable to that of the Double Cheeseburger, containing the same ingredients outside one missing slice of cheese. But this change makes a stark difference. It allows the meaty, beefy flavor to bloom without the overwhelm of dairy. There's also the bite of the ketchup-mustard combo, which acts as a charming reminder of a classic cheeseburger flavor. It makes the McDouble a worthy addition to McDonald's classic cheeseburger lineup. Even with the omission of one, simple ingredient, I can confidently say the sandwich delivers an exquisite taste that puts the deliciousness of McDonald's beef patties front and center.

The Filet-O-Fish is a classic McDonald's dish, noteworthy for being the only fish sandwich on the menu. A square of Alaskan pollock is placed atop a melted slice of American cheese, followed by a lathering of tartar sauce, served for $6.59. The Filet-O-Fish's real ingredients also make it a relatively healthy option. Those who've eaten the sandwich can attest to the delicious tartar sauce and fresh filet patty, a simple combination of three core ingredients stacked together between a steamy bun.

The Filet-O-Fish is the McDonald's sandwich I've eaten the least, which further emphasizes the need for it to get more attention. Every time I've bitten into the tender, high-quality pollock, my taste buds are transported to a seafood restaurant. The crunchy, somewhat sweet flavor is complemented by the tang of the tartar sauce. The cheese adds to the dish by delivering a creamy texture and taste, bolstering the other ingredients. It makes the Filet-O-Fish a worthwhile lunch or dinner meal, even though its status as a seafood dish makes it an outlier. If anything, its high bar of quality makes it all the more delectable, and thus deserving of a closer look by McDonald's regulars.

The Sausage McMuffin with Egg gets a lot of love at McDonald's, making it a staple breakfast sandwich for the chain. However, the Sausage McMuffin without egg doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. Coming in at $1.69, the regular Sausage McMuffin's name explains itself: a juicy sausage patty draped atop a slice of American cheese, the two core ingredients smashed together between the buns of a toasted English muffin. Although the Sausage McMuffin doesn't have any egg, it still proves the McDonald's breakfast menu thrives, even at its simplest.

The Sausage McMuffin's signature sausage flavor is quite strong. Savory and with a mild spiciness, it's the most powerful part of the sandwich. Without egg to dampen it, the meat flavor becomes far more potent. The cheese helps ensure it's not too overwhelming, thanks to a sharp flavor furthered by a creamy aftertaste. The English muffin brings it all together with a toasty crunch that's guaranteed to whet the appetite. Although it has fewer ingredients than other McDonald's breakfast menu items, the Sausage McMuffin's simplicity and value are its greatest strengths. Without both, the sandwich wouldn't be the same, which is why it deserves as much love as its egg-focused variant.

Breakfast sandwiches are a McDonald's morning staple, but the restaurant still delivers on other tasty dishes to start the morning off right. One of the most underrated options is the Hotcakes, which come in at $4.49. Fresh, miniature pancakes made by Bama Companies, the Hotcakes come as a trio, touted as "golden brown" in the dish's official description. The triad comes with a slice of creamy butter and an overflow of maple syrup. Though it's not as clean-cut as a sandwich, the Hotcakes make for an energizing start to the day thanks to both taste and sugar content.

I find the Hotcakes are best eaten while fresh, delivering a perfect balance between the flavor of the pancake itself and the syrupy, buttery toppings. Cutting into each one reveals just how fluffy the dish can be. One easy slice makes for a sugar-sweet bite, aiding as a strong, sugary pick-me-up in the process. It may be a smaller, more carb-focused meal than a sandwich, but the Hotcakes is still a worthy McDonald's breakfast. It provides plenty of energy to get through the morning, while leaving room to ensure you're not too full for the start of the day.

One of the more unique additions to the McDonald's menu is the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal; it is as simple as it sounds. With a price tag of $3.19, the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal sees oats, cream, and brown sugar mixed together with green and red apples, cranberries, and raisins. This fruit-focused dish provides fiber heading into the early morning, while also delivering vitamins best achieved through sliced fruit. The brown sugar is a tasty bonus that makes the meal sweeter while maintaining its other elements.

Though I'm more partial to oatmeal on store shelves, the McDonald's variant measures up quite well. The perfect balance of taste and texture, coupled with the oats' health benefits, makes it a simple yet sublime addition to McDonald's breakfast menu — one that deserves much more recognition. The crunch of apple and soft chew of cranberry and raisin give the oatmeal a unique texture and elevate the flavor. The brown sugar also blends well with the oats, never compromising its creamy, earthy taste. Of course, the nutritional value makes it go down even easier.

The original McDonald's Hamburger is considered one of the classics. But as the burger menu has expanded over time, it's fallen to the wayside in favor of cheeseburgers, Quarter Pounders, and the Big Mac. Despite having a simple ingredient makeup, the hamburger is still underrated in contrast to its more topping-heavy companions. A single beef patty is sprinkled with diced onion, covered with pickle slices, and lathered in ketchup and mustard, all between a simple, lightly-toasted bun. It's bare-bones compared to the other burgers on the menu, but still delivers on taste.

Given the hamburger only costs $2.29, I've been keen to purchase one as a simple lunch meal. While it doesn't have as many fixings as other McDonald's burgers, it still provides a noteworthy taste thanks to the way the meat and bun complement each other. It's the only burger where the bread isn't overwhelmed by what's inside, making for a balanced smattering of flavors. It helps that the soft texture makes it easy to bite into. The hamburger is small compared to other menu items, but the taste and simplicity make it one of the strongest McDonald's serves. Therefore, it is worthy of more love than it's getting.

The McDonald's menu items chosen for this list come from lifelong personal experience eating at the fast food restaurant. My judgment comes from knowledge of which menu items have a larger public spotlight and which don't get as much attention. To ensure representation, I chose items from both the regular menu and breakfast menu that are underappreciated.

For the most part, I used my experience with the taste, texture, and pricing of each dish.  However, some of my testimony was bolstered by customer reviews from Tripadvisor and Reddit where applicable. This helped me determine which menu items needed more love from customers.