International availability of McDonald's products


McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. McDonald's traces its origins to a 1940 restaurant in San Bernardino, California, United States. After expanding within the United States, McDonald's became an international corporation in 1967, when it opened a location in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. By the end of the 1970s, McDonald's restaurants existed in five of the Earth's seven continents; an African location came in 1992 in Casablanca, Morocco.
In order to cater to local tastes and culinary traditions, and often in respect of particular laws or religious beliefs, McDonald's offers regionalized versions of its menu among and within different countries. As a result, products found in one country or region may not be found in McDonald's restaurants in other countries or their ingredients may differ significantly. For example, Indian McDonald's does not serve beef/pork products.

Africa

Egypt

In 2001, McDonald's introduced the McFalafel sandwich in its Egypt locations. These restaurants also offer a Chicken Big Mac and Fish Mac, variations on the standard Big Mac which substitute breaded chicken or fish, respectively, for the usual beef patties. In the summer of 2008, McDonald's introduced fish fingers with tartar dipping sauce as a side in Egyptian restaurants. Early 2010 saw the introduction of Egyptian cookies to the Cairo location. McDonald's has almost 70 locations throughout the country.

Morocco

The McArabia, a grilled chicken sandwich from Morocco. In 2005, a product called the McSahara was briefly sold. In late 2006, the Chicken Mythic, Petit Plaisirs, and a 280-gram Recette Moutarde were released. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a special menu is offered for the breaking of the fast, including local specialties such as dates, milk, and harira.

South Africa

Some of the items listed at a location in Cape Town include:
  • McFizz, a drink inspired by Sprite
  • Chocolate Caramel McFlurry, a McFlurry ice cream sundae with chocolate and caramel sauce
  • McFeast, a burger made of onions, cheese, beef, lettuce, McBraai sauce and McChicken sauce
  • Boerie Burger, a burger with the meat as boerewors
  • BBQ Double Burger, a hamburger with McBraai sauce
  • Chicken Foldover, a slider made of tortillas
  • Grand Chicken, a chicken burger with the options of hot spicy, garlic mayo, jalapeño and McChicken
  • Jalapeño Chicken, a spicy chicken burger made with jalapeño chilli
  • Jalapeño Chicken Double, a larger Jalapeño Chicken burger
  • Spicy Cajun Chicken Deluxe, a spicy chicken burger
  • SA Breakfast, a brekkie meal made of boerewors patties, onions, eggs, tomato, a bun and hot chips
Others include:
  • Jalapeño Dipping Sauce
  • Mega Muffin, a Sausage McMuffin but larger
  • Corn Cup, a healthy alternative side, a cup of corn

    Asia

Bahrain

As in all McDonald's locations in the Islamic Middle East, food in Bahraini locations is halal. In addition to the McArabia, Bahraini locations offer, beginning in March 2009, the McCrispy, a meal consisting of up to four chicken fingers with a choice of barbecue, ketchup, sweet and sour, or garlic sauce.

China

In China, Chicken McNuggets can come with the traditional barbecue, sweet and sour, honey and hot mustard sauces; or even a special chili garlic sauce, which is popular in China. Chinese menus also include crispy spicy chicken wings, called McWings. All chicken burgers offered in Chinese McDonald's use thigh fillet, rather than breast meat, which is preferred in western countries.
Unique ice cream flavours such as Matcha Green Tea ice cream is available. Pies come in two standard flavours: pineapple or taro, although special flavours including chocolate, apple, banana, and azuki bean have also been offered on a limited basis.
There is a seasonal Chinese New Year meal available, including the Grilled Chicken Burger and curly fries, with a horoscope of the twelve zodiac animals of Chinese astrology and traditional red envelopes.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong hosts some of the world's busiest McDonald's, with many operating 24 hours a day. Breakfasts include pasta soups with sausage or chicken. Locations offer cups of corn as substitutes for French fries or à la carte. Desserts include soft serve ice cream in azuki bean and mung bean flavours; pineapple or red bean sundaes are sometimes offered.
A selection of seasonal or other limited-time foods is available, such as spicy French fries, the Shogun Burger, salads, soups such as tomato and pumpkin, taco flatbreads, the Rice Fantastic. Other such specialities have included shrimp burgers, Wasabi Filet O' Fish, onion rings, and Shake Shake fries, flavoured French fries in flavours such as seaweed, chargrill, French onion, and salt and pepper. During the local Bun Festival, restaurants on the island of Cheung Chau sell mushroom burgers instead of hamburgers and other meat products.
Toys, gifts, and other non-food promotional items are offered from time to time.

India

Indian McDonalds serve the Chicken Maharaja Mac, a grilled chicken double patty with habanero sauce and Veg Maharaja Mac, a cheese and corn double patty with cocktail sauce. Apart from these, the McSpicy burgers/wraps, McGrill and Pizza McPuff are sold in India. Mc Aloo Tikki, Mc Veggie, Mc Chicken, Mc Egg, Filet-o-fish burger, chicken wraps, veg wraps, chicken kebab burger is very popular in India. Recent additions in India include rice bowls, biriyani and naan wraps.
Past promotional items have included the McPaneer and Grilled Chicken Royale, Mexican Spice Chicken and Veg, Asian Hot Garlic Dip and African Peri Peri Shake Shake Indi-McSpicy and the McCurry Pan.
McDonald's in India do not serve beef nor pork products, in deference to Hindu and Muslim beliefs respectively. Vegetarian and meat based meals are prepared in separate areas of the restaurant due to religious laws; cooks preparing vegetarian dishes wear a distinctive green apron and non vegetarian cooks wear a red apron.

Indonesia

To accommodate Muslim-majority population, all McDonald's restaurants in Indonesia are certified halal, which means they do not serve bacon or pork patties, while serving only beef, chicken, and fish. Local items include crispy and spicy fried chicken; the McRice, a small mound of steamed rice wrapped in paper and available to supersize; McSoup, a chicken flavored soup with bits of croutons and vegetables; and Buryam, later renamed as Bubur Ayam Spesial with the addition of fried egg topping. Sambal chili sauce, an essential component of Indonesian cuisine, and tomato ketchup are available as condiments.
McDonald's fried chicken, McRice, and fruit tea are sold together as PaNas with an additional sachet of sambal chili sauce. This adopts the Indonesian way of consuming ayam goreng with steamed rice and sambal.
Other than fried chicken with rice and bubur ayam chicken rice congee, locals' preference of rice-based food is accommodated further by the introduction of Chicken with Spicy Tomato and Chicken Teriyaki, which is a bowl of steamed rice topped with strips of fried chicken patty with sauces and vegetables, similar to the Japanese donburi fashion of serving.
McDonald's Indonesia also promotes some seasonal foods, sold only within a limited certain period of time. Those limited periods include Chinese New Year, Ramadhan, and Independence Day specials.
During Chinese New Year, a Beef Prosperity Burger, consisting of two beef patties covered in black pepper sauce and topped with diced onions, is sold.
During Ramadan, McDonald's Indonesia has offered BBQ Beef Flatbread, Curry Beef Delight, Moroccan Burger, Ayam Kremes, Ayam Serundeng Sambal Terasi, Ayam Spesial Sambal Bawang, and Ayam Gulai.
In certain periods, such as August, McDonald's Indonesia launches local-inspired dishes, which change annually. For example, in 2016, McDonald's offered Burger Sate, McFlurry Rujak Pedas, and Markisa soda tea. In 2020, dishes such as the Burger Nasi Goreng, a hamburger with sweet and savoury sauce, Kentang Goreng Gulai Gurih with Soda Asam Jawa and Es Kopi Durian Jelly Float were released. Locally inspired desserts include McFlurry with Teh botol and Cone Top Es Teler.

Israel

The only entirely kosher McDonald's are in Israel and Argentina. In these locations, patties are barbecued on charcoal rather than fried. Some kosher locations serve milk-based desserts, but in separate booths, allowing for full separation of dairy and meat products in food preparation areas. However, most of the McDonald's outlets in Israel are not kosher service, as they serve cheeseburgers, which mix dairy and meat products.
Specialty items in Israeli McDonald's include the McShawarma and McKebab, both served on flatbread. On January 18, 2011, McDonald's introduced the McFalafel sandwich in Israel, but withdrew the item six months later. Within the last few years they have added a vegetarian option, corn sticks.

Japan

Regular menu items in Japanese McDonald's include the Teriyaki McBurger, with ground pork patties, mayonnaise, lettuce, and teriyaki sauce; Shaka Shaka Chicken, a fried chicken strip served in a paper pouch, with cheese or pepper seasonings to shake in the bag; and the Fillet-O-Ebi, with a fried shrimp patty and mustard. Breakfast options include a hot dog with pickle relish, ketchup, and mustard, then for lunch and dinner they serve the Chilli McHotdog with egg and chilli sauce. As well as regular soft drinks, McDonald's in Japan also serve cartons of milk, Minute Maid orange juice, oolong tea, and Yasai Seikatsu mixed vegetable juice.
Seasonal and limited-time items have included:
  • The Chicken Katsu Burger, a breaded chicken sandwich flavored with soy sauce and ginger.
  • The Gratin Korokke Burger, a sandwich with korokke filled with shrimp, macaroni, shredded cabbage, and katsu sauce, and optional cheese; served during winter
  • Green tea-flavoured milkshakes
  • The Salsa Burger, a breaded chicken sandwich with salsa
  • The Tamago Double Mac, a hamburger with three beef patties, pepper sauce, bacon, a poached egg, and optional cheese
  • The Teri Tama Burger, a teriyaki burger with egg; served during spring
  • The Tamago Double Mac, a burger with egg, two beef patties, and bacon
  • The Tsukimi Burger, a hamburger with one beef patty, fry sauce, bacon, a poached egg, and optional cheese; served before and during Tsukimi season
  • Ume Nuggets, Chicken McNuggets with sour ume sauce for dipping
  • The Mega Teriyaki, a teriyaki-style Big Mac variant with two pork patties and teriyaki sauce
  • "Quarter Pounder Jewelry" burgers: The 'Gold Ring' available on July 6, 2012, the 'Black Diamond' on July 13, 2013, and 'Ruby Spark' on July 20, 2013, only
Some other limited-edition burgers in Japan have been marketed based on different regions of America, such as Idaho burgers.
On United States military establishments in Japan, both American and Japanese menus are sold, depending on availability.