McDonald's Worldwide Favorites -- tasting ALL the items -- Spain, Netherlands, Australia, & Canada
**Emmy’s McDonald’s International Taste Test: A Review of Four Global Menu Items**
Greetings, my beautiful lovelies! It’s Emmy, and I’m back once again in my car for another McDonald’s taste test. This time, however, I’m not in Hawaii but rather in Rhode Island. If you missed my last McDonald’s taste test in Hawaii, don’t worry—I’ve included the link both above and below for your convenience. Today, I’ll be tasting four international menu items that McDonald’s has recently unveiled, each representing a different country.
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### **The Setting**
Today is June 6, and from 2 PM to 5 PM, you can purchase one of these international menu items at participating McDonald’s locations using foreign money. When I walked into my local McDonald’s, I decided to use 100 Japanese yen to buy what I believe is the Spanish-inspired item on the menu: the McSteam Bacon Burger.
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### **The McSteam Bacon Burger (Spain)**
Here it is—the McSteam Bacon Burger. It comes with a sesame bun, which looks just like a regular hamburger. On top, there’s a bit of bacon, some onion slices, sauce, and two slices of smoked Gouda cheese. The beef patty is generous in size, and there’s more sauce on the side.
I immediately took my first bite and was struck by the smokiness of the burger. The cheese has a smoky flavor, the patty tastes smoky, and the bacon, of course, adds to that smokiness. It reminds me a bit of McDonald’s gourmet burgers from years past—burgers that were trying to be fancy.
What I do like about this burger is the inclusion and quantity of fresh onion. The onion adds a nice crunch and liveliness to the dish, taking it out of what could have been a overly smoky experience. The patty itself is quite fatty, looking much thicker than what you’d find in a standard quarter-pounder or similar burger. It has a chewy texture that I appreciate.
I took another bite, this time with more sauce on it. The sauce resembles Big Mac sauce but lacks the relish, making it sweeter and simpler. While the burger is okay overall, its smokiness might appeal to those who enjoy smoky-flavored burgers and cheeses. If you’re a fan of that kind of flavor profile, you might really like this one.
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### **Cheesy Bacon Fries (Australia)**
Next up are these Cheesy Bacon Fries from Australia. I remember seeing these when I was in Hawaii, and they sound familiar yet intriguing—why don’t we have these in the U.S.? The idea of bacon and cheese on fries seems like it would do well here.
I decided to give them a try, but my initial impression wasn’t positive. These fries are extremely salty, and despite the presence of bacon bits, I didn’t get much of a bacon flavor. The cheese sauce is reminiscent of nacho cheese, which makes the fries soggy once they absorb it. It feels like eating deep-fried macaroni and cheese—very rich and excessive.
I’m not convinced that the cheese enhances the fries in any meaningful way. For me, McDonald’s fries are at their best when they’re freshly fried and served right out of the fryer. The quality drops significantly as soon as they sit out for too long. These Cheesy Bacon Fries just don’t measure up to my standards, especially compared to my love for ballpark garlic fries.
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### **Chicken Sandwich (Canada)**
Moving on to this Canadian-inspired Chicken Sandwich. Available in both fried and grilled versions, it comes with lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, and a sauce on the bottom. I wasn’t sure about it at first since I’m not typically a big fan of chicken sandwiches, but this one actually works for me.
The fried chicken cutlet tastes familiar—it has a lot of black pepper and is nicely crisp, much like a McChicken sandwich. The bun isn’t my favorite (I prefer soft, squishy buns), but the inclusion of crunchy vegetables complements the crispy chicken well.
However, I wasn’t overly impressed by the sauce, which has a basil-like flavor that reminded me of salad dressing. It made me wish for the simplicity of the McChicken sandwich with its classic mayo and lettuce combination. This sandwich feels more excessive and experimental, blending elements like basil and tomato in an attempt to create something unique.
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### **Stroopwafel McFlurry (Netherlands)**
Now, this is the item I was most excited about—the Stroopwafel McFlurry from the Netherlands. If you’ve never had a stroopwafel before, it’s one of my favorite cookies. It consists of two layers of thin waffle with syrup inside and a hint of cinnamon flavor. The traditional way to enjoy it is by placing the cookie on top of a warm mug (like for tea or coffee) to soften the syrup.
The McFlurry version starts to melt as soon as you open it, revealing chunks of waffle mixed into vanilla soft serve. I wasn’t expecting the cookie pieces to be so hard, but given that it’s a frozen dessert, they make sense. The base has a typical McFlurry flavor—vanilla with a runnier texture than usual soft serve.
While the cookie pieces are a bit too crunchy for my liking, their cinnamon and nutmeg flavors come through nicely. As you warm the McFlurry in your mouth, it becomes chewier and more reminiscent of the traditional stroopwafel. Initially, it feels like biting into a Heath bar with its toffee crunch, but as it melts, the resemblance to the authentic stroopwafel becomes clear.
One quirky detail worth mentioning is the spoon provided with the McFlurry. It’s hollow and square-shaped, which made me wonder if it was meant to be a straw. Unfortunately, it doesn’t serve that purpose well. Experts might know more about its design, but for now, I’ll leave it at that.
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### **Conclusion**
Of the four international menu items, the Stroopwafel McFlurry is my favorite—it does an excellent job capturing the flavor of the traditional stroopwafel and feels like a successful product. The others, while interesting, either fell short in flavor or execution (like the overly salty Cheesy Bacon Fries) or felt too complex for my taste (the Chicken Sandwich).
If you’ve tried any of these items or have favorite McDonald’s offerings from other countries, I’d love to hear about them in the comments! There are so many unique and interesting menu options out there, and who knows—someday I might get to try them all.
Thank you for joining me for this taste test. If you enjoyed the video, please share it with your friends, follow me on social media, like this video, and subscribe for more content. I’ll see you in the next one—take care!
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This concludes Emmy’s international McDonald’s taste test. Stay tuned for her next adventure!