The Drive Thru
Happy New Year to all our readers and welcome to the first Drive Thru of 2019!
With many overseas Festive menu items ending it’s sure to be a busy edition of your favourite fast food lane summary.
For this post, we are having a McDonald’s-only special.
In the same week as the UK gets the Bacon Double Cheeseburger added to the core menu alongside new veggie options (including the re-vamped Vegetable Deluxe) just what are the latest LTOs since our last update?
We start with The Netherlands and Denmark who are offering the Double Big Tasty Bacon.
Nutritionally, this isn’t too obscene – clocking in at 931 kcal (Netherlands) or 1,027 kcal (Denmark) this would surely be a resounding success in the UK if it was ever available.
My personal favourite this week and reported on here is the McDonald’s Germany McDelivery exclusive The Couchburger.
The Couchburger is a McRib topped with crunchy breaded cheese and spicy chili sauce – do they deliver to the UK!?
Also on the menu is the returning Big Rösti which is accompanied by Rösti Sticks with a Sour Cream & Chive Dip and Cheese Hearts with a Cranberry Dip.
A bloody lovely pair of burgers is now available at McDonald’s Brazil.
The McNifico Com 10 Bacons is a 120g beef patty with lettuce, onion, melted cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard with TEN SLICES OF BACON!
Only 695 calories according to their website.
Alongside this is the Grand McNifico Bacon – this 922 kcal bad boy is dressed the same as above but features 2 x 120g beef patties and only four slices of bacon this time. Boo.
McDonald’s Canada have added the Quarter Pounder BLT to its menu for a limited time.
Using the touchscreens or MyMcDonald’s app it’s very easy to replicate this in the UK.
Order a Quarter Pounder with Cheese (£3.09) and customise by adding Bacon (40p), Shredded Lettuce and Tomato (20p) and its yours for a grand total of £3.69 – considerably cheaper than a flight to Toronto.
McDonald’s Singapore are claiming that you will get ‘Love at First Bite’ with their new Salted Egg Yolk Loaded Fries.
Really don’t know what these would be like, but I’d certainly try them. 0% chance of a UK release…?
The Signature Angus BLT has also been on the menu recently.
McDonald’s Japan seem to enjoy pitting their menu items against each other (in Samurai fashion) and this trend continues with the Double Double Cheese vs. Teriyaki Cheese Burger.
From 16/01 two more combatants will join the Battle Royale…
Staying in the Far East sees the annual return of the Prosperity Burger(s).
Admiral Burgerbar recently reviewed both the Beef and Chicken versions in Malaysia – see here.
Pictured below are the variations currently on the menu in South Korea.
Back to Europe sees a mixture of new and returning favourites.
McDonald’s Italy have once again paired with celebrity chef Joe Bastianich to create My Selection 2019.
On the menu this time around are the:
Smoky (180g burgers from Italian breeding farms, smoked scamorza cheese with 100% Italian milk, crispy bacon, delicate mustard, tomato, onion and bread with sesame seeds).
Chicken (100% Italian breaded chicken breast, Speck Alto Adige PGI, Fontina DOP, sauce with porcini mushrooms, tomato, salad and bread with sesame and poppy seeds).
BBQ (180g burgers from Italian breeding farms, BBQ sauce with Tropea Calabria PGI Red Onion and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI, crispy bacon, seasoned gouda, coleslaw, salad and bread with sesame and poppy seeds).
McDonald’s Cyprus have currently got Bacon & Cheese Loaded Fries – surely 2019 is the year we’ll finally get them in the UK. Loaded Fries first launched in Australia way back in 2015.
The Cheese King and Swiss King are back on the menu at McDonald’s (not BK) in the Czech Republic. The Cheese King has a fried cheese patty like the BK Crunchy Cheese Whopper.
The Swiss King (like the Big Rösti) has a fried potato rosti/pancake on the build – would be good to see either of these innovations in the UK someday…
Finland has a new burger – an interesting sounding menu addition called the Hot Devil.
Available in beef or chicken, this unsurprisingly features jalapenos and hot sauce on the burgers – one we’d definitely like to see in this country. Probably with a different name.
Other returning favourites include the Double Big Mac in Portugal and the Grand Big Mac and Bacon Big Mac in Belgium.
Finally, McDonald’s South Africa are offering customers the chance of a discount if they download their app to get a reduced price on the new Chilli Cheese Double – certainly one we’d like to see on the Saver Menu.
What do you think of this latest round-up of McDonald’s promotions around the world?
Which would you like to see on the UK menu?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or via the usual BURGER LAD® channels.
Thank you for taking a trip through The Drive Thru.
Burger Lad®