Everyone knows McDonald’s golden arches, big macs, and Ronald McDonald. McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant chain by revenue has restaurants in over 100 countries. Whether you love it or hate it, you cannot dispute the impact it has on the world. During my travels in Thailand, I got to see what’s different in McDonald’s Thailand compared to Canada & USA.
Pad Krapow
This stir fry dish with meat and basil is one of the most popular Thai dishes and it makes sense that McDonald’s has their own version of it. They use their fried chicken and added the spicy basil sauce and serve it with rice. I got this dish for 69 THB ($2.74 CAD). While the ones you get from street vendors and restaurants are tastier and cheaper, this is not a bad option for a meal.
Fried Chicken
It is a little odd thinking that McDonald’s sells fried chicken, but they do in Southeast Asia! And its actually pretty good! The skin on the fried chicken is one of the best from a fast food joint. It is crunchy, spicy and flavourful! Their meat is a little dry compared other fast food joints. You can get two pieces for just 37 THB ($1.37 CAD)
Pork Burgers
Thailand is the first country I’ve been to where there are pork burgers in McDonald’s. I got the chance to try the two pork burgers they have, the Samurai Pork Burger and Spicy Namtok Kurobuta Burger.
The Samurai Pork Burger is the smaller of the two and the one that belongs in the value menu. For 119 THB ($4.72 CAD), you can get the burger, fries and a drink. It is a smaller burger and seasoned with a sweet teriyaki like (hence the Japanese name) sauce. I did not enjoy it and would not get it again as I felt the sauce was too sweet.
The more premium Spicy Namtok Kurobuta Burger is a lot bigger and is in the same class as the Big Mac and Quarter Pounder. And at 129 THB ($5.12 CAD) for the burger 199 THB ($7.90 CAD) for the set, it’s not cheap either. The sauce they used is better than the Samurai Pork Burger, and is actually spicy. You get a thicker pork patty along with what taste like fresher lettuce and tomatoes. Unfortunately the taste of the burger doesn’t justify the price of this burger.
Pies
Thailand likes their McDonald’s pies as they have a variety of different kinds of pies. I tried two kinds, the Pineapple Pie and the Chicken Ham Carbonara Pie. There is also the Corn Pie, that I decided not to get as I don’t like the taste of processed corn.
One taste I do like is pineapples, so I went ahead and tried the Pineapple Pie. At 26 THB ($1.03 CAD), it makes for a great snack or dessert for your meal. The outer shell tastes exactly what you get back in Canada or the United States. Inside is warm sweet pineapple filling that I found pretty good. There are even large chunks of pineapples inside!
I think the Chicken Ham Carbonara Pie was a promotional item so it might not be available anymore. McDonald’s Thailand tried to recreate a taste of Italy in this pie. They didn’t do a good job as it tasted more like creamy chicken ham rather than carbonara. The texture also threw me off as it felt like mush. It was a bit more expensive compared to the other pies at 29 THB ($1.15 CAD).
If you are curious to see what else I ate in Thailand and what were my top 5 favourite, click here!