- Sample the local menu items
- Free WiFi (usually)
- Sometimes you just want to eat something familiar when traveling
On our trip to Japan I was curious to see if McDonald’s sold a McSushi, McBentoBox or McTempura. They didn’t sell any of those items but did have a couple of locally- inspired items that I had to try.
 |
| Shrimp Burger |
- I had noticed the Ebi Filet-O right away when looking over the menu during out first McDonald’s visit. The ebi is a breaded, ground-up shrimp burger. It is available after breakfast hours. Shrimps seem to be available everywhere you go in Japan so a shrimp burger on the menu was a great idea.
- I was surprised to not see any other interesting, local menu items until we stopped into McD’s one morning for a quick breakfast in Kyoto. While looking over the menu, I came across the Bacon Potato Pie. I ordered it as a side. I wasn’t sure what this item had to do with Japan but I still had to give it a try.
 |
| Shrimp Burger |
I’ve had shrimps in McDonald’s in the past. The first time was in Estonia but they were fried shrimp not made into a ground up burger. I was excited to see what this Japanese Ebi tasted like. The ebi had a mild yet tasty shrimp flavor and the breading was very good too. The shrimps weren’t ground up like a burger would be. You can actually see the little pieces of shrimp that make up the patty. The sandwich is served on a seeded bun with lettuce and a cream sauce. The sauce was very good but a little more sauce would’ve made the ebi taste even better.
Overall I really enjoyed this item. I had it two times and would’ve liked to have had it once more before heading home. If this was on the menu at home I’d be sure to visit McDonald’s for an ebi sandwich at times.
 |
| Bacon Potato Pie |
On one of our train rides we saw someone eating McDonald’s pancakes. They looked and smelled really good. At our first few hotels breakfast was included but when we got to Kyoto it wasn’t so we headed over to McD’s and I knew what I planned to get.
After placing my order for pancakes I skimmed over the breakfast menu a little more. To my surprise there was an item that I’ve never seen before. I went ahead and ordered a Bacon Potato Pie not knowing what to expect. The pie came out in a package just like the McDonald’s fruit pies. I was really impressed with this item. The outside of the pie was crispy and the potato inside was really creamy and flavorful. The bacon was mild and added a bit of a smokey taste.
I’d definitely recommend trying the Bacon Potato Pie if you are in Japan. If this was sold at home I don’t think that I would go out of my way to eat it but I’d recommend it if you end up in Japan.
If you’ve ever came across an interesting McDonald’s item while traveling, feel free to share what it was below.
Check out a couple of other McDonald’s posts:
- Day 1- Tokyo
- Day 2- Yokohama
- Day 3- Hiroshima
- Day 4- Miyajima Island
I’ve always eaten the Ebi sandwich at McDonald’s in Japan. I must try the chicken teriyaki sandwich & the bacon potato pie when Japan again opens to US foreigners. I think both the chicken teri sandwich & bacon potato pie would have decent sales revenue in the US. What’s not to like when it concerns chicken, potatos, & bacon?
The teriyaki chicken burger was quite good in Japan.
We almost always eat at McD’s when we travel abroad too. I remember being grossed out by the black bean pizza at Pizza Hut Taiwan as a kid, but the cherry blossom season offerings weren’t bad in Japan!
http://wegowithkids.com/japan-part-vi-tokyo-what-we-ate/
Fun fact: McDonald’s HQ has several times considered adding shrimp to the menu in the USA and elsewhere.
The trouble they’ve run into is that they would, by their own predictions, exhaust the world’s supply of shrimp within just a few years’ time. So it’s probably good that you can’t get one of those in the US right now.
How funny, my husband and I do the same thing when we travel to other countries..visit the local McDonald’s even though we don’t eat McDonald’s in the US 🙂
Awesome! Hope you’ve founds some interesting things on the menus.