10 International McDonald’s Menu Items That Are Just Too Weird

Golden arches, local twists: McDonald’s strangest offerings

Cheddar Cheese Pool — McDonald's Brazil offering | ©Image Credit: Instagram / mcdonalds_br
Cheddar Cheese Pool — McDonald's Brazil offering | ©Image Credit: Instagram / mcdonalds_br

Ever wondered what happens when McDonald’s gets creative across borders? While we all know and love the classic Big Mac, some international McDonald’s offerings might make you raise an eyebrow – or book a flight immediately. Here’s a look at some of the most intriguing menu items you won’t find at your local Mickey D’s.

Cottage Cheese & Radish McMuffin (Poland)

Cottage Cheese & Radish McMuffin - McDonalds Poland offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s Poland

Imagine biting into your morning McMuffin expecting eggs and bacon but ending up with a mouthful of cottage cheese and radish — this is what you might get if you’re ever in a McDonald’s in Poland.

This Polish breakfast option, which combines a wheat McMuffin bun with radish, arugula, cottage cheese (known locally as twarog), butter, and spices, might seem unusual to Western palates, but it’s actually inspired by gzik, a traditional, well-loved Polish dish. The sandwich has been popular enough to remain on the menu since its 2019 introduction, proving that one culture’s “weird” is another’s breakfast staple.

Bubur Ayam McD (Malaysia/Indonesia)

Bubur Ayam McD - McDonald's Malaysia offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s Malaysia

While most Americans associate porridge with sweet, warm oatmeal, this Southeast Asian breakfast offering takes a hard left turn into savory territory. The Bubur Ayam McD comes loaded with shredded chicken strips, spring onions, sliced ginger, diced chilies, and crispy fried shallots swimming in silky rice porridge.

It’s essentially a traditional congee that snuck its way onto the menu of the world’s biggest burger chain, and at 193 calories, it’s probably healthier than a McMuffin. While finding rice porridge at a burger joint might raise eyebrows, it’s as natural to Asian McDonald’s customers as hotcakes are to Americans.

Chicken Porridge with Preserved Egg (China)

Century Egg Chicken Porridge - McDonald's China offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s China

Speaking of porridge, China takes it up a notch by adding a preserved egg to their chicken porridge — a comforting congee cooked until creamy that’s topped with tender shredded chicken.

For those unfamiliar with preserved eggs, also known as century eggs, they’re an ancient Chinese delicacy where the eggs undergo a traditional preservation process in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls. The egg white transforms into a dark brown, translucent jelly, while the yolk becomes a creamy dark green-gray with a distinctive, complex flavor.

McSpaghetti (Philippines)

McSpaghetti - McDonald's Philippines offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s Wiki / Crystalwish2401

While pasta at McDonald’s might sound strange enough, the Philippines takes it in an unexpected direction with their McSpaghetti. This local adaptation features noodles in a distinctively sweet tomato sauce with ground beef and sliced hot dogs topped with melted cheese.

After flopping spectacularly in the U.S. market during the 1980s, this 430-calorie creation found surprising success in the Philippines, where it’s been a menu staple for decades. You can get your hands on a small serving of McSpagetti for ₱78 ($1.40), which is often paired with Chicken McDo (Fried Chicken Legs), creating a fast-food fusion that is particularly popular.

Peasant Soup (Portugal)

Peasant Soup - McDonald's Portugal offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s Portugal

Yes, you read that right — McDonald’s in Portugal serves soup. But not just any soup — it’s a hearty concoction of kidney beans, chunks of smoky ham, and pasta swimming in a savory broth. While it might be a Portuguese specialty, seeing soup at McDonald’s feels like ordering a salad at a candy store.

Since the 2000s, Portuguese McDonald’s locations have rotated between multiple soups varieties daily, in keeping with the soup culture of Portugal. These offerings transform the quick-service restaurant into something resembling a local cantina — complete with the aroma of home-style cooking wafting through the same space that serves Big Macs and fries.

Pizza McPuff (India)

Pizza McPuff - McDonald's India offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s India

When McDonald’s India wanted to create a unique snack that would appeal to local tastes, they developed this innovative hybrid — a peculiar creation that takes the form of a deep-fried rectangular pastry pocket stuffed with pizza-inspired ingredients, including a mixture of vegetables like green peas, carrots, beans, capsicum, and onions, along with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce seasoned with Indian spices. Think confused empanada that can’t decide whether it wants to be a pizza or a curry puff.

Launched in 2003, this 226-calorie offering bridges the gap between Western and Indian street food traditions. Priced affordably, it has become such a successful menu item that McDonald’s even exports it to select Middle Eastern markets. The restaurant maintains strict preparation protocols, using dedicated vegetarian cooking areas and green menu boards to clearly identify it as a meat-free option.

McChicken Mozzarella (South Korea)

McChicken Mozzarella - McDonald's South Korea offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s South Korea

South Korea decided that a regular McChicken wasn’t indulgent enough, so they added two entire mozzarella sticks and Spicy Arrabbiata sauce to it. Introduced in 2020, McChicken Mozzarella also comes with mayo, lettuce, and a crispy chicken patty, all served on a sesame bun.

Add to it all is the very generous portion of the cheesy creation — the sandwich is reportedly the height of “the height of at least three Big Macs,” according to a Business Insider food review.

McFlavor Fries Jalapeno & Cheese (Norway)

McFlavor Fries Jalapeno & Cheese - McDonald's Norway offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s Norway

At 501 calories per serving, this Norwegian innovation transforms regular fries into a fiery feast with seeded jalapeño slices and a generous drizzle of hot chili-cheese sauce. Available as part of McDonald’s Nordic menu, these loaded fries cost 39 KR ($3.56).

Cheddar Cheese Pool (Brazil)

Cheddar Cheese Pool - McDonald's Brazil offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s Brazil

Brazil took the concept of cheese sauce and turned it into what can only be described as a swimming pool for your food. Launched on December 8, 2020, it’s literally just a cup (approximately 3.5 ounces/100 grams) of cheddar cheese sauce meant for dipping anything and everything on the menu — because sometimes, you just need to turn your entire McDonald’s meal into a fondue experience.

Available exclusively in Brazil for R$ 5.90, this cheese dip can be added to any order or included in combo meals. One customer review noted that a single portion was sufficient to dip both a burger and fries with half the cheese still remaining.

Poutine (Canada)

Poutine - McDonald's Canada offering
©Image Credit: McDonald’s Canada

In a land where hockey and maple syrup are cultural staples, Quebec’s iconic creation of gravy-smothered fries topped with distinctively squeaky (not melty) cheese curds has become a beloved regional specialty. McDonald’s Canada first tested this unique combination in Quebec in 1990 before taking it nationwide in 2013.

The sight of golden fries dripping with rich gravy and topped with fresh Quebec cheese curds that maintain their characteristic texture might seem unusual to outsiders, but this quirky combination has proven so popular it grew into a $79 million category back in 2013. One bite of this peculiar yet addictive combo, and you might find yourself questioning every plain fry you eat from then on.