This McDonald's in the U.S. Sells International Menu Items — And I Tried Them All

Visiting a McDonald’s in a foreign country just to see what interesting things are on the menu is practically a tradition for many travelers. But thanks to one McDonald’s location right here in the U.S., you won’t need a passport to try those international menu items.

From the outside, it looks like a regular urban McDonald’s on the ground floor of an office building. The sign for “Hamburger University” next door might tip you off that something delicious is afoot, though. That’s because this location is at the McDonald’s headquarters, and it’s the only one in the U.S. that serves up a special menu of items from McDonald’s around the world, called the Global Menu.  

Lucky for me, I live less than two hours away from this magical place of fast-food oddities. So I hopped in the car for a little road trip to find out more about this particular McDonald’s and eat everything on the Global Menu. Here’s what I found out and ate on my visit, plus some important tips if you plan to go. 

This unique McDonald’s with the Global Menu is in Chicago, in a neighborhood called the West Loop. It’s on the ground floor of the building that houses the McDonald’s world headquarters, which opened in 2018. It’s right next to the entrance to Hamburger University, where potential McDonald’s owners and managers from around the world are trained in the art of the hamburger.  

If you’re looking for an address to put into your GPS, it’s 1035 W. Randolph Street. It’s helpfully named “McDonald’s Global Menu Restaurant” on Google Maps.  

The Global Menu McDonald’s serves both the standard McDonald’s menu as well as the Global Menu. “Global Favorites” is its own category on the ordering kiosks and menu board, and there’s a fact sheet on the front counter with information about the current Global Menu offerings.  

At any given time, there are about six Global Menu items on the menu, and they rotate every few months. Sometimes they include breakfast items, but sometimes not. There usually seems to be at least two entrees, a side item, and one dessert at any given time. Each item is labeled with what country it comes from. You’re free to order items from both the Global Menu and standard menu together.  

Since this is a one-of-a-kind McDonald’s, it’s a little tricky to find out what’s currently on the Global Menu, short of actually going there. The easiest way is to use the McDonald’s app, clock the Order button, choose the Global Menu location, and check out the menu. Another way is to visit the Uber Eats page for that location, which will also include the Global Favorites menu.  

The current Global Menu debuted in January 2025 and is available until April 7, 2025. It’s got six international McDonald's menu items, and I tried them all in a very filling and entertaining lunch. 

France 

The 280 Dijon is a favorite at McDonald’s in France, according to the Global Menu fact sheet. It’s got a big, rectangular ciabatta-style bun, a beef patty that’s much larger and thicker than most at McDonald’s, lots of cheese, roma tomato slices, and dijon mustard sauce.  

This burger is meaty and cheesy, but the bun still overwhelmed everything a little. The dijon sauce is creamy and mild, and I could definitely see it being a hit on burgers in the U.S. 

Japan 

These Japanese McNuggets made my inner child so happy. They have the same unmistakable McNugget breading and flavor, but with a hint of garlic and a nice little punch of black pepper. This is like the grown up version of McNuggets, and they seem to be very popular because they sell out a lot (more on that later).  

I only wished that there was a special dipping sauce to go along with them. I tried it with sweet and sour and barbecue, and both were fine, but something spicy would be amazing. 

Canada 

Why Canada gets Indian-inspired fries, I don’t know, but I do know I want them in the U.S. McShaker fries are offered around the world in many different flavors. They’re called McShaker because you get a box of fries, a packet of dry seasoning, and a paper bag to shake the fries up with the seasoning. It’s more fun than you’d think. 

The seasoning was a mild masala mix, with warm spices like coriander, cumin, and paprika, plus a touch of sweetness. McDonald’s fries are top notch, but this took them to a whole new level. A+, would order again if I ever have the chance. 

UK 

Onion lovers only for this British version of the McCrispy. It’s got a fried chicken breast, white cheddar cheese, chopped romaine lettuce, sliced raw red onions, and barbecue sauce on a potato bun.  

This was pretty good, but those raw onions overpower everything, so be warned. It felt very British with a slice of white cheddar (they don’t add coloring to their cheddar to make it orange like America does), but the barbecue sauce tasted like the cup you get with McNuggets.  

Spain/Switzerland 

I know that McDonald’s is in the process of rolling out Krispy Kreme in its restaurants, but these little McPops donuts are way better, trust me. These cute little things are like overgrown donut holes filled with three flavors: white chocolate, Biscoff cookie butter, and berry. 

The pink powdered sugar-coated berry was the best of the bunch with its jam-like sweet and tart mixed berry filling, followed by the Biscoff and its spiced filling. They were all soft and just sweet enough, and would go over well for breakfast or as a snack. 

Denmark 

I had no context for what “koldskal” might be in this McFlurry, so I looked it up. It’s a Danish buttermilk-based cold dessert that sometimes includes lemon or little crispy cookies. McDonald’s take on that blends yellow koldskal-inspired syrup into soft serve along with little ebelskivers, a mini pancake that’s normally soft, but is crunchy in this case.  

This was pretty delicious, with a mild lemon flavor and buttermilk-like tang. There were lots of little round cookies mixed in, and they stayed crunchy even while I was eating everything else on the tray. I have no idea how it compares to actual koldskal, but this makes me want to try it. 

There’s a few things I learned during my visit to the Global Menu McDonald’s that you should know if you plan on going. 

• The Global Menu items sell out all the time. If you want to try everything on the menu, it’s best to go for lunch during the week. On the weekends, many of the international items are unavailable by dinner time. If you’re concerned, check Uber Eats at various times of the day to see what typically sells out first and when, then plan your visit accordingly.  
• This is Chicago, so parking isn’t great if you plan to drive. There is street parking in the area, and it was $4.75 per hour right in front of the building next to the McDonald’s order pick up spots. 
• You can check out the Hamburger University lobby while you’re here, which is connected to the Global Menu McDonald’s dining room. If you go during the week, you’ll probably see a lot of the company’s corporate employees with their badge lanyards coming down to get lunch. 

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