There’s nothing quite like the good ol’ days when you can just go to your local McDonald’s and get yourself a McRib. Or you find yourself wanting to eat healthier so you go to Wendy’s Superbar. Don’t you miss those days?
Unfortunately, there’s been a lot of discontinued fast food items over the years that we’ve all come to love. There are actually tons of good food that we would love to see make a comeback on today’s menus.
So we did all the thinking and made a list of the 20 discontinued fast food items we absolutely need to return. Brace your taste buds cause we’re taking a trip down memory lane.
20. McPizza – McDonald’s
When we talk about McDonald’s, we usually think about burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets. Who would’ve thought that they actually made and served their own pizza? In the 1980s, McDonald’s came out with a family-sized pizza called the McPizza. It had decent success and actually stayed around till the 2000s. It was finally discontinued when they realized that the 11-16 minute cook time didn’t synchronize with the chain’s fast service. But, if you want to try the McPizza, there’s still a lone McDonald’s in Orlando that still serves this discontinued fast food item. You may have heard of it cause it’s the World’s Largest Entertainment McDonald’s. It also happens to be one of the 10 must see McDonald’s around the world.
19. Priazzo – Pizza Hut
Speaking of pizza, Pizza Hut had their own fair share of discontinued menu items that we all wish would return. You see pizzas on their own are already pretty good. A flat piece of dough with melted cheese, tomato sauce, veggies, and cold cuts as toppings? It’s a recipe you can’t go wrong with. But in 1985, Pizza Hut spent two years developing a new product to take Pizzas to the next level. They came out with the Priazzo. It was marketed as a pie that also kind of combines a pizza, a quiche, and a lasagna into one dish. It increased Pizza Hut’s sales for a while but it was discontinued due to a big decline in customer’s interests who preferred their stuffed crust pizzas instead.
18. Onion Nuggets – McDonald’s
Here’s something that will really give you a blast from the past. The 1970s will forever be remembered for social change, disco, and McDonald’s Onion Nuggets. That’s right, before they invented the gold mine that is the Chicken McNuggets, they came out with the Onion Nuggets on their dollar menu. These are literally just deep fried, breaded onion bits. It didn’t sell well enough so McDonald’s discontinued this fast food item. Shortly after, they came out with the recipe for their Chicken McNuggets and the rest is history.
17. Meximelt – Taco Bell
Taco Bell is known for some of the best discontinued fast food items you’ll ever see. One of them is the Meximelt. Its removal from their menu is something that still stings fans to this day. The Meximelt was actually a mainstay on their menu for over 30 years! It’s actually a cross between a Fresco Soft Taco and a quesadilla. Made with flour tortilla, ground beef, and fiesta salsa plus Taco Bell’s signature melted three cheese blend, this is one menu item we definitely wish would make a comeback.
16. Fire Grilled Ribs – Burger King
You want to know how good Burger King’s ribs were? It sold over 10 million of them and actually ran out of supply a week before its run was supposed to end. It’s that good. It’s so good that this has to be one of the most successful limited-run fast food items of all time. It was a little expensive for ribs with a price point of around $8. Still, people came and flocked Burger King to buy these delicious, tender pork ribs glazed with sweet and smoky barbecue sauce. Despite its success, Burger King still chose not to have this as a permanent part of their official menu. A decision that still boggles our minds.
15. P’Zone – Pizza Hut
With a name like that, you can probably tell that this is a mix between a pizza and a calzone. This was an instant crowd favorite when it was first released back in 2002. It was discontinued shortly after despite all the buzz it generated. For years, fans have been clamoring for its return and Pizza Hut was content to keep the rumor mill buzzing. They often teased the P’Zone’s return and finally delivered in 2019. Even when its return was a big success, Pizza Hut still couldn’t find a reason to justify this item’s place on its permanent menu which is why it finds itself on a list like this.
14. Superbar – Wendy’s
This is more of a restaurant feature instead of an actual menu item. Still, there’s still a lot of things great with Wendy’s Superbar which is why we would love to have it back on the menu. The Superbar was an all you can eat salad bar in Wendy’s that debuted back in 1979. It was pretty over the top and what kind of salads and dishes you could make was limited only by your imagination. It was successful for a while but started to become phased out during the 90s when customers preferred take out instead of dining in. Since the COVID pandemic hit, people started to go back and miss the experience of dining in restaurants. If you ask me, now’s the perfect time for Wendy’s to bring back its salad bar.
13. Pickle Juice Slush – Sonic Drive-in
We’ve been going on about lots of greasy meals for a while now. So at this point, you must be craving for something to wash it all down. And what better way to do so than with Sonic’s famous Pickle Juice Slush? Sonic is definitely the go to place if you have a craving for pickles. This refreshing sweet, tangy green drink is an excellent complement to savory fast food items. According to Sonic themselves, this slush tastes like you’re sipping straight out of the pickle jar. I don’t know about you, but that sounds absolutely delicious.
12. Mighty Wings – McDonald’s
It’s no surprise that McDonald’s has tons of discontinued items. McDonald’s has been around for nearly 70 years! In that span of time, they did their best spicing up their menu items and trying out new things. One of the best items they came out with was their Mighty Wings. These are their patented spicy crispy chicken wings that were first released to cater to Super Bowl fans looking to get wings for the event. The Mighty Wings were actually pretty good but didn’t sell well mainly cause customers preferred wings from established brands. McDonald’s isn’t exactly known for their chicken wings so made the choice to cut this from their menu.
11. Bell Beefer – Taco Bell
Taco Bell isn’t really the first name that comes to mind when you think of sandwiches. So it was surprising when they came out with a sandwich that’s actually really really good. During the mid 1970s, Taco Bell created the Bell Beefer. It’s essentially their take on a sloppy joe. The Bell Beefer was made with ground meat, diced onions, shredded lettuce and cheese, mild border sauce, and was sandwiched between two buns. It was discontinued during the 90s but had a brief limited run in the 2010s. Taco Bell decided to remove it from their menu since they wanted to focus more on Mexican-inspired meals. While that’s a valid reason to make changes to your menu, it hasn’t stopped fans from wanting the Bell Beefer to make a return.
10. Bacon Sundae – Burger King
Bacon AND sundae?! Sounds like a horrible combination. Burger King decided to push through with the Bacon Sundae and proved us all wrong, giving new meaning to the phrase, “Never judge a book by its cover.” The salty and savory flavors plus crispy texture from the bacon perfectly complemented the sweetness and creaminess of the vanilla soft serve. This is definitely one of the most underrated desserts of all time.
9. Seafood Salad – Taco Bell
Some fast food restaurants offered fish-based meals; usually in the form of filets or sandwiches. Taco Bell hopped on the trend and instead of serving just a fish, they decided to offer up the entire ocean! Well, not exactly but they did serve the Seafood Salad which didn’t just contain fish. The Seafood Salad has shrimp, crab, whitefish, black olives, salad leaves and nestled it all inside a crunchy taco bowl. Definitely one of the best discontinued fast food items.
8. Taco Pizza – Pizza Hut
Tacos or pizza? That’s the age-old question the Taco Pizza answered when it was released by Pizza Hut in the late 70s. With a combination like that, it’s no coincidence that people actually claim that this just might be the best pizza ever made. It was so good that a couple actually got engaged while eating this very pizza back in 1979! If that’s not enough of a case to show you how much people loved this pizza, then I don’t know what will. Since then, many pizza places have tried their hands at making a Taco Pizza but of course, nothing will beat the original. The Taco Pizza may have been discontinued for years but it remains in the hearts of everyone who’s ever tried it.
7. French Toaster – Sonic Drive-in
Home of some of the best breakfast sandwiches you’ll ever have, Sonic Drive-in has given us countless classic fast food items over the years. It looks like in 2015, they hit a high point when they created the French Toaster. Imagine the perfect mix of sweet and savory flavors, all tied together by the delicate crunch of the french toast. It’s truly the peak of breakfast comfort food. Sadly, they decided to replace it with the Texas Toast which is still pretty great but lacks the flavor combination of the French Toaster.
6. Yumbo Sandwich – Burger King
50 years ago, Burger King released a sandwich on their menu to decent success. It was discontinued in 1974 which is, coincidentally, the year that Subway started franchising. The Yumbo Sandwich is a hot ham and cheese sandwich toasted on a hoagie bun. It was a great menu item that only lasted for 6 years. Since then, it made a brief return in 2014 to moderate success. It’s a unique item that sets itself apart from Burger King’s usual menu.
5. Double Down – KFC
What do you get when you make a burger purely out of chicken? You get this monstrosity of a fast food item from KFC called the Double Down. This meat-filled madness went viral and absolutely took the world by storm when it was released in 2010. Made of two pieces of chicken filet with cheese, bacon, and its signature sauce, this is one of the unhealthiest sandwiches ever made. But that’s why we love it. It’s outrageousness made it stand out and it actually tastes really good. The Double Down may sound like it’s too much but it’s nothing compared to the entries on our list of 10 most over the top fast food items.
4. Whopperito – Burger King
Burger King has been at the forefront when it comes to burger innovation. Their classic Whopper is one of the most successful fast food items of all time. So when it came time to cook up new ideas, they decided to fuse their best selling burger with another fast food favorite: a burrito. Then they ended up creating a Whopperito. It tastes exactly like it sounds; like a Whopper stuffed inside a burrito. This menu item was great, not just in terms of taste. The Whopperito is a meal way ahead of its time. It may have flopped during its release, but it set the stage for burger wraps to become popular.
3. XXL Chalupa – Taco Bell
Who doesn’t love Chalupas? The XXL Chalupa is literally just an extra large chalupa from Taco Bell. Released in 2010 and discontinued in 2011, this specialty menu item didn’t just make a regular chalupa large; it made it 57.7% larger than the original! That means it has more seasoned ground beef, more veggies, more cheddar cheese, more nacho cheese sauce, and more reduced fat sour cream. This short-lived fan favorite is something that we all desperately miss.
2. McRib – McDonald’s
The McRib. Also known as the most famous limited time offering in the history of fast food. It’s an elusive fast food item that seemingly appears and reappears out of nowhere just to drive hoards of McDonald’s customers insane. This sandwich came out in 1981, and quickly developed a rabid fanbase that goes wild whenever its name is mentioned. The McRib contains a seasoned boneless pork with barbecue sauce, onions, and pickles that are sandwiched between two toasted homestyle buns. Despite all the love it gets, McDonald’s just won’t leave it up as part of their permanent menu. They’ve had several “farewell tours” for the McRib over the years but they just keep bringing it back only to take it away from us. In fact, it was available as recently as last year and was even available this year in select parts of Canada. This is arguably the best discontinued fast food item of all time, only coming in second to another McDonald’s fan favorite.
1. Szechuan Sauce – McDonald’s
Could it really have been anything else? If you thought that the McRib drove people crazy, wait till you hear about this. McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce was first released in 1998 as a promotional menu item for the hit Disney movie, Mulan. It was billed as a sweet and mildly spicy sauce that captures the taste of the Sichuan region of China. Nearly 20 years after it was first discontinued, the iconic sauce was mentioned in an episode of Rick & Morty which drove fans crazy. Fans of the show demanded McDonald’s return the sauce and this stirred up a fuzz all over the internet. McDonald’s did oblige but supplies went out fast and some customers even staged mini-riots because they couldn’t get their hands on it. The craziness doesn’t stop there. One customer managed to trade up their limited edition packet of Szechuan Sauce for a car and one customer managed to sell theirs for over $20,000! But I totally get it. The Szechuan Sauce is indeed very delicious.