Should you have your fill of Japanese street food and be craving a taste of home, know that you won’t be alone in seeking the Golden Arches while strolling through Tokyo. McDonald’s is the most popular fast food chain in Japan, and the stores have garnered accolades from netizens insisting that the menus here are deliciously different. In addition to familiar favorites like burgers and fries, limited offers present unique dishes to customers, like the Gohan Chicken Tatsuta Tartar Nanban, egg tartar sauce for dipping, Bacon Potato Pie for a side, and an Uji Matcha Frappe for slurping. But there’s one offering that we long to see make its way to America.
In 2020, the Samurai Mac first made its appearance on McDonald’s limited menus in Japan. The size of the meaty order quickly drew fans looking to satisfy hunger pangs quickly — and on the cheap. A standard Samurai Mac consists of two thick, juicy patties layered with cheddar cheese and onions and flavored with grilled soy sauce stacked in poppy-seeded buns. For many, it delivered in taste, and online reviewers have expressed enthusiasm about the burger, making us wish it was something that was readily accessible worldwide.
For moments when a basic burger won’t do
McDonald’s Samurai Mac originally came in two varieties: the Roasted Soy Sauce Style Double Thick Beef and the Roasted Soy Sauce Style Bacon Tomato Thick Beef. Both burgers offered soy sauce-flavored burger patties that are difficult to find anywhere except for Japan. Though the Samurai Mac — not to be confused with the brand’s other Samurai-themed burgers — was launched as a temporary item, this burger item has had true staying power.
The Samurai Mac has since been added to the chain’s global menu and even made appearances at the McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago. Since its debut, the Samurai Mac has undergone a recipe change in which the originally thickly sliced onions were replaced with smaller pieces. As a result, the taste of the meat now steps front and center.
Now labeled as simply the Roasted Soy Sauce Double Thick Beef Burger, the Samurai Mac costs around $4, though the exact price can vary depending on the store. An alternative Samurai Mac, called the Roasted Soy Sauce Egg Bacon Thick Beef Burger, offers additional toppings of bacon strips, pieces of lettuce, and a thick egg patty for those whose hunger scale is of warrior-like proportions.
