Earlier this month, McDonald's Ireland introduced its summer menu to customers, bringing a taste of sunny Italy to its restaurants here.
The Italian menu became available on June 8 and customers have their chance to try it until July 16. After that, there will be the Spanish menu until September 6.
Included in the fast food chain's new Italian summer menu is a series of promising bites, so we decided to try them for ourselves.
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Overall, we were happy with what we were eating, enjoying the familiarity of McDonald's while letting our taste buds explore just outside the box.
First up, it's the Italian stack, which is comprised of two beef patties, mozzarella, crispy onions, a rich tomato sauce, lettuce and a smooth cheese sauce served between a freshly toasted tomato and herb style bun.
The tomato sauce and the crispy onions were the features to really stand out in this one. The serving of the sauce on the burger is generous and while it won't transport you to Italy, or doesn't actually give off anything particularly 'Italian' with its taste, it is nonetheless a tasty burger which will leave you as satisfied as the classic Big Mac.
Next up, we went for the Mozzarella Dippers. These were the ones we were looking forward to most (as many McDonald's customers were when they returned), and they were sufficiently satisfactory. As predicted, they are not the most gooey cheesy snacks but for a fast food chain, they are pretty decent. The salsa served on the side is pretty delicious and smooth, making it easy for dipping.
And finally, it was time for dessert and on the menu was the Tiramisu McFlurry. It gave us everything we normally crave from a McFlurry with the additional tasty yet subtle addition of the coffee flavour. The little pieces of biscuit added a nice little crunch as well.
Having tried these three items from the Italian summer menu at McDonald's, we would be lying if we said the Mozzarella Dippers aren't the star of the show.
Although the Italian Stack burger isn't quite show stopping, it's definitely worth trying at least once. Even if it doesn't give you the same flavourful satisfaction as a Big Mac would, it does offer that classic McDonald's tastiness with a couple of adventurous flavours thrown in.
If it's a dessert you're going to McDonald's for, the Tiramisu McFlurry should definitely be on the agenda to try before it's gone from the menu.
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