Some of you that are my friends have heard me say something like "actually, McDonald's is really good in China" or "I REALLY like KFC in China". You also know that I do not frequent any of these places in America... Well, I occasionally stop by McD's cuz who doesn't love their fries or ice cream!
I'm here to tell you about the special menu items in China as compared to America. I'll provide links to their websites, screenshots from their websites (translated into English when possible) and reviews of my favorite items as well as the ones that didn't exist when I was last in China that I want to try. I'll go through them in the order I experienced them in China due to accessibility. I hope you enjoy this!
KFC was the only fast food place that I've never lived without in China. It's always been pretty accessible to me - even though for several years it was a 40 min bus ride from my apartment. Now they are all over the place and I can go throughout the city and not be far at all from a KFC. http://www.kfc.com.cn/kfccda/food.html
This is a new promotion breakfast at KFC China. They call it an omelette. Obviously, it is not. But it still looks intriguing and I would definitely try it!
This.. .This Dragon Roll... It's the thing of my dreams. If it came to America, I would be at KFC quite often. It's got delicious popcorn chicken, cucumbers and a sauce to die for. The sauce is the kind you would find accompanying Beijing Duck. It's not uncommon for them to be sold out of this at any given time. They used to also have a Mexican Roll that had salsa in it. I wish they still carried that as well, but this Dragon Roll more than makes up for the lack of the Mexican Roll.
If you're looking at this picture and wondering what you are seeing. It's a sweet red bean pie made similarly to McD's pies. But it has red bean. If you've never tried red bean, this is a good way to ease yourself into it. And if you already know you love red bean, this will up the game for you!
My final item to share from KFC is this amazing iced coffee float. I can't find it on their website at the moment so I'm just praying they still serve it. Not overly sweetened iced coffee followed up with a generous portion of soft serve ice cream. The ONLY thing you need to keep in mind is that if you don't ask for it to be served without ice there will be ice in it. It doesn't really change the flavor at all but the ice cream gets in all the nooks and crannies of the ice and you just don't get the full experience.
Pizza Hut has been in China for quite a while. I've only been there once or twice throughout all of my years in and out of China. It's actually much more expensive to dine at Pizza Hut than you would expect. They are more of an upper class pizza joint. People with money to burn or people to impress go there. It's not a cheap family option. Their pizza is decent. Not disgusting but also not anything memorable. They all have a salad bar - which is where the major difference is compared to the States. They advertise it as all you can eat BUT it's all you can eat in ONE trip. I've seen some very impressive overflowing plates of food that people have served themselves just so they get their money's worth.
As I have only been there less than a handful of times in China, I don't have much to say on the side of reviewing items. But I'm looking at the menu and I'm VERY interested in trying several items there. (http://www.pizzahut.com.cn/Product/Menu/24)
Looking at this page my first thought was "escargot?!" Yes - there really is escargot at Pizza Hut China. I really had no clue. I'm also unsure what "vanilla prawns" are but somehow they seem intriguing enough that I would try them.
I'm currently actually considering visiting a Pizza Hut on my next trip JUST because of these drinks. They all sound delicious!
I have no idea what the "dirty" means on this portion of the menu... but everything looks so good to me that I'll pretend the dirty makes sense and try them all! I would also include a screenshot of their desserts except they are similar to many other places in China and I don't want overload of similar items. I CAN tell you that they all look amazing and are most likely delicious BUT not nearly as sweet as you would expect them to be.
McDonald's When I first moved to Yantai, China McD's was not really accessible to me at all. In fact, they didn't start popping up until right around the time I was about to end my contract. Although I didn't eat it often while living there, I've had experience with their food in the years since then. The key things to keep in mind are that their french fries are just as good as in the states and they use the OLD recipe for their pie crusts. So much more tasty and buttery than they are currently in the states. https://www.mcdonalds.com.cn/
As you can see, they don't actually have apple pies at McD's in China. Trust me, though, you won't even miss them. Both the taro (not sure why the translation says Shannon) and Pineapple pies are delicious! If I could find a way to bring them back to the states, I would do that en masse! They are that good. I miss them... So much... Someone send me to China! hahaha
This is my first time seeing that they serve a Minute Maid float at McD's. I imagine it tastes much like a Dreamsicle. It is on my "to try" list now!
McCafe items in China are similar to the states - except for this line of drinks that does not exist in America. I would definitely try every single one of them.
Starbucks is the most recent addition in Yantai. I've been going there over the past several years and have determined that I love it there. Not only are the drinks not as sweet - but they have regular drinks you could never find in America and seasonal drinks that are to die for. Unfortunately they run out of seasonal drinks very quickly, so prepare yourself to be disappointed if you see that sold out symbol on top of it on the menu board. Most likely it won't be available at ANY location if you see that. https://www.starbucks.com.cn/en/menu/beverages/
I've not seen any of these items in person. I'm making my list for my next trip. Every single one of these piques my interest.
This. This is... amazing. Cold brew with ice cream. An iced coffee float! If KFC no longer carries theirs, I will be having my daily breakfast (don't judge! it's coffee! hahaha) coffee float here instead. I'm sure it costs more than KFC but will definitely be tasty.
These Icy Dumplings are one of their regularly occurring seasonal options. I can't tell you if they're any good as I haven't tried them yet. The times that I've thought of ordering them just weren't convenient considering the circumstances. I would love to sit around enjoying a coffee with you and experience these together. :-)
Their bakery menu is something to die for. It's easier to just share a link than take screenshots of everything there is to try. https://www.starbucks.com.cn/menu/food/ Some of it looks (and tastes) familiar. Other things will test your imagination in trying to think of what it tastes like. But all of them are worth trying.
In closing, here's a video for you to "enjoy" so that I'm not the only one that has to suffer not only knowing the song exists but having it stuck in my head... Sorry in advance. Please don't hate me. Please forgive me. But I can understand if you don't.
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