- Fast-food menu items tend to be pretty consistent from restaurant to restaurant – you’ll typically have burgers, fries, pizza, and shakes, just to name a few. This can make eating out on a budget pretty boring.
- But in recent years, some fast-food restaurants have changed the game with bizarre menu items that were surprisingly delicious.
- Brands like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Pizza Hut raised the bar with creative new menu items across the globe.
- Here are some of the weirdest fast-food concoctions that were shockingly good.
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A&W in Bangkok, Thailand, reportedly served a waffle fillet of fish sandwich with tartar sauce. A&W’s waffle ranked in Foursquare’s top 15 waffles in Bangkok.
Source: Foursquare
Fast-food items can be just as strange in the US. Made with 100% boneless pork, McDonald’s McRib comes with onions, pickles, and barbecue-style sauce. It is a customer favorite and has been for decades, but it’s not so easy to find, as it’s not always on the menu.
Source: Business Insider
McDonald’s has locations across the globe, and the menu items vary from country to country. Locations in France and Thailand have served a pineapple pie. Travel-show host and producer Ray Williams told Business Insider that the pie is his favorite McDonald’s dessert item.
Source: Business Insider
But McDonald’s isn’t the only chain with a menu that varies around the world. In 2012, Pizza Hut Middle East came out with a pizza crust stuffed with cheeseburgers.
Source: Business Insider
And this wasn't even the first time that Pizza Hut featured an extravagantly stuffed crust. Although it debuted internationally in 2012, America got to taste this over-the-top pie, featuring a hot-dog-stuffed crust, in 2015.
Source: Business Insider
International Pizza Huts are known for their obscure menu items, like this Doritos Crunchy Crust Pizza that debuted in Pizza Hut Australia in 2014. According to NPR, these extravagant pizza concoctions, while generally unappetizing to Americans, appeal to a global audience.
Source: Business Insider, NPR
Pizza Hut Dubai has Chocomania: pizza dough with white and dark chocolate inside and cinnamon sugar on top. It was "scrumptious," aside from the end pieces, which had less chocolate in them, Business Insider reviewers found in 2018.
Source: Business Insider
American Pizza Hut items are less obscure, but still far from the norm. This is a grilled cheese pizza. While crust stuffed with cheese is very common, Pizza Hut's unique spin includes bread crumbs, cheese, and butter, making it reminiscent of a classic grilled cheese.
Source: Business Insider
Although they'll make you assemble it yourself, McDonald's secret menu offers a twist on a French classic: McCrepes. This includes McDonald's Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait and an order of hot cakes.
Source: Business Insider
The same is true for some other bizarre secret menu items at McDonald's, like the Land Sea and Air Burger, which features a McChicken, a Big Mac, and a Filet-O-Fish ...
Source: Business Insider
... and the Chicken McGriddle, which features a McGriddle with Chicken McNuggets inside.
Source: Business Insider
Speaking of chicken, the cookie chicken tenders Popeyes launched in 2017 were just chicken tenders coated in shortbread cookie crumbs, and according to Business Insider reviewers, they had just the right amount of sweetness to them.
Source: Business Insider
KFC is getting in on the sweet and savory mashup as well. This is a piece of boneless fried chicken sandwiched between two glazed doughnuts. According to a Business Insider reviewer sampling the creation in September, it's "surprisingly delicious."
Source: Business Insider
In July, KFC released a limited-edition Cheetos sandwich. Business Insider reporter Irene Jang found it "shockingly good."
Source: Business Insider
The year before, KFC had released another hit: Smoky Mountain BBQ Chicken.
Source: Business Insider
Another weirdly good KFC menu item from the early 2010s was the Double Down. It's essentially a bacon and cheese sandwich that uses fried chicken for the bun.
Source: Business Insider
Once just a limited-edition menu item, Burger King's Chicken Fries have been on the menu permanently since 2014 in response to high demand.
Source: Business Insider
Another bold move by Burger King was the release of the Whopperito in 2016. According to Business Insider reviewers, it exceeded expectations.
Source: Business Insider
Taco Bell has come up with some interesting concoctions, too, like the breakfast waffle taco in 2014. According to Business Insider, it was delicious.
Source: Business Insider
Taco Bell's nacho fries were the best new fast-food item to debut in 2018, according to Business Insider reviewers.
Source: Business Insider
No matter what you order, you'll need to wash it down, and Sonic has you covered with its mocktail slushies. They debuted in July, and they come in three flavors: Strawberry Daiquiri, Piña Colada, and Reaper Spicy Margarita.
Source: Insider