Kids meal (Tamala Malerk)
Being stationed in Europe comes with quite a few perks. My favorite are the opportunities to travel and try new foods. I have eaten escargot in France, Belgian chocolate and waffles in Antwerp, schnitzel in Germany, and sipped tea with scones and clotted cream in England. While these regional dishes elicited a variety of responses (snails are not for me; however, Belgian chocolate is superb), there is a commonality hidden amongst all of the restaurants I’ve seen in city centers: McDonald’s.
When I see the sign, I almost immediately hear the voice of Michael Keaton in my head saying, “The Arches.” Those “M”-shaped golden arches alert every visitor, especially travelers with picky eaters amongst them, that McNuggets, cheeseburgers, Happy Meals and more are accessible to them, even when they are far from home. When I am visiting a new country, of course I want to try their culinary specialties; nonetheless, I also try McNuggets in every country I visit to see who reigns supreme in having the best chicken nugget. I realize that the term “best” is subjective and what I think is the best could be different from what you think. The three main things I consider when trying McNuggets are:
1. Flavor- Does it taste good?
2. Breading-to-Chicken Ratio- Is there too much breading and lack of chicken? Or is there too much chicken and not enough bread and seasoning to flavor the chicken?
3. Crunch- No one likes a soggy nugget. To make it to the top of my list, there must be a distinctive *crunch* sound when I first bite into the nugget.
German Happy Meal display (Tamala Malerk)
I have tried McNuggets in nine countries: the U.S. (yes, I count this), England, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein and, most recently, Belgium.
France reigned supreme for the best McNugget from 2019-2023; however, in summer 2023, Liechtenstein, which had the most expensive McNugget at 5 Swiss Francs for four McNuggets (not even a full Happy Meal), took the crown. It must be those “high-quality,” expensive ingredients.
I have yet to have a bad McNugget, but most of them fall under, “yep, this is a McNugget.” Sometimes, I will get an entire Happy Meal so that I can see how the toys vary across the countries and that has afforded me some really cool German Pokémon cards as well as French and Dutch children’s books.
Happy Meal box (Tamala Malerk)
If McNuggets aren’t your thing or you want to try more food, each country tends to have something special that you will not find at your own McDonald’s. Here are some items to try on your European adventures.
The U.K.
Veggie Dippers: Red Pepper and Sundried Tomato Pesto covered in breadcrumbs and fried.
Galaxy® Chocolate and Raspberry Pie: Chocolate pastry filled with raspberry compote and Galaxy chocolate ganache.
France
The Royal Deluxe: A beef and steak burger, onions, lettuce, mustard sauce and tomato. Add cheese for Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic “Royale with Cheese.”
Le Bio à Boire Fraise (Organic Strawberry Drink): A French dessert that is a healthier, yogurt-based version of a Strawberry milkshake.
Germany
McNuggets® + Pizzataschen Box: McNuggets and Pizza Bites. Order some fries and a McFlurry and put on your favorite comfort movie for the ultimate night-in.
Chocolate Chips and Caramel Sauce McFlurry: Vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and caramel sauce.
Luxembourg
McPlant Mango Chili: A Beyond Meat burger with crispy onions, lettuce, tomato, cheese and mango chili sauce.
Twix McFlurry with White Caramel Sauce: Crispy Twix pieces and white caramel sauce mixed with vanilla ice cream.
Switzerland
Homestyle Curry Veggie: A crunchy Valess brand meat-substitute sandwich with lettuce, tomato and curry sauce.
Torino McFlurry: Vanilla ice cream mixed with Swiss Torino chocolate and almonds.
The Netherlands
McKroket: A fried beef burger topped with a creamy mustard sauce.
Stroop Waffle McFlurry: This Dutch classic dessert is blended with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce for a delicious treat.
Liechtenstein
Shrimp: Dip these fried shrimp into cocktail sauce.
McPops: Similar to mini donut holes filled with either wild berry jam, apple cinnamon compote or chocolate hazelnut sauce.
Belgium
McCrispy Samurai: A crispy chicken sandwich with Batavia lettuce, cheddar cheese, two pieces of bacon, red onion and slightly spicy Samurai sauce.
Lotus Biscoff McFlurry: Vanilla ice cream with Lotus Biscoff cookie crumble.
Editor’s Notes: All “Mc” titles such as McFlurry, McNuggets, Happy Meal and McCrispy are registered trademarks and owned by the McDonald’s corporation. Also, some items listed may no longer be available when you go on your European McDonald’s adventure.
