(Stacker) – There’s something strange and beautiful about perusing the menus of McDonald’s restaurants from around the world. Each unexpected item hints at the great unknown and the smallness of each person’s orbit. Every paneer-based sandwich, bean dish, and bulgogi burger is a symbol of the vastness of human experience. And just as powerfully, the vast majority of each menu is the same.
Stacker perused the menus at McDonald’s locations in Mexico, Japan, Belgium, and other countries for intriguing entrées and snacks, the kind that make your basic McNugget seem a little, well, basic. From arepas to Croque McDos, here are 30 of the most fascinating and delicious items from around the globe.
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The Big Spicy Paneer
McDonald’s India does not serve beef, so there is a wide range of items to substitute for the missing hamburger patties. The Big Spicy Paneer is a grilled wrap with a breaded and fried slice of paneer (Indian cheese that holds its shape and is used in many traditional dishes) surrounded by veggies and spicy sauce.
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The Veg Maharaja Mac
India’s take on a Big Mac keeps the form—two patties, three buns, and some toppings—but instead of “two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun,” it’s two fried corn patties, cocktail sauce, lettuce, cheese, jalapenos, and onions on a sesame seed bun. India’s McDonald’s also offers a version with a grilled chicken patty.
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The McAloo Tikki
India’s McDonald’s most iconic original item is the McAloo Tikki. Another way around the no-beef menu, the McAloo Tikki features a breaded and fried patty made of peas and potatoes infused with lots of Indian spices. The simple staple sandwich is filled out with tomatoes, onions, and a veggie sauce.
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Panzerotti
As one may expect, Italy’s McDonald’s menu is heavy on the cheese. On the menu is the panzerotti: 100% Italian mozzarella and tomatoes baked into a little pocket of dough. They’re almost like a mini calzone, or pizza roll.
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Tiramisu
Another option offered at McDonald’s in Italy is this classic dessert, packaged as a single serving. The sweet treat, made of coffee-infused ladyfingers and fluffy mascarpone cream, is just one of several items on the “dolce” menu of cakes and coffees.
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Bai Shrimp Filet-O
There could be entire lists written about the genius offerings of McDonald’s Japan. The Bai Shrimp Filet-O features a deep-fried breaded patty filled with full shrimp, accompanied by lettuce and a spicy sauce.
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Roasted Soy Sauce Double Thick Beef
McDonald’s Japan’s Roasted Soy Sauce Double Thick Beef is another of the chain’s indulgent specialties. Centered on two extra plump beef patties, the burger also features a salty soy sauce, cheese, and grilled onions. This item was previously the limited-edition “Samurai Mac,” but proved so popular that McDonald’s Japan put it on the regular menu.
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Teriyaki McBurger
Offering a bold mix of sweet and spicy, Japan’s Teriyaki McBurger is a pork patty paired with lettuce and tangy teriyaki sauce.
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Egg Cheeseburger
Japan’s Egg Cheeseburger is simple: a beef patty with pickles, onions, melted cheddar, and an egg patty.
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Chicken McCrispy
When you think “bucket of fried chicken,” you probably picture KFC or Popeye’s. But at McDonald’s Singapore, you, too, can get a six-piece of chicken thighs and drumsticks, presented in a white bucket stamped with the golden arches.
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Crème Bruleé McFlurry
One of the fanciest desserts meets McDonald’s much-loved soft serve in this Australian original. Topped with caramel sauce, the Crème Bruleé McFlurry includes pie pieces, but torches are sold separately.
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Bulgogi Burger
Swing by a Mickey D’s in Seoul, South Korea, and you’ll find the bulgogi burger, a pork sandwich on a bun with lettuce, mayo, and sweet bulgogi sauce. According to some reports, it’s the best thing on the menu.
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Custard Pie
Over in New Zealand, they serve the classic McDonald’s apple pie for dessert. But that’s not the only pie on the menu: The Kiwis also have a custard pie, served warm and while supplies last.
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Spiciest Ghost Pepper McChicken
Up for a challenge? Across the border in Canada, there’s a sliding scale of spicy chicken sandwiches: habanero (spicy), Szechuan (spicier), and ghost pepper (spiciest). Each is blended into a creamy sauce slathered between a bun, breaded chicken patty, and lettuce.
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The Maestro Generous Jack
McDonald’s has started a higher quality gourmet menu available throughout Europe, and McDonald’s Belgium—along with some other European locations—offers the Maestro Generous Jack. It features two beef patties, strips of bacon, tomato, onion, and a local Maredsous cheese. It’s served with lemon-mayonnaise sauce on a brioche bun.
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McPinto Deluxe
McDonald’s in Costa Rica offers a take on the country’s staple dish: Gallo pinto. The McPinto Deluxe features the rice and beans offering served beside scrambled eggs, warm tortillas, sausage, plantains, and a side of custard.
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Arepa con Perico y Queso
McDonald’s in Venezuela offers a few different arepas—grilled maize flatbread stuffed with different ingredients, but the most interesting is the Arepa con Perico y Queso. This arepa is stuffed with cheese and McDonald’s take on perico: scrambled eggs with onion, tomato, egg, and achiote, a paprika-like spice.
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Empanada
McDonald’s in Venezuela also offers an incredibly basic take on the empanada. The warm dough pockets are stuffed with gooey white cheese. This simple snack seems like it could be a hit on many McDonald’s menus.
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Croque McDo
Dreamed up during the height of the Mad Cow disease scare, France’s McDonald’s Croque McDo has become a truly decadent, can’t-miss breakfast sandwich: a toasted bun, two slices of melted Emmental cheese, and one slice of ham.
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McKroket
The McKroket is McDonald’s in the Netherlands’ take on the broodje kroket, which consists of a slice of deep-fried, breaded cheese and meat patty between two pieces of bread. The McDonald’s version has something like beef ragout inside and is served plain on a McDonald’s bun with mustard sauce.
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McPatatas
McDonald’s Mexico offers standard McDonald’s fries but also a delicious alternative: McPatatas. These seasoned potato wedges are served with McDonald’s Mexico’s McQueso sauce—it’s a cheesy, potatoey dream.
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McMolletes
For breakfast, McDonald’s Mexico offers a few regular items with a Mexican twist, usually just the addition of pico de gallo. But they also offer their take on a mollete: a traditional Mexican open-faced sandwich. The McMolletes order comes with three warmed open-faced sandwiches topped with beans, melted cheese, and pico de gallo.
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Smokey Chili Tomatoes McFlavor Fries
When visiting McDonald’s in Belgium, you might want to try these crispy fries that come with a combination of pico de gallo sauce and a slightly spicy chipotle sauce. Smokey and spicy.
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The Italian Mozza Salad
Leave it to the French to serve an elevated dish even at McDonald’s. The Mozza Salad is a pasta salad dressed with balsamic vinegar, roasted tomatoes, arugula, and mozzarella cheese. It’s a different species from McDonald’s United States’ Bacon Ranch Salad with Buttermilk Crispy Chicken.
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Taro Pie
Ever wanted to try a purple potato pastry? That’s essentially the taro pie, served daily at McDonald’s China. Taro is a root vegetable popular in South Asia and the Pacific Islands, somewhat similar to a sweet potato, but with a slight lilac hue. It forms the filling for this dessert, which is also available at McDonald’s restaurants in Hawaii.
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Double Sausage Burger
The Double Sausage Burger from McDonald’s China is simple but decadent. Two beef patties, topped with two sausages, garnished with mustard on a bun.
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Chili Cheese Double
A spicy pick from McDonald’s South Africa, this double cheeseburger is loaded with nacho cheese sauce, hot sauce, and jalapeno slices for all the heat you can handle.
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Mango-Chili Chicken and Kale Salad
Much of McDonald’s Swedish menu looks a lot like any other, except for the prevalence of pickled onions, but one item stands out: the Mango-Chili Chicken and Kale Salad. It comes in a tall plastic bowl with chicken breast, leafy kale, rice, and a spicy-sweet mango chili topping.
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The Bacon Roll
There’s something beautiful about the simplicity of great design—something so self-evident that it instantly begs the question: How did we live before? The Bacon Roll, saved from an unnecessarily complicating “Mc” prefix, is just that: bacon, ketchup or brown sauce, on a fresh bread roll. There is no wasted space, no filler, no extraneous “Mc”—this is a simple McDonald’s United Kingdom breakfast classic.