Bizarre and beloved McDonald's menu items you may never see again

Rachel AskinasiMay 7, 2021, 03:26 IST

McDonald's has tried offering a variety of foods in the past.William Wei/Business Insider

The McDonald's graveyard is filled with both crowd favorites and items you may not have even known existed.
Throughout the years the chain has added and removed certain menu items for a whole range of reasons.
Take a look back in time at some of the menu items you can no longer get your hands on.

The McDLT was first introduced to customers in 1984.

The McDLT advertised as a fresh sandwich. McDonald's/Business Insider

The McDLT was a way for the fast-food chain to offer customers the freshest version of its burger possible.

Here you can see the cold ingredients on the left and the hot ingredients on the right. Business Insider

Environmentally-conscious customers - and environmental activists in general - didn't like the fact that the burger was being served in styrofoam.

The styrofoam container is pictured above. McDonald's/Business Insider

McDonald's took another stab at revamping its original burgers in 1991 when it announced the McLean Deluxe.

Advertisements said the McLean Deluxe was 91% fat free. Al Freni/Contributor/Getty Images

The low-fat patty was made using beef, water, and a seaweed extract called carrageenan.

You can see the breakdown of the patty here. Business Insider

But with one item out, another was tapped in: The Arch Deluxe was put on the menu in 1996.

Commercials made the sandwich look like it was crafted by gourmet chefs. McDonald's/Business Insider

Previously failed attempts at amping up traditional burgers didn't stop McDonald's from trying again and again.

Two of the burgers are pictured here. Jamie Rector/Stringer/Getty Images

McDonald's didn't just experiment with burgers, though. The chain put Mighty Wings on its US menu in 1990 and took them off in 2003.

One order was a box of five bone-in wings. test

Another premium fried chicken option hit the US menu in 2002: Chicken Selects.

Chicken Selects came in a standard order of three strips. Tim Boyle/Staff/Getty Images

McDonald's began offering Buttermilk Crispy Tenders in the US in 2017.

Buttermilk Crispy Tenders pictured here. They are available in a 10-piece order. Dennis Green/Business Insider

The Times reported that the Snack Wrap took off in Europe, which prompted McDonald's to develop a larger, more substantial version. Enter: the McWrap.

There were several different versions of the McWrap released. Vince Talotta/Contributor/Getty Images

McDonald's has had several versions of wrapped meals on its menu over the years including chicken fajitas.

McDonald's fajitas pictured above. McDonald's/Business Insider

In addition to tortillas, McDonald's has also been known to cloak some meals in bread.

Ads for McStuffins said the bread was baked on-site every day. McDonald's/Business Insider

There were several flavor varieties, including pepperoni pizza and chicken teriyaki.

They looked like Hot Pockets. McDonald's/Business Insider

McStuffins wasn't the first time pepperoni was used at McDonald's - the late '80s saw the addition of McDonald's Pizza to US menus.

Funnily enough, it wasn't called McPizza. McDonald's/Business Insider

While adding pineapple as a pizza topping for McDonald's may have been worth a try, the Hula Burger - a sandwich featuring a slice of grilled pineapple and two slices of cheese - was not.

The Hula Burger is pictured here. McDonald's/Business Insider

While adding pineapple as a pizza topping for McDonald's may have been worth a try, the Hula Burger - a sandwich featuring a slice of grilled pineapple and two slices of cheese - was not.

Another fleeting, mainly-meatless menu item was the McSalad Shaker - the line of salads made its menu debut in 2000.

Customers could shake up the ingredients with one hand. McDonald's/Business Insider

Onion Nuggets - the non-meat precursor to Chicken McNuggets - made their menu debut in the 1970s.

Onion Nuggets pictured above. McDonald's/Business Insider

The chain sold Szechuan McNuggets with Szechuan dipping sauce in 1998 to promote Disney's then-new movie "Mulan" in the US.

McDonald's Szechuan Sauce pictured above. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

The McDonald's stateside graveyard also includes well-known options like the Super Size - the biggest size option for certain menu items like fries and drinks - the Big N' Tasty burger, and Orange Hi-C soda.

Super Size fries, seen here, were the largest size customers could order. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The McDonald's stateside graveyard also includes well-known options like the Super Size - the biggest size option for certain menu items like fries and drinks - the Big N' Tasty burger, and Orange Hi-C soda.

But it also features some more bizarre attempts at variety like McSpaghetti, Eggs Benedict McMuffin, and even McSoup.

McSpaghetti, seen here, is no longer available in the US. imwaltersy/Shutterstock

There are some McDonald's legends that have gone by the wayside. But others, like the original Dollar Menu, have gotten a bit of a face-lift and reappeared.

McDonald's value menu was called the Dollar Menu. Jeff Greenberg/Contributor/Getty Images

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Bizarre and beloved McDonald's menu items you may never see again

The McDLT was first introduced to customers in 1984.

The McDLT was a way for the fast-food chain to offer customers the freshest version of its burger possible.

Environmentally-conscious customers - and environmental activists in general - didn't like the fact that the burger was being served in styrofoam.

McDonald's took another stab at revamping its original burgers in 1991 when it announced the McLean Deluxe.

The low-fat patty was made using beef, water, and a seaweed extract called carrageenan.

But with one item out, another was tapped in: The Arch Deluxe was put on the menu in 1996.

Previously failed attempts at amping up traditional burgers didn't stop McDonald's from trying again and again.

McDonald's didn't just experiment with burgers, though. The chain put Mighty Wings on its US menu in 1990 and took them off in 2003.

Another premium fried chicken option hit the US menu in 2002: Chicken Selects.

McDonald's began offering Buttermilk Crispy Tenders in the US in 2017.

The Times reported that the Snack Wrap took off in Europe, which prompted McDonald's to develop a larger, more substantial version. Enter: the McWrap.

McDonald's has had several versions of wrapped meals on its menu over the years including chicken fajitas.

In addition to tortillas, McDonald's has also been known to cloak some meals in bread.

There were several flavor varieties, including pepperoni pizza and chicken teriyaki.

McStuffins wasn't the first time pepperoni was used at McDonald's - the late '80s saw the addition of McDonald's Pizza to US menus.

While adding pineapple as a pizza topping for McDonald's may have been worth a try, the Hula Burger - a sandwich featuring a slice of grilled pineapple and two slices of cheese - was not.

Another fleeting, mainly-meatless menu item was the McSalad Shaker - the line of salads made its menu debut in 2000.

Onion Nuggets - the non-meat precursor to Chicken McNuggets - made their menu debut in the 1970s.

The chain sold Szechuan McNuggets with Szechuan dipping sauce in 1998 to promote Disney's then-new movie "Mulan" in the US.

The McDonald's stateside graveyard also includes well-known options like the Super Size - the biggest size option for certain menu items like fries and drinks - the Big N' Tasty burger, and Orange Hi-C soda.

But it also features some more bizarre attempts at variety like McSpaghetti, Eggs Benedict McMuffin, and even McSoup.

There are some McDonald's legends that have gone by the wayside. But others, like the original Dollar Menu, have gotten a bit of a face-lift and reappeared.