In 2019, while on a trip to Marrakech in Morocco, Gary He, a Brooklyn-based photojournalist, received an unexpected surprise with his regular McDonald’s order.
A pack of dates paired with a chebakia — a Maghrebi sweet made using deep-fried dough that’s shaped like a rose and drizzled with honey syrup — a tomato and legumes soup called harira soup, and a bottle of laban or salted buttermilk, all packed in a tiny box.
Curious about the box and its significance, He turned to Google to find out more … only to find there wasn’t much information available online.
“When I began researching McDonald’s specialties in other countries, there was very little information, and most of it was very scattered,” He told Business Insider.
This is where the idea to document one of the largest restaurant chains in the world came about for He, who recalled, “There was an opportunity to play a journalist and documentarian while also tapping into that lifelong love of McDonald’s and combining it into a single project.” Five years later, the James Beard Award-winning photojournalist has traveled to over 55 countries across six continents and compiled a 420-page book, “McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches,” which will be released in November. The book features over 200 photographs of menu items and architectural wonders that showcase how this American chain has integrated across cultures.
Given that about 27,000 of the brand’s 40,000 restaurants are based outside the US, one way the company maintains its popularity and strives to drive its international sales is by introducing locally popular items with a McDonald’s spin. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that these local items contribute about 30% of the brand’s food sales.
While some of these dishes were introduced to the American audience in 2018 as part of the brand’s rotating menu at its international restaurant in Chicago, most others are still a plane ride away.
Even He — who has tried and tasted many of the brand’s local offerings, from Iftar-special menus in the Middle East (like the one he was served in Marrakech during Ramadan) to celebrity-chef-inspired sandwiches in Europe — wishes he could get a slice of them without always having to travel across the ocean.
Here, we’ve rounded the 10 global items He wishes were on American menus.
The McSpaghetti from the Philippines
From birthday parties to potlucks, this dish is a favorite across Filipino households.
“Almost every American chain that has entered the Philippines has some version of the sweet marinara pasta on their menu,” He told BI.
According to Smithsonian magazine, this Italian-style spaghetti was introduced to the country by early European traders and, over the years, adapted for the Pinoy palate by sweetening the sauce.
What separates Filipino spaghetti is that instead of the regular marinara sauce, which is made using tomatoes, the Pinoy version makes use of a sweet banana sauce — since bananas are grown regionally and are available in abundance on the tropical island — and is topped with sliced hot dogs instead of meatballs.
At McDonald’s, the dish follows a similar recipe. It features pasta tossed in banana ketchup then topped with sliced hot dogs and served with a side of the chicken McDo, which is a piece of fried chicken.
“I like the McSpaghetti the best, even over the version sold by its local competitor, Jollibee,” said He.
The macaroni soup from Hong Kong
This dish also has some colonial roots, given that it originated in Cha Chaan Tengs — local cafés that served Western cuisine at affordable costs in the 1950s — and was made using cheap post-World War II eats like Campbell’s cream of chicken and macaroni pasta.
“These restaurants,” He told BI, “created a new flavor profile that, over time, became one of the defining Hong Kong foodways.”
One of the most iconic dishes to emerge from these cafés was the macaroni soup.
The original recipe — which isn’t far from what McDonald’s serves today — features a hearty soup of pasta with ham, beef, or chicken broth and is usually served with breakfast alongside scrambled eggs.
On the McDonald’s menu, it’s called “twisty pasta” and can be paired with veggies and eggs, sausages and eggs, ham and eggs, or some grilled chicken.
For He, whose relatives are from southern China and Hong Kong and who grew up eating Cha Chaan dishes, relishing a bowl of macaroni soup is — as he puts it — “all nostalgia.”
The corn pie from Thailand
We won’t blame you if you mistook this popular Thai dessert for its American equivalent: the apple pie. It’s got the same crusty exterior, but, replacing the crunchy apples, is a soft, sweet, and salty creamy corn filling.
“A lot of countries have special pies, but it’s what they do with them that matters the most,” said He, who loves that “Thailand sells theirs à la mode in a bowl of soft serve.”
It’s been a favorite among locals and tourists — especially South Koreans — which is why, in 2018, the brand introduced the dish at its South Korean outposts, too, for a limited time.
And although the corn pie tops most lists, Thailand McDonald’s is also well known for other pies, including pineapple, curry crab, and carbonara.
But for He, “[This is] definitely on the Mount Rushmore of McDonald’s international menu items.”
The McRib from Germany
If you see this one and think, “I’ve seen the McRib on American menus,” technically, you’re right.
However, the McRib is not a mainstay of US menus, and He thinks that’s a marketing tool the brand employs to drum up excitement around the item.
McDonald’s said in a press release that it likes to “change up our menu throughout the year by offering some limited-time-only items, like our Shamrock Shake in the spring,” which is why the McRib only makes special appearances on US menus.
But what’s so special about the German one?
For one, it’s available year-round, and diners, including He, say that the pork used in Germany is quite good and a popular protein choice.
The McAloo Tikki from India
In India, where Western outlets not only compete with each other but with food vendors on the streets, the McAloo Tikki was a game changer in the fast-food space: The mashed potatoes and peas cutlet, which is doused in Indian spices, had a familiarity that was relatable to Indian palates but also a foreignness that was appealing.
When the brand launched the burger, it was sold for 20 rupees or 0.24 cents, per a BBC report. This was on par with similar food items served on the streets, making it an affordable and convenient option for eating on the go.
“The McDonald’s version of the Indian street snack is so good,” He told BI, “that you can see why they’ve also sold it in other markets with large Indian expat populations.”
The McAloo Tikki traveled across the Arabian Sea in the early 2000s, when the brand decided to launch a five-dirham (about $1) version in the UAE.
The only vegetarian and affordable offering on its menus then, this burger was a dinner-time favorite among the growing Indian and South Asian expats in the Emirates.
The McArabia from the Middle East
A McDonald’s spin on the shawarma sandwich — a Middle Eastern wrap made using pita bread, sliced grilled chicken, garlic sauce, and pickles — the McArabia was the region’s franchisees’ answer to the boycott of Western brands in the Middle East in the early 2000s.
And thanks to its reinterpretation of local flavors, it still holds a place on the menus.
Part burger, part wrap, this crowd favorite uses two Halal grilled chicken patties topped with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and garlic sauce, all encased in Arabic flatbread.
While the wrap comes nowhere close to the real deal — He said “only a crazy person would say that these are better than a shawarma sandwich” — the locals have been enjoying it for over two decades as did He on his trip to Saudi Arabia.
“The chicken patties used here are some of the most flavorful and juiciest that I’ve tried at McDonald’s around the world,” said He.
The McCafe coffee from Australia
Americans love their coffee, and there’s no lack of fine-tasting cups in the States.
Still, if you’re visiting Australia, He suggests you get your morning coffee fix at a McCafe, simply because this is where the global fast-food giant first conceptualized the café concept.
“When you think of Australian coffee culture,” He told BI, “McDonald’s is usually not the first thing that comes to mind, but McCafe first started in Melbourne and went global from there, focusing on espresso-forward drinks that are far superior to the ones offered by competing chains.”
From the classic cappuccino to the babyccino — a mini milk-only version for your little ones — there’s a variety of drinks to pick from.
The cheese bowls from Brazil
Picture dipping crispy McNuggets or fries into a warm bowl of soft, melted cheddar cheese — that’s what’s being served up across Latin American McDonald’s.
The product was first introduced in Brazil and came packed in 3.5-ounce cups.
And according to He, “It’s as delicious as it sounds.”
The McBaguette from France
The baguette is a French staple — it’s even part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The McBaguette, a McDonald’s spin on the original, is another item that divides the internet. The sandwich was first introduced in 2012 and has since appeared and disappeared from the menu.
According to He, it is now occasionally reintroduced with new fillings, such as chicken and Béarnaise steak sauce, or during occasional promotional campaigns such as the one in the hit Netflix series “Emily in Paris.”
He says he got to try his first McBaguette “long before Emily arrived in Paris.”
His first thoughts were: “Is it a jambon beurre? No, of course not. But the crispy crust of the mini baguette, Emmental cheese, and whole-grain Dijon mustard were enough for me to deem it superior to any McDonald’s sandwich we have in the States.”
A traditional breakfast platter from Guatemala
In Guatemala, you can expect to get a taste of local cuisine even at a McDonald’s, given that the brand has incorporated regional elements within its fast-food menu.
For breakfast, which He indicated was his favorite, expect a large (or small, if you choose) spread of scrambled eggs, sausages, plantains, refried beans, salsas, and tortillas — “probably the best breakfast you can get at McDonald’s worldwide,” He told BI.
The post A man who’s visited over 100 McDonald’s restaurants around the world shares 10 items he thinks should be on every US menu appeared first on Business Insider.
