10 of the Most Over-the-Top Fast-Food Burgers From Around the World

Fast-food chains have always seemed to be in an arms race over who can dish out the world's weirdest burger. Part of this has to be a marketing tactic. When you churn out a Halloween-themed burger dotted with black sesame seeds, people are going to ask questions. 

We took a look at some of the most undeniably ridiculous fast-food burgers to come out of the woodwork over the years. Some of them were available for a limited-time, others were only available outside of the U.S., but all of them caused some serious buzz.

Burger King might be the king of weird fast-food burgers, including the Sprout Surprise Whopper, a seasonal burger that debuted in 2010. The story goes that Brussels sprouts are a major part of a traditional British Christmas dinner, and too often Burger King felt that the humble vegetable was glanced over. So they sold a burger topped with a strange Brussels sprouts patty and Emmentaler cheese. They would’ve been better off tossing those Brussels sprouts in the fryer.

In early 2010, Burger King Japan went all in on a fan-inspired, specialized burger based on an anime character. The burger was made up of two black buns, a beef patty, a hash brown, and a special sauce. Lastly, if not most importantly, there was bacon sticking out of it to look similar to a tongue.

To mark the company's re-launch in Japan, Wendy's thought it would be a grand and appropriate move to give its customers a burger that included a filet mignon patty, foie gras (duck or goose liver), and truffles. The fancy fast-food burger cost $16. 

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In October of 2012, the world was still in a full-on pumpkin spice-inspired fever. Grocery store aisles were lined with pumpkin spice bagels, pumpkin spice cream cheese, pumpkin spice sprinkles, etc. 

So Burger King tapped in with their own pumpkin spice creation. The Pumpkin Burger cost $4 and featured a beef patty; lettuce; bacon; a custom nut sauce consisting of peanuts, almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts; and two slices of fried kabocha (or Japanese pumpkin). You could also order the burger in its “pumpkin bomb” version, which came with ten whole slices of pumpkin. 

Related: How To Make a Pumpkin Spice Latte Without Spending Money at Starbucks

You know when a fast-food chain puts "premium" before the name of an unexpected burger that it's going to be a hard sell. Such was the case for Burger King's "Premium Berry Burger." Burger King Japan released the "Premium Berry Burger" to the world at the end of 2014, a monstrosity topped with a sweetened cranberry, blueberry, and blackberry sauce. It's almost like the burger had a bit of an identity crisis and couldn't decide whether it was better off as a dessert. 

Related: 'Absolutely Abhorrent': 7 Items You Should Never Order at Burger King

Of the many strange burgers that are featured on this list, this one doesn’t sound too bad at all. The Spicy Shrimp Whopper splashed on the scene in 2019 and was available at various Burger King locations around Japan. It featured a regular Whopper, crispy shrimp, spicy tomato sauce, creamy mayonnaise, lettuce, onion, and tomato. Burger King made sure to market the whopper as a true luxury dish.

Burger King was destined to be a leading player when it came to debuting outlandish burgers. Behold: The Angriest Whopper, which stormed into the world in 2016. 

The name fits the creation. The Angriest Whopper included a Whopper patty placed between two red buns (both buns had sauce baked into them). The patty was then topped with jalapeños and a spicy sauce.

There are always going to be people in this world that either intentionally flaunt their wealth or simply refuse to consider the price of things. Any food item that’s been painted or laced with gold is a magnet for such folks. 

In 2019, when Hard Rock Cafe unveiled its “burger with bling” in all of its golden glory, the chain knew what it was doing. The burger consisted of a half-pound patty and a 24-karat edible gold leaf. Delicious, and to the tune of $25 per burger. Yikes.

Related: 10 Unusual 'Rich People' Foods That Are a Waste of Money

For one day only in December of 2020, McDonald's China boldly unveiled its now infamous Spam and Oreo burger. Who signed off on that one? The burger was comprised of two slices of Spam along with crumbled Oreo cookies. Even with a sweet tooth, you wouldn't be alone in finding the combination a bit unappetizing. 

You wouldn’t assume that a pork patty tossed in a sweet and spicy ginger-flavored teriyaki sauce and then wedged between two rice buns would invite widespread applause, but you’d be wrong. There is something strangely intriguing about the overall flavor profile of this particular limited-time burger. Maybe it’ll make a comeback again sometime in the near future.

Related: I Tried Every McDonald’s Burger, and This Was the Absolute Best