British McDonald’s Released a Philly Cheeseburger—And I Tried It

In 2023, the British arm of the almighty McDonald’s corporation debuted a brand new burger: The Philly Cheese Stack. This flagrant ripoff of our beloved Philly cheesesteak has returned annually to McDonald’s locations all across the United Kingdom ever since. While this sandwich has yet to see a national release in America where it belongs, one domestic location is currently offering the burger for sale: McDonald’s Global Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.

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Yes, the ground floor of MHQ (the official corporate acronym for McDonald’s Global Headquarters, keep up) features a fully-operational McDonald’s restaurant with a rotating selection of Global Favorites. These Global Favorites occasionally join the nationwide McDonald’s menu, like the recent Big Arch burger, which I actually tried for the first time at MHQ months before its wide release. I stopped into this international McDonald’s during a recent visit to the Windy City; here’s what I thought of the elusive Philly Cheese Stack.

British McDonald’s Philly!

McDonald’s Philly Cheese Stack Burger Review

Pros: The Philly Cheese Stack feels like a cheeseburger and a Philly cheesesteak had a secret lovechild. This foreign-born amalgamation of two American institutions is made up of two beef patties, two slices of cheese, pickles, crispy onions, and a gooey cheese sauce, all packed inside a sesame seed bun cleft in twain. The end result is, unsurprisingly, good! While it doesn’t necessarily scream Philly cheesesteak in makeup, this is a solid, hefty burger with just enough textural variance to have me considering forgiveness towards Europe for inventing it and not sharing.

The only 100% new ingredient here is the cheese sauce, and let me tell you, we need this nationwide ASAP. While the Philly Cheese Stack isn’t groundbreaking, I need it on the American menu just so I can slather the cheese sauce on every other McDonald’s menu item. This could even top my beloved Creamy Chili Dip as the #1 McDonald’s condiment. (McNugget Caviar comes in at a respectable #3, if we’re counting.)

Cons: The burger patties don’t deliver “steak” in flavor or texture… but the sandwich isn’t actually pretending to be a cheesesteak. The full ingredient list doesn’t share much with the makeup of a classic Philly–where are my beloved peppers? The name “Philly Cheese Stack” focuses on the cheese, which I’d say it has accomplished.

Credit: Griffin Parker / McDonald’s

Rating:

9/10

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