12 Items You Can Only Get In McDonald’s China - Whimsy & Spice (2024)

McDonald’s is a very popular part of American culture and has been since 1940. Created by the McDonald brothers, the golden arches have become one of the most popular sites across the world.

In the U.S, the McDonald’s menu is one that most people know off by heart, and the ‘I’m lovin’ it’ jingle is one that everyone will recognize.

Across the world, Mcdonald’s has also become increasingly popular.

In China, the first Mcdonald’s was opened in 1990, and over the next few years, the Mcdonald’s name was seen more and more throughout the country.

All the McDonald’s restaurants sell the favorites that you will find on the U.S menu, however, they will also sell some regional options.

Let’s have a look at China’s regional items that you will only find in Chinese Mcdonalds’.

1. Pineapple Pie

If you’re a fan of McDonald’s in America, there’s no doubt you know the good old apple pies. Well, I’m about to blow your mind!

In China, you can trade in apple pie for a pineapple alternative. It is one of the best additions to the Chinese menu and it is just as popular as its apple pie counterpart in the U.S.

The pineapple pie is fruity and delicious and filled with gooey pineapple filling. It also has another variation from the classic apple pie: it comes with a fried crust that makes it much crispier!

2. Red Bean Boba Tea

The drinks menu in a Chinese McDonald’s is quite different to the menu that you will see in an American store.

You won’t find many smoothies or coffee’s (see also ‘The Best Smoothies To Try At Smoothie King‘), but you will find some drinks that are more in line with Chinese culture.

Bobo milk teas are served in McDonald’s across China. Boba tea can be served warm or cold, and McDonald’s usually serves warm Boba milk tea.

The McDonald’s boba tea is sugary and delicious, but it is not too sweet. It contains red beans at the bottom of the cup.

3. Spicy McWings

Chicken is very popular in China and the chicken McWings sell very well! In the U.S these wings did not sell as well as they do in China, and so they were discontinued.

McWings are chicken wings in buffalo style. They are crispy and delicious. You can purchase these wings in portions of 3, 4 and 6.

These wings don’t replace the nuggets as you might expect – instead they have both, and a lot of other chicken products to boot!

4. Crosscut Fries

These fries are crinkle-cut, waffle-type fries. In China, you can get either these or regular fries. The Crisscut fries come in small boxes and they are a very commonly ordered side in Chinese chains of McDonald’s.

5. Japanese Beef Bowl

The Japanese Beef Bowl is a great addition to the Chinese menu, and it is a very different product to any of those available in the U.S.

This dish is made up of some noodles, mixed vegetables and beef pieces. You can buy this dish on its own or as part of a combo alongside a drink and some fries. Only at Mcdonald’s!

6. German Sausage Double Beef Burger

This sandwich has everything. It is a great invention of beef patties and German sausages in a sandwich! These burgers are very popular in China.

It is flavored with lots of mustard for a very distinguishable taste. You will either love or hate this one. This has been a staple of the menu in China since 2013.

7. Iced Lemon Red Tea

McDonald’s China also has an Iced Lemon Red Tea. This replaces a lot of the American drinks that are found in U.S Mcdonald’s but are not sold in China.

It is a great drink that appeals to the types of drinks that people culturally enjoy in China. It is a sweet tea that is served in a large cup.

In China, if you buy a drink from a store like McDonald’s, Chinese customers feel that the size of the drink is very important.

8. Combos!

In the U.S and a lot of other countries around the world, value meals are the most popularly purchased item. These meals include a main (such as a burger), chips or another side and a drink.

You can do this in China but you can also purchase larger combo meals. You can get a meal that contains enough food for 5 people. It has 5 mains, 5 sides and 5 drinks, as well as 5 pies.

There are also other combo meals available in China. You can order the Afternoon Tea McFlurry combo which contains McNuggets, McWings and McFlurries.

You can choose whichever combo meal suits you best and serves the amount of people that you are looking to feed.

9. Congee

This is a very popular dish in China that is known by many different names in different areas of the country.

This dish is made up of rice that has been boiled with a lot of water to make it quite porridge-like. It is then served with other add-ons. These are usually things like tofu, meat or eggs.

In McDonald’s in China, this is served as a side dish in the morning. It is not served past breakfast time.

10. Sichuan Double Chicken Burger

This burger is a great addition to the Chinese menu. It is another addition to the menu that shows the success of chicken in China.

This burger has chicken patties, lettuce and sichuan sauce in it. These burgers are served in a brioche bun, adding some sweetness to the burger.

11. Taro Pie

The taro pie is another variation on the much loved apple pie. Taro is a vegetable that is often used in China that has been compared to a sweet potato but with a sweeter edge – a bit like vanilla.

It is often used to flavor boba milk tea. It is made up of large chunks of veggies and the filling is purple and white in color.

12. Russian Sausage Double Chicken Burger

This burger is also served in China. It is similar to the German sausage burger, with a slight edge. Give this one a go if you get the chance, some people love it and some people hate it.

Fun Facts About McDonald’s

McDonald’s feeds more than 70 million people across the world every day. The amount of people that go to McDonald’s each day is greater than the number of people in the United Kingdom.

Each minute, McDonald’s sells more than 80 hamburgers.

McDonald’s is also the biggest toy manufacturer in the world. More than 1.5 million toys are distributed by McDonald’s every year.

Frequently Asked Question

How Many McDonald’s Are There In China

In China, there are over 4000 McDonald’s stores across the country. It is a very popular store to purchase food in.

What McDonald’s Items Are Available In Other Countries Around The World?

There are lots of different items that you can get in McDonald’s around the world that you can’t get in the U.S. If you’re off traveling, you should try out some of these items!

McVegan Burger

This is a very popular product sold in the Finnish stores. It is making its way into other countries too. This is a plant based product.

This item is expected to be sold in the U.S very soon as there is a lot of demand for a vegan option.

Shrimp Burger

This item is sold in South Korea. It is a very popular burger over there and it is worth a try if you ever visit!

Adding shrimp to one of these burgers is not something that everyone would love, but give it a go if you get the chance!

Ham And Egg Twisty Pasta

This dish is available on the Hong Kong menu. It is a fun dish that you won’t find in the U.S. This is part of the Hong Kong breakfast menu. You can either get this pasta with ham or sausage and egg.

Chicken And Egg Burger

This burger is available in Hong Kong. It is a great dish that a lot of U.S people would appreciate. It is chicken and egg in one sandwich.

Iced Milk Tea

Another item that you can get in Hong Kong! Milk tea is very popular in China and Hong Kong. McDonald’s restaurants offer a lot of different kinds of milk tea in various countries.

This iced milk tea is a great option, and you can also opt for a hot tea served with lemon in the Hong Kong stores.

Poutine

In Canadian McDonald’s, you can get poutine. These are chips in gravy and cheese. It is a very common dish that is a staple in Canada. This dish is great and you have to try them when you’re in Canada.

Banana Shake

In Japanese stores, you can get a banana shake. This is a minion themed shake. They also sell waffle cones with minion wrappers.

The minion brand is only available in Japan, however, you can get the banana shake in the United Kingdom and Italy, too.

McChicken Mozzarella

This burger is available in Korea. It is a delicious burger that we all wish was available in the United States, too! It is exactly what it says: a chicken sandwich with mozzarella sticks in the burger.

Tomato And Mozzarella Turnovers

These turnovers can be found in Italian McDonald’s. They are known as panzerotti and they are very different from a lot of things you expect to find in McDonald’s!

They look delicious but they don’t fit in with the usual menu.

Shaka Chiki

Shaka Chiki is available in Japanese McDonald’s. It is a great dish that is a familiar dish from Japan. You just need to pour on the seasoning and then shake the chicken with it.

You can get this dish in three different flavors: plain, cheddar cheese and red pepper.

What Is The History Of McDonalds?

McDonald’s is one of the largest fast food chains in the world. It started in 1940 with the McDonald’s brothers.

It began as a drive through restaurant and slowly developed into the Worldwide chain that it is today.

McDonalds was designed to be able to produce a lot of food at very low prices. The menu was very limited in order to achieve this, only featuring hamburgers, chips, drinks and pie.

This was a very efficient restaurant and it turned over produce very quickly, meaning it made a very large profit. They charged very low prices, too, only 15 cents per hamburger.

The brothers decided to franchise their business and the company grew rapidly. Over the years, the company has opened up many stores around the world. They have since been taken over.

How Many McDonald’s Stores Are There Worldwide?

There are over 36,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the World. This is a huge amount of restaurants. McDonald’s feeds around 70 million people every day.

This is 1 percent of the world’s population. McDonald’s is very popular and it feeds a huge amount of people every day across the world.

While there are some variations to the menu, as mentioned above, there are mostly the same things in each country.

Other things also vary from country to country. The size of the drinks and sides are different in different places. There are also certain foods and drinks that feature in certain countries but not in others.

When you are traveling, head into your nearest McDonald’s store to see what different things they sell! You might find something you really like that you can’t get in the U.S!

Final Thoughts

There are many differences between the McDonald’s menu in China and the U.S menu. These differences are displayed in the article above with 12 items that you can get in McDonald’s in China.

If you find yourself in China, give these items a go! There is bound to be something there that you will love.