14 International Fast Food Chains We Long to Experience

International food brands like Din Tai Fung and Tim Horton’s have been expanding in the U.S. for a while now, allowing people in the States to finally try those delicious soup dumplings and Timbits. However, there are plenty of others we wish would make the leap to the U.S., too, so those who can’t travel outside the country still get a chance to try what they offer. Some of these serve pretty typical fast food, such as pizza or hot dogs, but a couple offer a different take on quick-service meals.

One of the chains on this list has actually floated plans to try opening up in the U.S., although no definite plans have emerged. Competing in the realm of U.S. fast food is difficult — in fact, one of these “international” chains was originally American, but found more success overseas — so we understand why companies would be very cautious about opening up U.S. outposts. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at these international fast food chains that we wish we could try.

When you don’t want a bread-based bun for your burger, what options do you have? You could get everything wrapped in lettuce, a la In-N-Out’s protein-style burger, or you could order just a meat patty. 

Next time you’re in Asia, you could go to the Japanese chain called MOS Burger and get a rice burger, which has two compact patties of grilled rice for a bun. Anyone who’s enjoyed a meal at MOS Burger has an unlikely source to thank: the Original Tommy’s in Los Angeles. Tommy’s is a Southern California-based chain known for chili burgers that it cooks after the customer orders, rather than having them waiting before any orders come in. MOS founder Satoshi Sakurada worked in the U.S. in the 1960s. He noticed that Tommy’s was insanely popular because its burgers were good and cooked to the customer’s liking. When Sakurada returned to Japan, he applied that concept to a new burger chain that he opened in 1972: MOS Burger.

MOS Burger serves typical burgers, fries, and drinks, but in 1987, the company decided to try offering rice-based buns in addition to bread buns. The burgers were a hit, and to this day, the company keeps them on the menu. The company also opened an online store in 2023 where customers could order frozen rice burgers in bulk to heat up at home. MOS stands for “Mountain, Ocean, Sun” and has locations in seven countries. Sadly, the U.S. isn’t one of them.

A sausage roll from Greggs should be on the must-eat list of any visitor to the U.K. It’s literally what it sounds like; a log of sausage meat inside a flaky, baked puff-pastry shell. It’s a relatively inexpensive food, too, despite a recent price hike. As of January 2025, one roll costs £1.30 (or $1.64), and the rolls aren’t that small. While customers complained about the price increase, compared to some U.S. fast-food prices, it’s not bad.

Greggs is located only in the U.K. at this point. The company attempted to expand to Belgium, but closed those shops in 2008 due to poor sales. In October 2023, the company announced tentative plans to start looking at expanding internationally again, but the company released no details about which countries it would expand to or what timeline the company had in mind.

Fans online generally aren’t surprised at Greggs’ insistence on focusing on the U.K. After a couple of inquiries about why Greggs hasn’t tried to expand to the U.S. or another country, commentors pointed out the Belgium closures and noted that different countries just wouldn’t go for many of the chain’s offerings when there were already excellent local options. The company has been around for over 80 years, and it’s also known for its community and charitable support.

Haldiram’s has been around since 1937 and is known mainly for its namkeen offerings, or Indian savory snack foods. Its founder, Ganga Bishan Agarwal, started with one shop that gradually expanded across India and then overseas. Haldiram’s restaurants aren’t in the U.S., but the company does export some of its snacks and ready-to-eat items to markets and restaurants here. Be aware that some of the recipes for U.S. exports may have been modified for more generically American tastes.

If that doesn’t quite sound like fast food to you, you’re not alone. Even people in India (at least online) don’t always agree. However, the company does have additional quick-service restaurants in India that serve dishes, such as Indian street food and Chinese food. Haldiram’s is so popular that it’s been a subject of interest for global companies and investment firms looking to purchase substantial amounts of shares and even buy the company. The family that still owns Haldiram’s said in 2024 that it isn’t interested in selling.

South Africa’s Chicken Licken doesn’t have locations in the U.S., but it’s another chain that borrowed — or in this case, bought — inspiration from a U.S. restaurant. Founder George Sombonos used to work at his family’s restaurant, and he was eager to one day have his own establishment. In 1972, he was able to travel to the U.S., and it was in Texas that he found a restaurant serving delicious chicken. He managed to convince the owner to sell him the recipe, and when he returned to South Africa, he secretly replaced his family’s chicken recipe with the Texan recipe.

Sales of chicken soared at his family’s restaurant. His father became angry at him for making the switch despite years of better sales and refused to give him part of the profits, even though Sombonos had started running the place himself. Sombonos managing to put the restaurant’s lease in his name and renamed the joint (at the suggestion of an employee) to Chicken Licken, after the childhood fable also known as Chicken Little.

Since then, Chicken Licken has expanded and become a favorite in South Africa. Its “Soul Fire” flavor is especially popular, and one YouTuber who tried them got quite a surprise when he realized what a delayed kick the spicy coating could have. Of course, customer reactions to the food vary from thinking it’s the best to not really liking it, but the growing number of outlets shows that Chicken Licken is overall very well-liked.

Telepizza is a Spanish chain that’s expanded to several countries in Central and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and it is huge. It’s the largest pizza chain outside the U.S. and was an early adopter of online ordering. The restaurant chain first opened in 1987 and spread quickly, but by 1999, the original owners sold the company. The new owners started digital ordering in 2004, added a hotel delivery service in 2005 — and then had years of instability. Those owners later sold the chain to a venture capital company, and by 2018, the company was in such bad shape with debt that it actually joined up with Pizza Hut to revitalize the brand.

However, the pizza itself has remained popular. One of the selling points that Telepizza has emphasized over the years is the dough it uses for pizza, which it makes at a central factory according to a secret recipe and then sends to restaurants. For some customers, at least, the dough really is very good. The company has focused also on convenience with commercials showing tired workers deciding to order pizza after a long day. It’s expanded its online ordering to include an app with a rewards program that gives customers free items after a certain amount of orders.

The German fast food fish chain Nordsee started as a fishing fleet and fish market in 1896, and it went through so many mergers that by 1930, the company was operating just about half of all the fishing vessels in Germany. Unfortunately, World War II forced the company to give up part of its fleet, and the company’s stores and offices were decimated in bombings. It took years for the company to recover, but in 1965, the expanding company opened its first quick-service restaurant. It took only nine years after that for the company to reach 100 restaurants.

Nowadays, the restaurants also have snack counters and even a supermarket section where customers can shop for fish-related foods. The company has become so popular that only McDonald’s and Burger King sell more food. Its appeal lies in a combination of location and cost; customers have written online that, for those who don’t live near the coast, Nordsee is the easiest way to get a fish sandwich. They also say it’s more affordable and faster than a sit-down restaurant where you might have to pay a lot for fish. There have been complaints that the prices are just a tad high considering the fast-food quality, but it would still be interesting to try the food at least once.

The push to buy Canadian in early 2025 has put a spotlight on just how connected Canada and the U.S. are for food and other goods. However, one area where Canadians can confidently buy Canadian is in fast food — at least in most of the country’s provinces. Harvey’s is a Canadian burger chain that sources its beef in Canada. The company started in 1959 in Montreal and now has locations in most provinces. Quebec (51) and Ontario (200) have the most, and the company has been planning an expansion for a few years. British Columbia and the three northern provinces and territories don’t have any Harvey’s now.

Harvey’s is extremely popular, and a 2009 Ipsos poll found that customers in Ontario and Quebec preferred Harvey’s burgers over other brands. Not only is the chain known for its Double Original Cheese and Bacon burger (a masterpiece with two patties, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and other toppings), but it’s also gotten a great reputation for its process of making a burger to your liking with a variety of toppings that you get to choose from the company’s “Garnish Counter” (Comments online have compared Harvey’s to Subway in that regard). Sides like onion rings, fries, and of course, poutine, all receive enthusiastic reviews. It may be a fast-food burger joint, but it’s one you can’t miss if you visit Canada.

If you’ve ever been to Yoshinoya, which has over 100 locations in the U.S., you’re familiar with gyudon, a mixture of beef and onions over rice. If you go to Japan, though, you’ll find not only Yoshinoya but also two competitors. One of these is Sukiya, another gyudon chain that customers constantly return to (Matsuya is the other). Sukiya has over 2,000 locations in Japan, as well as several locations in other Asian countries. The chain is known for its very speedy service and very good prices.

When asked which of the three gyudon chains they liked best, commentors online often chose Sukiya. The reasons included everything from preferring the seasoning that Sukiya uses to the fact that the company used Australian beef to the fact that the locations nearby were 24 hours. Gyudon is filling and comforting, and it’s a perfect dish for a tired and hungry tourist to try.

If hot dogs are your fast-food thing, head to Chile to try something from Doggis, one of the most popular fast food establishments in the country. This Chilean chain actually offers way more than just hot dogs; you can find chicken sandwiches, nuggets, fries, empanadas, and wraps. However, it’s the dogs that stand out, especially for its unique topping of mashed avocado mixed with mayonnaise.

Doggis has expanded to countries like Brazil and Mexico, and in 2024, there were tentative plans for its parent company to open U.S. locations for two related chains, Barrio Chick’en and Tommy Beans. So far, no plans for any U.S. Doggis have been revealed, and the only restaurant chain in the U.S. with that name is a family-owned chain called Doggi’s Arepa Bar. However, if you plan to visit Latin America, especially Chile, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try one of Doggis’ Completo or Italiano hot dogs.

Victor Lo Tang-seong opened the first Cafe de Coral in 1968 in the Causeway Bay neighborhood of Hong Kong, and he initially sold only cheap burgers. At this point, the city didn’t even have a McDonald’s, and as the South China Morning Post put it, the restaurant was pretty much Hong Kong’s first fast-food burger restaurant. However, the restaurant didn’t really take off until after it had to move. The first location was demolished, so the owner found a two-story space that he divided between burgers on the ground floor and Chinese food upstairs. The chain now serves more than just burgers or Chinese food — it offers an array of cuisines. However, the food is still affordable and fast, and that’s what counts when you’re busy and don’t have a lot of time to wait.

Over the years, the chain has expanded across Hong Kong and into mainland China. The company pushed mainland expansion during the pandemic as the Hong Kong locations were suffering from a lack of business due to the strict pandemic regulations in the city. Its mainland locations fared much better and recovered more quickly, and the expansion plans continued into 2024, with the company hoping to double its mainland restaurants during the year.

If you lived in or visited Indiana, Illinois, or a few other nearby states in the mid-20th century, you may wonder why Wimpy is on this list. Technically, it’s an American chain, but it’s now known more for its presence in the U.K., along with its table service and utter tenacity. The company just keeps going, and it’s been long enough since it had a U.S. location that you can safely think of it as an international chain. Wimpy Grills first opened in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1934, and its first Chicago location opened in 1936. The chain expanded modestly over the next several years. In 1954, Gold sold the name, and the company expanded overseas. At one point, the chain had locations in 23 different countries, but over the years, the U.S. locations dwindled until its complete closure in the 1970s when no one was willing to buy the remaining locations after Gold’s death.

Wimpy has hung on in the U.K. and South Africa, despite longstanding financial issues for the U.K. locations. Competition had taken its toll, and many U.K. Wimpy locations were converted to Burger Kings in the late 1980s and early 1990s. That being said, nostalgia is strong, and many remaining Wimpy locations have become a place for local community members to gather. Most importantly, though, customers like the consistency of the food and the welcoming atmosphere.

The debate over whether McDonald’s or Supermac’s is better is never-ending, but one thing is for sure: Supermac’s is very popular across Ireland and Northern Ireland, and no matter how much one person may insult it, there will always be another customer who loves it. The company started in 1978 in Galway, and over the years, the company has been dedicated to using Irish-produced ingredients and to becoming as sustainable as possible. In 2017, for example, the company pledged to spend 7 million euros on Irish poultry.

The company has also been instrumental in bringing other brands over to Ireland. It partnered with Papa John’s Pizza and Quiznos Subs, and it now sells some of those brands’ products at Supermac’s locations. Customers — at least online — are very vocal about what they think of the food at Supermac’s, and you’ll find some not-so-flattering comments. As one person pointed out, it may be a location issue — basically, any problems at a particular location can derail the quality of the food, but when everything goes well, the food is terrific.

Lotteria is a burger chain that started in Japan in 1972, but it’s become so closely associated with South Korea that some reviewers mistakenly call the South Korea locations the original ones. Lotteria is known for some pretty interesting burger combinations, not all of which are available at all locations. For example, in 2024, the Korean locations offered something called the King Tonkatsu Burger, which has a wonderfully oversized tonkatsu patty — that’s a breaded and fried pork cutlet — overflowing past the boundaries of a smaller bun. Of course, the Japanese locations were no slouches when it came to fun combinations. In 2014, it offered a limited “Chocolate & Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Burger.” Yes, there was chocolate sauce involved, and reviews were actually pretty positive.

The company went through a rough patch from 2018 to 2022, but a successful rebrand and new menu items helped restore its popularity. By the way, it won’t be long before Americans actually do get to try Lotteria’s food without going overseas — Lotteria announced plans to open a U.S. location in L.A. in 2025.

Gozleme is a flatbread that’s stuffed with a filling, such as cheese and spinach or ground meat and spices. It’s then pan-fried to make the flatbread crispy, and it’s a classic Turkish street food. Gozleme King started as a pop-up store in Sydney, Australia, selling the flatbreads at markets and festivals. In 2015, the owner opened his first permanent location in the Liverpool neighborhood, and since then, the chain has expanded to eight locations.

Customer reviews are typically very complimentary. One commentor online was especially happy with how much care the cook showed toward making quality food. In fact, when the owner opened the first permanent location, he set up the kitchen so that customers could see the entire cooking process and know what was happening with their orders from start to finish. While you can make gozleme at home easily, there’s something about buying a classic street snack when you’re out and about that makes it taste much better.