McDonald's has grown exponentially since its humble inception in San Bernardino, California in 1940. These days nearly every country around the world boasts its own unique McDonald’s menu items, but it's often those solely available in the USA that get mouths watering the most. From moreish garlic Parmesan fries to crab-loaded sandwiches, we've put together a list of the greatest McDonald's dishes you'll only find in America.

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the 25 tastiest US-only McDonald's menu items, counting down to the one global diners wish they could try the most. 

We've based our ranking on the popularity of each food item in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective. 

A Southern staple, you’ll find buttermilk biscuits and sausage-studded gravy in old-school diners and restaurants across the US, but if you’re after a fast food version, it’s worth stopping off at a McDonald’s to get a taste of the classic dish. This item can be found in McDonald’s across the Southern states, usually available as part of the breakfast menu.

Slurping noodles might not sound like your average McDonald’s dining experience, but it was once the norm for diners in Hawaii who could order the chain’s take on the Hawaiian noodle soup saimin until relatively recently. Packed with egg noodles, char siu (barbecue pork pieces), kamaboko (fish cake), nori (seaweed) in a fragrant broth, it became a menu staple in the 1960s and was available until 2022. The dish has yet to be reintroduced, but it continues to live on in fans’ memory.

Mighty Wings, available from 1990 to 2003, weren’t great sellers, but this was due to the cost of the item, rather than the taste. These crispy, bone-in wings have been reintroduced a handful of times, most recently in 2016 when the item was sold at outlets in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite not being a permanent menu item, Mighty Wings are an envied treat the rest of the world is eager to try.

The Oreo Shamrock McFlurry landed on US menus in 2020 to go alongside McDonald’s already iconic Shamrock Shake, a limited-edition milkshake which has returned for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations every February since 1967. This frozen alternative blends together vanilla soft serve with the Shamrock Shake’s signature minty flavour and is finished with crushed Oreo pieces. It’s returned annually since its initial launch.

McDonald’s apple pies are a must-order for many fast food lovers across the globe, but when a limited-edition option comes around, you’ll usually find people queuing up at the drive-thru to get a taste. That was certainly the case with the launch of the Cookies & Crème Pie in summer 2023. The sweet treat featured cookie pieces and a fluffy vanilla crème centre, all encased in a cookie-style crust. It was sold in select locations including Los Angeles, California, Seattle, Washington, Chicago, Illinois and New York, and returned again in 2024 for an additional limited run.

A traditional German delicacy, it struck many as odd that McDonald’s launched a bratwurst-inspired product in the US, rather than Germany. Introduced in Wisconsin locations only, where the state has a strong German immigrant community, Johnsonville Brats have been on and off menus since their initial launch in the 1990s. McDonald’s sourced the brats from American sausage company, Johnsonville and served them stuffed inside a hot dog roll with mustard and ketchup. They haven’t been seen on menus since 2016, despite their staggering popularity.

An order favourite whenever it arrives back on menus, the Strawberry & Crème Pie was first introduced in 2012 and was available across the US until 2014. Since then, the crispy baked treat – complete with a sweet strawberry jam and delicate crème filling – has returned numerous times, most recently in January 2025. Many say it’s the perfect dessert to finish your fast food meal with.

McDonald’s offers a whole host of varying regional breakfast options, and this platter-style tray piled with rice, scrambled eggs, SPAM and Portuguese sausage is what you can expect to dine on at Hawaii locations. Loaded with protein and fibre, it’s guaranteed to keep you full right through to lunch and is a great option to enjoy on the go.

Eating pasta at McDonald’s sounds unlikely, but it was actually a pretty average menu order for many US customers in the 1970s. Called the McSpaghetti (pictured), the dish featured pasta, marinara sauce, meatballs and grated cheese. While the item has since been discontinued (although a variation is available in the Philippines), pasta lovers can still get their fix at a McDonald's branch in Orlando, Florida. As well as serving up personal pizzas, the outlet offers a range of gourmet dishes featuring everything from fettuccine Alfredo to pesto-slathered tortellini.

Sticky and satisfying, the McTeri Deluxe is another regional favourite. The burger features a classic beef patty slathered in a sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce, layered with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise and sandwiched inside a sesame bun. Those after something even heartier can opt for a double patty. The tasty treat is a limited-edition item that’s popped up numerous times (most recently in January 2025) and is exclusively available in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.

A riff on the diner classic, chicken and waffles, crispy fried chicken swaddled inside two soft, warm McGriddles griddle cakes is the breakfast order of champions for many US McDonald’s diners. The griddles are ultra-pillowy and taste especially delicious dripping with maple syrup. Though many global customers have called for the morning favourite to be introduced on their home turf, it’s currently only available in the US and Canada.

Just the thing for days when cereal won’t cut it, McDonald’s Big Breakfast is a menu favourite for many across the US – and one that other global markets are intensely jealous of. The giant plate comes complete with a warm buttermilk biscuit, fluffy scrambled eggs, a sausage patty and a crispy hash brown. Paired with a hot cup of coffee, it’s a morning meal guaranteed to fill you up and put a smile on your face.

Green-hued and irresistibly minty, the Shamrock Shake is a McDonald’s fixture when February rolls around. The milkshake was first released in 1967, to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day and has returned every year since to celebrate the Irish holiday. The colourful drink was so popular that in 1980 McDonald’s released the Shamrock Sundae, a dessert made up of vanilla soft serve topped with its mint green Shamrock syrup. The shake began being sold in Ireland and Canada in 2020, too, helping to boost its global reputation even further, but is yet to travel to any other markets.

McDonald’s offers a tasty bacon-centric breakfast option for US diners, and it comes in the form of the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit. Warm and comforting, the chain's version of the diner classic features a sliced buttermilk biscuit filled with applewood-smoked bacon, a folded egg and a slice of American cheese. It’s available across the USA and pairs perfectly with a crispy hash brown.

McDonald’s doesn’t launch many state exclusive burgers, but when it does, it goes hard. This was certainly the case with the introduction of the Lone Star Stack. Available from Texas branches only, this menu favourite featured a succulent beef patty, white Cheddar, applewood-smoked bacon, caramelised onions and a sweet onion barbecue sauce, all loaded inside two slices of Texas toast. It was first introduced as a limited-edition offering in 2016, with many fans continuing to call for the return of the epic item.

It may sound unbelievable, but McDonald’s does actually serve pizza – well, in one US location anyway. Topped with oozy cheese, pepperoni slices, green peppers and onions, personalised pans were test marketed across the US and UK during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite proving initially successful, the slow cooking time and the box not fitting through drive-thru windows prevented the menu item from becoming permanent. There is still one location in Orlando, Florida (which also happens to be the world's largest McDonald's) serving up the chain's take on pizza for those especially eager to try it.

We’ve all had a Big Mac, but have you even heard of the Denali Big Mac? This fully stacked burger is exclusively available in Alaska and features all the traditional elements of McDonald’s signature Big Mac, but includes extra-large beef patties and even more special sauce. Introduced to Alaskan menus in 2006, it was originally named the McKinley Mac, a nod to Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America. When the mountain was renamed Denali in 2016, McDonald’s followed suit, changing the burger’s name to the Denali Big Mac.

The McLobster was first introduced in 1992, and quickly became a menu favourite for many seafood lovers. The limited-edition roll, which sees a regular hot dog bun stuffed with claw, knuckle and leg meat, shredded lettuce and a creamy sauce has popped up on menus across New England in the height of lobster season many times since. The item has also been available in Canada a handful of times, but sadly, it hasn’t appeared in either location for a few years.

Like your burgers extra spicy? If so, you’ll wish you could sink your teeth into this New Mexico exclusive. The Hatch Green Chile Double Cheeseburger has been a menu staple for those living in the Land of Enchantment state for years. It features two juicy beef patties, cheese, onions, ketchup, mustard and diced hatch green chiles, which provide that signature heat. It’s fiery, flavourful and guaranteed to pack a punch.

Often McDonald’s breakfast items don’t stick around for all that long, but that’s certainly not the case for its breakfast burritos. First introduced in 1991, the chain has sold its irresistible Steak and Egg Burrito, which comes filled with juicy steak chunks, scrambled eggs, mixed veggies and a zingy salsa ever since. The only catch is that it’s only available in four US states: New York, New Mexico, California and Arizona. We promise it’s well worth travelling for.

Garlic fries finished with Parmesan, chopped parsley and salt is a winning combination, so when McDonald’s announced it would be launching said product, fast food fanatics listened up. Initially test marketed, the menu item was available in around 240 outlets in the Greater Bay Area, California and featured garlic grown in Gilroy, a Californian region known for its mammoth garlic crop. Unfortunately, the fries weren’t ever released nationally and have since been discontinued – though many fans remember them fondly.

Can you remember a time when McDonald’s legendary (and delicious) apple pies were fried? When the sweet treats were first introduced to the menu in the 1960s, each one was fried to perfection. That is, until the chain swapped them for a baked version in the 1990s. Those still dreaming of the flaky fried pastry and tender apple filling can get their hands on fried styles in Hawaii (and at one McDonald’s outlet in Downey, California).