8 fast food menu items Americans wish they had

Do you ever feel like American fast food chains are playing it way too safe on home turf? While we’re stuck with the same old nuggets and fries, international counterparts are living it up with some truly mind-blowing menu innovations that would make the lot of us weep with envy.

After diving deep into the global fast food scene, here are the most drool-worthy items that have us questioning why we can’t have nice things. These aren’t just gimmicky social media stunts – they’re legit menu items that millions of people around the world get to enjoy while we’re settling for predictably boring options.

With that in mind, here are the international fast food offerings that are about to make you seriously jealous.

KFC’s Deep-Fried Oreos (South Africa)

You read that right. The undisputed king of the state fair makes tantalizing, limited-time appearances on the fast-food scene, but only in South Africa. While we’re over here pretending that a soggy biscuit counts as dessert, KFC occasionally drops Deep-Fried Oreos on its menu. It takes America’s favorite cookie, gives it the Colonel’s signature fried treatment, and serves it up with a side of creamy vanilla soft-serve ice cream, chocolate drizzle, and rainbow sprinkles.

Imagine a warm, gooey Oreo center wrapped in a crispy, golden shell. It’s the kind of beautiful madness that makes its temporary status all the more painful for the rest of us. Why are we being denied this masterpiece?

McDonald’s McChoconuts (France)

The French have always had a way with pastry, but McDonald’s France took it to another level with the McChoconuts (first introduced as a limited-time offering in 2020, and brought back multiple times since).

Picture this: a warm brioche bun filled with a melting “choconut-flavored puck”, topped with peanut chips, peanut butter drizzle, and finished with a generous sprinkling of M&M’s. It’s a made-to-order dessert that combines multiple textures and flavors in ways that would make Dunkin’ Donuts executives weep into their basic glazed offerings.

The brioche bun alone elevates this beyond typical fast food desserts, and let’s be honest, anything topped with M&M’s is automatically better.

The Reality Check: While we’re debating whether the McFlurry machine is working, the French are getting artisanal-level desserts at their local Mickey D’s. C’est la vie, indeed.

Wendy’s Creamy Cheesecake (Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico’s Wendy’s locations serve up something that would make New York cheesecake fans take notice: a Creamy “Cheesecake” with an ‘irresistible dulzura’ (sweetness) and a delicious hazelnut cream topping.

While mainland Americans are stuck with basic Frostys as their only dessert option, Puerto Rican customers are getting this specialty Frosty-style dessert that takes the frozen treat concept to the next level.

Reviews suggest it’s actually creamy, rich, and topped with a hazelnut sauce that adds sophistication to the whole experience. It’s the kind of dessert that could easily cost $8 at a sit-down restaurant, but it’s available through a drive-thru window.

KFC’s Churro Pop Cone (South Africa)

At this point, it feels like South Africa’s just showing off. The Rainbow Nation strikes again with another dessert innovation that makes our KFC dessert game look pathetic. The Churro Pop Cone takes the beloved Spanish pastry and gives it the KFC treatment, creating a handheld dessert that’s both familiar and completely revolutionary.

It’s essentially a waffle cone packed with actual churro pieces and drizzled with chocolate sauce—a genius mashup that transforms churros into the ultimate grab-and-go indulgence. It’s crispy, it’s sweet, and it delivers all the satisfaction of traditional churros without the mess.

The Reality Check: Our KFC dessert options are so limited that many locations don’t even bother with a dessert menu. Meanwhile, South Africa is out here innovating with churros.

McDonald’s Poutine (Canada)

Our neighbors to the north have been rubbing this one in our faces for years. McDonald’s Poutine isn’t just regular poutine – it’s the fast food chain’s take on Canada’s national dish, complete with golden fries, squeaky cheese curds, and rich gravy that actually tastes good.

But wait, there’s more: Canadian McDonald’s also offers Spicy Buffalo Chicken Poutine in Quebec, which adds crispy seasoned chicken pieces and buffalo sauce to the classic combination. It’s comfort food meets fast food efficiency, and it’s available year-round at locations just a few hours’ drive from many American cities.

The fact that this exists so close to our border yet remains completely unavailable to us feels like a personal insult. We share the world’s longest undefended border, but apparently not our menu items.

KFC’s Fried Cookie Dough (Australia)

Heading down under, KFC Australia is giving us the one dessert we’ve always been told to avoid, but in the best way possible. In a limited-time debut, they offered bites of fried cookie dough, a treat that sounds like it was pulled straight from our childhood dreams.

Imagine everything you love about sneaking a spoonful of dough from the bowl, but now it’s safely warmed through, with a perfectly melty, chocolate-chippy center and a crispy exterior. It’s the forbidden snack, finally made gloriously legitimate.

What’s particularly maddening is that Australia already had KFC’s beloved Double Chocolate Mousse (which replaced their original chocolate mousse in 2022), and then they went ahead and added fried cookie dough to the mix. Meanwhile, American KFC locations can barely keep their biscuits consistently available.

KFC’s Fried Shrimp Donut (Thailand)

Hold onto your buckets, because this one is a game-changer. Thailand’s KFC took the concept of surf-and-turf and ran it through a deep fryer with their Fried Shrimp Donut. Blurring the lines between savory and sweet in the most brilliant way possible, KFC Thailand gives you a savory donut stuffed with seasoned shrimp and fried to crispy perfection.

The genius here is in the execution: the donut provides a sweet, bread-like base that complements the savory shrimp filling, creating a flavor combination that’s both unexpected and completely logical. It’s the kind of innovative thinking that American fast food chains used to be known for before they got comfortable with their market dominance.

The Reality Check: While we’re arguing about whether pineapple belongs on pizza, Thailand is putting shrimp in donuts and apparently making it work beautifully.

McDonald’s Big Arch Burger (Canada)

While we’re still jealous about the poutine situation, Canada has another ace up their sleeve: the Big Arch Burger. It has all the good stuff—two quarter-pound beef patties, three slices of white cheese, crispy and slivered onions, lettuce, pickles, and a special Big Arch sauce—but without the controversial middle bun.

For years, fans have complained that the extra bread gets in the way. Canada listened. This is the streamlined, meatier version of the Big Mac that so many of us have been asking for all along.

Initially launched in Canada and Portugal in August 2024, it has since expanded to additional markets like the UK but remains frustratingly absent from U.S. menus.

The Reality Check: The country that gave us super-sizing is somehow getting out-sized by Canada. Let that sink in.