I tried McDonald’s new summer menu – a new burger ‘with a twist’ is better than the original and should be permanent
MCDONALD'S has released six new menu items today including an all-new burger and some long-awaited returning favourites.
The fast food giant is famous for shaking up its menu, usually every six weeks or so.
The new additions have hit UK and Ireland menus today at the fast food chain's more than 1,000 restaurants.
New items are often added in the regular menu shake ups, but McDonald's also brings back familiar faves - so either way, fans are happy.
Today's menu drop saw the return of a special McFlurry flavour which hasn't been available for over a year.
Plus, two burgers which were last available back in 2021, so fans will no doubt be keen to give them another go.
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Also hitting menus for the first time is the McCrispy Deluxe burger, a twist on the permanent McCrispy burger which launched last year.
Each of the new items will be available for six weeks until September 12.
If you're looking to try-out the new menu but aren't sure which items you fancy, I put the new and returning faves to the test.
I rated them out of a total of five for taste and appearance.
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McCrispy Deluxe - 4.5/5
The all-new McCrispy Deluxe burger is a fresh twist on the posh chicken burger which hit menus for the first time in 2022.
It is made of a 100% chicken breast fillet in a crunchy coating and is topped with mayo and lettuce in a fancy sourdough bun.
Setting it apart from the original, this "deluxe" version comes with hot and spicy mayo, and is topped with cheese, onions and bacon too.
The burger looked really appealing when I first opened the box, and the added toppings definitely give it a gourmet look.
Having tried the original version, this one was definitely a step up and the spicy mayo was a nice accompaniment to the crispy chicken.
All in all it tastes like the familiar crunchy fried chicken item but the addition of the sauces and the added extras made it even better.
The burger will cost £6.09 on its own and £7.79 with a side and a drink.
BBQ Quarter Pounder Cheese - 3/5
We also got our hands on one of the previously axed BBQ Quarter Pounder with Cheese burgers.
A Quarter Pounder is a staple of the Maccies menu and one of the most popular items among fans.
The tasty dish has been upgraded with a smoky BBQ sauce, for a limited time.
This is only the second time the BBQ variation on the classic Maccies burger is available in the UK after making a brief appearance two years ago.
I'm partial to the original burger, so I was eager to give this one go - but I was a little underwhelmed.
It was pleasant enough but the sauce was stuck in the centre of the patty, as opposed to being a bit more spread around, this meant that it took at least three bites to get to the main event.
Overall the flavours of the sauce went well with the beef burger, and sits nicely with the American cheese slice.
Customers can grab the single patty burger for £4.29 and £5.99 as a meal.
BBQ Double Quarter Pounder Cheese - 2.5/5
Fans of the Double Quarter Pounder burgers can rejoice too because there's a BBQ version of this favourite as well.
The jam packed burger was, as you'd expect, pretty similar to the single patty one.
Again, it meant the sauce, the onions and gherkins were all gathered in the center and with two patties it was even trickier getting to the good stuff.
It was nice and pleasant, pretty filling too, plus if you were at home you could always do some DIY and spread the toppings out a little or add some extra sauce of your own.
The double costs £5.49 on its own and £7.19 as a meal.
Galaxy Salted Caramel McFlurry - 4/5
Other than the McCrispy Burger, I was most excited to try the Salted Caramel McFlurry.
I've tried the caramel variation several times as it regularly pops back on the menu, alongside its plain Galaxy chocolate counterpart.
The salted caramel dessert was last on the menu in January last year, so it's been a bit of a wait for fans like me.
The Galaxy Salted Caramel McFlurry is a combination of soft dairy ice cream swirled with Galaxy chocolate pieces and topped with a salted caramel sauce.
At first scoop, the little chocolate pieces were a welcome addition, adding a bit of crunch to the spoonful.
I had to dive a bit for the sauce which had melted to the bottom and I can't say I really tasted much of the salted flavour in particular.
I also had hoped there would be more sauce swirled throughout as - let's face it - it's the best part of a McFlurry.
Both the Salted Caramel and Chocolate McFlurrys cost £1.99 for a normal size and £1.49 for a mini.
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Meanwhile, here's the full list of items hitting menus today and their prices.
Plus, McDonald's has revealed the exact date its famous Monopoly game will return to restaurants.
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