‘I ate at McDonald’s in Japan and couldn’t believe what they had on the menu’

McDonald’s menus vary by location to reflect local tastes and traditions, and one man was taken aback when he visited a branch in Japan and saw what was on offer

A Brit has been left gobsmacked by the different McDonald’s menu items on offer in Japan compared to the UK, following his recent visit. It’s common for travellers to delve into local delicacies, often sidestepping familiar fast-food chains available back home. Plus, it is intriguing to see how multinational brands like McDonald’s have tailored their menus to cater to distinct regional preferences and cultural tastes.

Food enthusiast Carmie Selitto, a renowned figure amongst food review fans, recently embarked on a Japanese adventure. During his stay, he made a point to stop at a local McDonald’s, expressing his astonishment at the array of unique offerings – an experience he was eager to share with his followers.

The TikTok reviewer, known as @touchdalight and boasting nearly a million fans, stated: “Trying McDonald’s in Japan, let’s see how it compares to the UK. I’m going to try basically the whole menu. I’ve got so many things I’ve never seen before.”

Carmie was immediately taken with the novel packaging. “It looks so sick,” he remarked upon setting eyes on the presentation.

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The Gohan Chicken Tatsuta burger, featuring a steamed rice cake instead of the traditional bun, was especially peculiar to him. “This feels so strange,” he commented, continuing, “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” before assigning it a middling score of 5/10.

He also sampled the Baj Teriyaki McBurger, stating he has “never tasted anything like it”, and gave it a score of 6/10. The food critic then tried another unique menu item – the Roasted Soy Sauce Egg and Bacon Thick Beef burger, which he rated an 8/10.

He confessed to being “scared” to try the Teriyaki Chicken Filet-O. “I think it’s like a mixture between chicken and fish,” he observed before sampling the dish.

Astonished by its taste, Carmie declared: “That’s unreal, this is the best one I’ve tried so far.” He insisted it deserved a perfect score of 10/10.

In terms of beverages, he sampled the Matcha Iced Frappe – another item not available in the UK – and described it as “unreal”. “I’ve never had iced frappe matcha before…oh my God, that’s getting a 10/10.”

Carmie was also taken aback by the variety of sauces on offer, but he wasn’t a fan of the Japanese McChicken Nuggets. Wrapping up his tasting session, Carmie remarked: “Japanese McDonald’s is crazy, overall I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10.

“Stop I wanna try that matcha drink so bad,” one viewer commented on the viral video. “The matcha iced frappe is so good! ,” agreed another.

Another viewer wrote: “I wasn’t expecting that either! The unique twist on McDonald s in Japan is definitely interesting.” Another comment read: “Oh, I need to try this once I visit Japan!”.

Not only Japan has unique offerings; over in Singapore, patrons can enjoy a nasi lemak burger, and in Italy, the McDonald’s menu features authentic parmiggiano reggiano. Dutch customers can indulge in a McKroket – consisting of a fried ragout patty with mustard served on a bun.

McDonald’s commented: “We try to adapt our menu to reflect different tastes and local traditions for every country in which we have restaurants. We’re keen to respect cultural differences and so every country has its own policy of developing menu items.”