McDonald’s Menu Items You’d Normally Have to Leave the US to Try Are Now Here
One of the fun parts of visiting McDonald’s in another country is discovering that the Golden Arches aren’t quite as predictable as they seem. Depending on where you travel, the familiar burgers and fries can share menu space with different sauces, sides, desserts and regional creations that American customers may never encounter at home. Now, several of those international-style offerings have arrived in the U.S. at the same time.
The latest Global Favorites menu at McDonald’s corporate headquarters restaurant in Chicago brings together items associated with menus from the U.K., Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea and elsewhere. Located at 1035 W. Randolph St., the restaurant periodically rotates products inspired by McDonald’s locations around the world, giving customers a chance to sample items without booking an international flight.
There is one considerable catch: this isn’t a nationwide rollout. The menu is available at the Chicago headquarters location, and the New York Post reported that the current selection is rumored to remain only until mid-November. For anyone close enough to make the trip, though, choosing what to order could be the harder part.
Garlic McNuggets and a Burger Stacked With Bacon
Among the heartier choices is the Bacon BBQ Stack, listed on the Global Favorites menu as coming from the U.K. It combines two beef patties with bacon, pepper jack cheese, tomato, lettuce, onions and barbecue sauce. The burger has appeared at the Chicago Global Menu restaurant before, making its latest appearance another opportunity for American diners to try something outside the standard McDonald’s lineup.
Canada is represented by the Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy, which tops a crispy chicken filet with hot honey sauce, Applewood-smoked bacon, crispy jalapeños, shredded lettuce and mayonnaise on a toasted potato roll. This one may be more familiar to some American customers: Sporked reported that a version of the sandwich also appeared on the U.S. menu earlier in 2026.
Then there are the Spicy Garlic Black Pepper McNuggets, associated with Japan and also recently offered in Canada. The familiar nuggets get a coating of garlic, black pepper and spicy seasoning. After trying them at the Chicago restaurant, one Reddit user said the seasoning gave a regular McNugget “a little more excitement” and questioned why McDonald’s couldn’t bring a garlic-flavored version to more U.S. locations.
The Onion Rings Are Getting Plenty of Attention
For Americans accustomed to ordering fries alongside their Big Mac, one Global Favorites option may be particularly surprising: McDonald’s onion rings. The Chicago menu associates them with Australia, and photos shared by customers show substantial battered rings served in familiar McDonald’s packaging.
Food influencer Snackolator gave them an enthusiastic review, saying, “I am a big onion rings fan, and these are great,” and comparing their breading and flavor with Culver’s onion rings. On Reddit, a customer who visited the Chicago location said the rings were good with ranch and wondered why McDonald’s doesn’t offer such a familiar fast-food side more broadly in the United States.
The Australian connection has generated a little confusion of its own, with some Australian commenters saying they didn’t recognize the rings as a regular McDonald’s offering there. American reactions, however, have been considerably less complicated. “FINALLY MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!” one person wrote in response to the onion rings, according to the New York Post, while Reddit users were already talking about wanting them beyond the Chicago restaurant.
Even Dessert Gets an International Makeover
The international treatment doesn’t stop once the burgers and sides are cleared away. The Salted Caramel Dipped Cone, associated with South Korea, takes McDonald’s familiar vanilla soft serve and covers it in a caramel shell — a small change that gives an otherwise recognizable dessert a very different finish.
There’s also an OREO Salted Caramel McFlurry, combining vanilla soft serve and OREO pieces with salted caramel flavor. The dessert prompted some experimentation in the McDonald’s subreddit, where one user suggested recreating something similar at another restaurant by ordering an OREO McFlurry with caramel. The original poster pointed out that the Chicago version uses a caramel “shell” product, however, giving it a different texture from ordinary caramel sauce.
Rounding out the sweeter side of the menu are McPops, small filled pastries available in Dulce de Leche, Berry and Chocolate Hazelnut varieties, presented on the menu as representing Chile, Switzerland and Spain, respectively. Put them alongside seasoned nuggets, onion rings and a caramel-dipped cone, and the Chicago lineup offers an unusually concentrated glimpse at how different McDonald’s can become once you look beyond the standard American menu.
