Fast food chains love nothing more than releasing limited-run items designed to get people talking (and eating). Sometimes they fail to make much of an impact, but often they’re so good they become cult classics, with legions of fans begging for them to remain permanent fixtures on the menu. From Popeyes' mouth-watering fish sandwich to McDonald's iconic McRib, here we count down the greatest limited-edition fast food items of all time – many of which have fans in countries where they were never even sold.
Is there a limited-run fast food item that stole your heart? Click or scroll through our gallery to see if it made the list.
Our ranking is based on reviews, accolades and the popularity of each item, taking into account sales, longevity and the reaction to the products at the time of their release.
Equal parts sweet and heat, Wendy's habanero-infused Hot Honey Sauce was a big hit when it first launched at US branches of the chain in February 2022. The versatile condiment came on its own as a dipping sauce but was also used to smother a mouth-watering chicken sandwich. It consisted of a spicy fried chicken breast topped with pepper jack cheese, applewood-smoked bacon and crunchy dill pickles, plus an all-important drizzle of the new sauce. It was technically a permanent menu item but ended up having a limited run (despite being a fan favourite) and was phased out by September 2022.
This fluorescent green beverage from US fast food chain Sonic Drive-In was inevitably going to divide opinion when it launched in 2018. Sweet yet tangy, it combined Sonic's classic slush with salty pickle brine in a beverage that, according to the chain, ‘tastes just like you're sipping out of the pickle jar’. It must have appealed to some because Sonic brought it back for a brief period in 2022 due to customer demand.
A wildly popular item that always seems to be coming and going, Taco Bell’s limited-edition Nacho Fries – which first appeared in 2018 – are a pretty simple creation: seasoned French fries served with a side of creamy nacho cheese sauce. The affordable treat always seems to have fast food fans begging for more, which is probably why it returns so frequently – most recently in 2024, alongside Taco Bell’s Secret Aardvark Nacho Fries, which were created in collaboration with the Secret Aardvark hot sauce company.
Back in 2017, when the trend for gourmet mac ‘n’ cheese was at its peak, Pizza Hut joined the party with this carb-on-carb cheese feast that featured gooey macaroni cheese stuffed inside the crust and piled atop the pizza base. The dish, which was finished with crispy onions, had a limited run in the UK – though it received attention further afield, with people longing for it to land at their local Pizza Hut. It returned in 2022 with two new flavour options: The Frank’s RedHot One (drizzled with Frank’s RedHot Sauce) and The Posh One (boasting a sliced mushroom and truffle oil topping).
There's little you can do to improve the flavour of a regular Cinnabon Classic, but the chain is constantly trying out new limited-edition combinations anyway. One of the most visually satisfying was the Cinnabon x Warheads Topped Bons treat that dropped in August 2024. Available in blue raspberry, green apple and watermelon flavours, they consisted of delicious cinnamon rolls topped with the iconic colourful popping candy. The eye-popping results proved to be a strange but undeniably fun addition to the menu.
The Shogun Burger from McDonald's in Hong Kong shouldn't work. It features a pork patty, oozing with teriyaki sauce and topped with egg and a lemony mayo – not flavours you'd ever traditionally put together. Yet the unusual combination gained a cult following in Hong Kong, and the Shogun Burger has earned its place on the menu multiple times. It last appeared in 2023, though fans will no doubt be on the lookout for its return sometime soon.
The owners of All About the Cinnamon love two things: cinnamon rolls and hip-hop. It makes sense, then, that all the brand's cinnamon roll flavours are named after hip-hop artists, such as Tupac, Slick Rick and LL Cool J. But one limited-edition collab, the Kendrick Lamar, took things to another level. Here, the classic cinnamon roll became a bun for a Nashville-style hot chicken slider from Bangin' Buns (a cult-favourite chicken spot in California) to create a sandwich like no other. It was a one-day deal in August 2024 that will be fondly remembered by all who tried it.
Arby's introduced its Canadian customers to the Poutine Dip Sandwich in 2021, and it went down a storm. The cult-favourite sandwich saw a toasted sub roll piled high with roast beef slices, curly fries and Quebec cheese curds, all slathered in gravy. Fans could also dip the sandwich into a side of gravy, taking the tasty hand-held to another level. It proved such a success that Arby's brought the Poutine Dip Sandwich back in 2022 to much fanfare.
In January 2024, Aussie fans of Hungry Jack's (or Burger King as it's known everywhere else) celebrated the return of two fan-favourite burgers. The first was the Aussie Whopper, which is a Whopper topped with egg, bacon and beetroot. The second was the Tropical Whopper, which came crammed with two pineapple pieces, double bacon and barbecue sauce. Hungry Jack's released them to bring summer vibes to the seasonal menu change, but fans want them to stick around permanently.
Fans are likely in two minds about whether carne asada should become a regular item on the Chipotle menu. After all, part of the reason this dish tastes so good is precisely because it's in limited supply. Chipotle makes a big deal about how the dish uses the best quality steak the brand can get its hands on, served only until the supply runs out. The responsibly raised beef is grilled fresh to order, seasoned and sliced by hand and finished with lime and coriander. It debuted in 2019 and has returned to the menu every year since.
Some might consider putting mushrooms on burgers sacrilege, but McDonald's in Singapore has embraced the umami power of the humble fungi. Its Creamy Mushroom Double Cheeseburger is a towering treat of grilled mushrooms in a spicy black pepper mayonnaise, placed atop two juicy cheeseburgers. If that's not enough meat for you, though, you could also opt for the Creamy Mushroom Triple Cheeseburger. The item launched in April 2024 alongside limited-edition sides such as the Nori Shoyu Shaka Shaka Chicken McBites and Taro Custard Pie.
Chick-fil-A fans were delighted when its fabled Banana Pudding Milkshake debuted on the chain's limited-edition menu in 2011. It was an irresistible blend of soft-serve ice cream and real bananas topped with wafer cookie crumbs, whipped cream and a plump red cherry. People loved it so much that they organised petitions in 2017 and 2018 for the dessert to make a comeback. In the end, Chick-fil-A caved to the pressure, and the Banana Pudding Milkshake made its return in August 2024.
Taco Bell tested the Cheesy Street Chalupas in limited US markets in October 2023 before rolling the dish out nationwide in July 2024. The idea was to combine the classic flavours of street tacos with popular selections from Taco Bell's menu, such as its cheesy chalupa shell. Top it all off with onions, coriander and spicy ranch dressing and fill it with either chicken or steak, and you've got a new customer favourite.
The Curderburger at Culver's actually started life as an April Fool's Day joke. But after Culver's customers started begging the chain to make the pretend creation a reality, the restaurant added a real-life Curderburger to its menus in October 2021. The result was a melt-in-the-middle, deep-fried Wisconsin cheese curd patty stacked on top of a Culver's Deluxe burger, and fans went mad for it. The item has returned every year since for limited runs only. Surely it's only a matter of time before it becomes permanent?
Sister fast food chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are known for their over-the-top experiments (they once tested a mashed potato and gravy burger), but the Most American Thickburger took things to a new level of indulgence back in 2015. The patriotic dish featured a hefty Black Angus beef patty topped with a split hot dog, Lay's potato chips and plenty of American cheese, and clocked in at a massive 1,030 calories. Reviews at the time were largely very positive, with fans saying it tasted like a ‘Fourth of July cookout’.
Domino’s really pushed pizza boundaries with its limited-edition Best 34 Pizza, an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink affair that featured a dizzying 34 toppings. Exclusive to Domino’s in Japan, the dish was unveiled in 2022 and featured the likes of octopus, mussels, teriyaki chicken, asparagus, corn, rice cakes and beef ribs – plus much more. The Best 34 was divided into quarters to accommodate the sheer quantity of toppings and was finished with three different sauces.
Dairy Queen is famous for offering special seasonal flavours of its iconic soft-serve dessert, such as pumpkin pie in October and cotton candy in June. However, Blizzard devotees say the best limited-edition flavour by far is Caramel Fudge Cheesecake, an unassuming-sounding treat that first appeared in 2022 and made a much-celebrated return in autumn 2023.
Burger King Japan's Pine Tsukimi Burger is likely a flavour combination you either love or hate, akin to putting pineapple on pizza. Here, the burger chain has topped a beef patty with four slices of bacon, lettuce, mayo, ketchup and... two slices of golden pineapple. It's a bold move, but one that clearly resonated with customers in Japan. The burger first debuted in 2023 before returning the following year in a new and improved style. Fans of spice can also add a dollop of chipotle sauce.
Chick-fil-A’s Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich was available from August 2023 until early November of the same year. The launch was particularly notable, given that this was the first time the Georgia-based chain had offered a seasonal variation of its iconic sandwich since it debuted back in 1964. The new dish consisted of a crispy chicken fillet topped with pimento cheese, pickled jalapeños and a drizzle of honey, and it came in both classic and spicy varieties. Its popularity saw it return to menus in August 2024.
Burger King has introduced a number of wacky food mash-ups over the years (anyone remember Mac n' Cheetos?), but the most memorable was arguably its Cheetos Chicken Fries from 2016. This item saw BK’s original chicken fries covered in a crispy, Cheetos-flavoured breadcrumb coating, and the divisive dish delighted and horrified fast food fans in equal measure. Plenty of diners remember them tasting incredible, despite the obvious novelty factor.
You can expect to pay handsomely for a fresh lobster roll, so it’s pretty amazing that McDonald's only charged around $9 for the McLobster. A US and Canada exclusive, this luxurious sandwich was first introduced as a summer special in 1993 and consisted of a hot dog bun filled with shredded lettuce, lobster meat and lobster sauce. More recently, you could only get them in Canada and New England in the summer, when lobsters are abundant, and they last appeared on menus in 2016.
Burger behemoth Wendy’s jumped on the ghost pepper bandwagon in 2015 with spicy fries that came smothered in jalapeños, Cheddar cheese and a sauce containing ghost peppers (one of the world's hottest chillies). In reality, the fries were only moderately spicy, but people loved them regardless. The fries made a comeback in Wendy’s restaurants across the US in 2023 with a slightly revamped recipe, alongside a limited-edition Ghost Pepper Ranch Chicken Sandwich.
Family-run Midwestern fast food chain Culver's is best known for its ButterBurgers and fried cheese curds, but its limited-edition Northwoods Walleye Sandwich is a local obsession. The star of the dish is the walleye, a unique freshwater fish that’s native to Minnesota. The sandwich features a hand-battered fillet topped with tartare sauce and crisp shredded lettuce on a lightly buttered roll. Culver's has locations in 24 US states, and the dish usually appears on the menu for Lent each year.
Is it a pizza, or is it fried chicken? Actually, it's (arguably) the best of both. The all-chicken, no-crust Chizza consisted of two crispy chicken fillets topped with pizza sauce, melted cheese and various other extras, ranging from pepperoni to pineapple. The dish was initially introduced in the Philippines in 2015 and subsequently made limited-time appearances in Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and the UK. After years of speculation, KFC finally launched the Chizza in the US at a pop-up in New York City in February 2024, then rolled it out at restaurants nationwide for a limited run.
A cross between a doughnut and a breakfast sandwich, this decadent creation from Dunkin' caused a real stir when it launched in 2013. The Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich consisted of a glazed doughnut, cut in half and filled with a fried egg and cherrywood-smoked bacon. Initially, it was only served at a few locations in the Boston, Massachusetts area, but it was soon rolled out across the US. Despite being a big hit at the time, it hasn't appeared on menus since.
The SubDog became an instant classic when it first hit the Subway menu in Australia in 2022. Although it was only supposed to be an April Fool's Day joke, the very real release of the SubDog was welcomed with open arms by Aussies – who ate the franchise out of SubDogs in record time. It's an American-style pork hot dog inside a classic Subway roll, topped with mozzarella, ketchup and tangy mustard. The response was so overwhelming that Subway brought the dog back to menus for a limited time in September 2024.
McDonald's has experimented with plenty of breakfast innovations, but the chain’s foray into bagel territory was one of its biggest successes. According to fans, the Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel – which featured a delicious, Hollandaise-like ‘breakfast sauce’ – is one of the tastiest morning items McDonald’s has ever released. Bagels came off the menu in 2020 when the chain simplified its offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic. They did return in 2024, albeit in just a few select US states. So popular were the items that there’s even a Facebook group – Where’s my McDonald’s Bagel? – dedicated to locating the whereabouts of the elusive sandwiches.
Fish dishes are often an afterthought at fast food restaurants, which makes Wendy's superlative Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich particularly special. Another limited-run Lenten item, the sandwich got rave reviews when it launched in 2023 and, happily, it was back again in 2024. To make it, wild-caught Alaskan pollock is coated with panko breadcrumbs and fried to crispy perfection, then served on a bun with a dill tartare sauce, lettuce, cheese and dill pickles. It replaced the brand’s nice but uninspiring cod sandwich, and fans say the buttery, flaky texture of the pollock was a huge improvement.
Shake Shack gave some of its menu classics a seriously sophisticated makeover in early 2023 with the launch of its limited-edition white truffle menu. While the White Truffle Burger and Parmesan Fries with White Truffle Sauce were highly rated, it was the White Truffle 'Shroom Burger that really got fast food lovers in a frenzy. The delicious veggie burger consisted of a fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and Cheddar cheeses, and topped with a moreish sauce made with organic white truffle oil. Those who had the pleasure of trying it praised the rich, earthy flavour, dubbing it one of the greatest meat-free fast food burgers ever.
A 1990s favourite, Cini Minis were touted as ‘the best part of the cinnamon roll in every bite’. At 99 cents for a pack of four, they were a bargain, too. The gooey breakfast treats didn’t stick around for long after their launch in 1998, but they did have a brief revival in 2018 – though only via delivery orders placed through Grubhub in the US.
Back in the days before Popeyes was a global fried chicken giant, the Louisiana chain still pushed the envelope with its soul food–inspired creations. One of its most popular launches came in 2013, with Chicken Waffle Tenders: boneless chicken strips deep-fried in waffle batter and served with a mouth-watering honey maple dipping sauce. They made a brief return in 2017, but we think it’s high time for another comeback.
Popeyes tends to be more cautious than other chains when it comes to introducing new menu items, so when it does, you can usually count on them being pretty great. Expectations were high when the first Popeyes fish sandwich arrived in 2021 for a limited run during Lent, and feedback was almost unanimously positive, with many calling for it to be made permanent. The dish consists of a fried flounder fillet marinated in Louisiana-style herbs and spices, served on a brioche bun with pickles and tartare sauce. It made a return for Lent in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Pizza Hut is known for its pretty wacky limited-run creations (remember the Cheeseburger Pizza?), but one of the chain’s most popular items was a fairly simple affair, inspired by the classic $1 slices you find at New York City pizzerias. The 16-inch (41cm) Big New Yorker Pizza first appeared in 1999, featuring six gigantic foldable slices (instead of the standard 12) and consequently claiming bragging rights as Pizza Hut's ‘biggest ever slice’. Avid fans have been begging for its return for more than 20 years – and they were briefly rewarded in early 2023 when it was brought back to US restaurants for a short time.
Slow-cooked ribs are usually something you only find at barbecue restaurants, but in 2010 Burger King bucked the trend with the experimental launch of its BK Fire-Grilled Ribs in the US. The juicy, tender pork ribs, glazed with sweet and smoky sauce, were such a spectacular success that Burger King actually ran out of them before the item’s limited run was up. In the end, the fast food chain sold a huge 10 million Fire-Grilled Ribs, and it remains a mystery as to why they’ve never made a comeback – or been rolled out globally.
Some people mark the coming of autumn with a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, others mark the coming of spring with a McDonald's Shamrock Shake. It's a minty blend of vanilla soft-serve ice cream with whipped cream on top, and it hits menus every February ahead of St. Patrick's Day. Perhaps the bright green treat wouldn't work as a year-round menu item, but that hasn't stopped fans hoping that the shake will be a permanent addition to McDonald's restaurants in the US, Canada and Ireland.
In summer 2023, Taco Bell USA hopped on the Y2K nostalgia bandwagon by teaming up with reality star Paris Hilton for the limited-time return of its 2000s fan-favourite Volcano Menu, which was previously sold in locations including Canada, the UK and the US. Diners have been clamouring for the menu to return since it was discontinued in 2012, with years of social media campaigns and even a Change.org petition. Featuring a Volcano Taco, Double Beef Volcano Burrito and Lava Sauce, fans were thrilled to see it back. We think they’re absolutely right in calling for the menu to be made permanent.
When McDonald's debuted the Philly Cheese Stack in its UK outlets in October 2023, McD's devotees couldn't get enough of it. The chunky burger featured two beef patties, cheese sauce, cheese slices, grilled and crispy onions and pickles inside a bouncy toasted bun. So, after the Philly Cheese Stack disappeared from the menu in November 2023, fans petitioned for its return with one heartbroken soul claiming Christmas was 'ruined' because of it. Happily, then, McDonald's brought the burger back in September 2024.
KFC’s infamous bread-free chicken sandwich sent fast food lovers into a spin when it was revealed on April Fool’s Day (1 April) in 2010. It was first sold in the US and later in other countries including the UK and Australia (where it's made several brief comebacks). The divisive dish presented strips of bacon, cheese and barbecue sauce sandwiched between two pieces of crispy fried chicken. It was simultaneously hailed as the best and worst fast food item ever to exist. Its eventual end was mourned by many, but the Double Down made a brief four-week return in the US in early 2023.
The Chicken Big Mac is exactly what you think it is: a Big Mac with the beef patties replaced with deep-fried chicken. It's also exactly as tasty as it sounds! The game-changing burger made a splash when it debuted in the UK and Australia in 2022, selling out within hours on its first day of release. It returned in March 2023 and again in August 2024. Fans in the US got their first taste of the Chicken Big Mac in 2022, but only if they happened to live in Miami. Now rumour has it that the Chicken Big Mac will be on US menus before the end of 2024.
There have been countless limited-edition iterations of Burger King’s iconic Whopper, but the Angry Whopper remains the most popular. Featuring a flame-grilled patty topped with jalapeño slices, pepper jack cheese, spicy fried onions and fiery Angry Sauce, it launched in the UK in 2008 and made its way to the US in 2009, before rolling out to other countries. It has reappeared on menus several times, most notably in 2016 as the Angriest Whopper, when it sported a dramatic bright red bun. The burger made its most recent comeback in September 2023, but was only available in Columbus, Ohio.
Known for its elusive nature (and the fact that it's made with processed pork smothered in barbecue sauce, rather than actual ribs), the McRib was last sold in the UK in 2018 and has been on and off McDonald’s menus in the US numerous times since its launch in 1981. We thought it was all over for the smoky sandwich when McDonald's hosted a ‘farewell tour’ for it in 2022, but somewhat unsurprisingly, the McRib came back in select US outlets in November 2023 and in Canada in January 2024. It's apparently a permanent option in Germany, too.
Now discover the greatest fast food burgers of all time
Last updated by Luke Paton.