9 Fast-Food Chains with Secret Menus You Need to Try
Big Macs. Whoppers. Crunchwrap Supremes. These are just three popular fast-food items that are guaranteed a spot on their respective fast-food chain's menu. While these options have become permanent menu fixtures for a reason, it's exciting to stray from the tried and true. That's when a secret menu can help guide you.
Secret menu items are food or drink options that aren't advertised on the chain's official menu. These can range from simple tweaks to complete custom orders made with ingredients already found at the chain. Sometimes referred to as "menu hacks," secret menu items gain attention through word of mouth, social media, and even websites dedicated to the fast-food phenomenon. So no, secret menus aren't exactly top-secret, but they do add some intrigue to the ordering process.
If you're eager to shake up your usual fast-food order, there are endless possibilities worth investigating. Here are nine fast-food chains that are home to some attention-grabbing secret menu items.
Note: Not all employees will know about the secret menu items or how to make them, so you'll want to know what's in your order ahead of time. You may also need to assemble the order yourself.
McDonald's
As the world's largest fast-food chain, it only makes sense that McDonald's has an extensive selection of secret menu items. This spans across burgers, fries, desserts, and drinks, several of which merge multiple menu items together. For instance, the Big McChicken replaces the three buns found in a Big Mac with chicken patties. Meanwhile, the Apple Pie McFlurry is a McFlurry with McDonald's apple pie blended into the frozen dessert. Additional off-menu items include the McCrepe, Neopolitan Shake, and the Land, Air, and Sea Burger.
Wendy's
Move over, Baconator! There are a few other loaded burgers at Wendy's—and these aren't listed on the standard menu. Take the Barnyard, for example. This option packs on the meat, featuring a combination of bacon, a beef patty, and a spicy chicken fillet, all layered with cheese, lettuce, and tomato. There are a few ways you can score this, one of which is asking for an Asiago Ranch Chicken Club and adding an extra hamburger patty.
If you'd prefer to stick with beef but still want something hefty, there's also the Grand Slam. This secret menu item is piled high with not one, not two, not three, but four beef patties, plus lettuce, tomato, and cheese.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A customers can get creative with their orders by opting for a number of secret menu items, several of which are mentioned on the chain's website. While Chick-fil-A notes that it doesn't have a secret menu, it does highlight several "underground delights"—aka menu hacks that you'll find across the internet.
Bored of the Chick-fil-A's plain mac and cheese? Spice it up by ordering a side of grilled or crispy nuggets. Chop these up, add them to the mac, and then drizzle the chain's Zesty Buffalo Sauce and Garden Herb Ranch Sauce to create Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese. Similarly, you can pour the chain's Buffalo sauce on your chicken sandwich to make a Buffalo chicken sandwich. Or, you can ask for Buffalo sauce on your Spicy Chicken Sandwich, according to Hack the Menu.
If you're looking to pair these dishes with something refreshing, consider the Root Beer Float. To get your hands on one, order a root beer with vanilla soft serve mixed in, or ask for the menu items separately to make this creation yourself.
Starbucks
If Starbucks' menu wasn't already expansive enough for you, the coffee giant also serves a wide variety of creative and colorful secret menu items. Scroll through social media, and you'll encounter all sorts of beverages. And we mean all sorts.
From cereal-inspired sips like the Cap'n Crunch Frappuccino to candy-themed drinks like the Twix Frappuccino, Starbucks' secret menu showcases an impressive range of flavor profiles. And some of these garner major social media attention.
One secret menu item that got a lot of notice in 2023, thanks to the release of the "Barbie" movie, was the hot pink Barbie Frappuccino. The Instagrammable drink calls for a vanilla bean crème Frappuccino with three pumps of vanilla, one scoop of dragonfruit inclusion, and whipped cream. Some versions have included strawberry purée instead of dragonfruit.
Dunkin'
Starbucks isn't the only coffee chain with creative drinks that are kept somewhat under wraps. Dunkin' is home to many of them, too. Do you have a birthday coming up? The coffee giant can help you celebrate with its Birthday Cake Coolatta. Just ask for a Vanilla Bean Coolatta with a hazelnut swirl. Another fan favorite is the Nutella Surprise, which is an iced coffee with a mocha swirl and two shots of hazelnut.
Beyond its secret frozen drinks, Dunkin' can also whip up an assortment of exclusive hot beverages. Back in 2018, the coffee chain released some of these, calling them "menu hacks." For a fruity spin on your usual hot chocolate, you can order the Chocolate Covered Raspberry Hot Chocolate, which is just Dunkin's hot chocolate with a shot of raspberry.
Chipotle
Chipotle is famous for its burritos and bowls, but those aren't the only menu items you can order. Just look at the Quesarito. Arguably the most well-known off-menu order, this item resembles the discontinued Quesarito from Taco Bell. Both feature burritos wrapped in quesadillas.
Similarly, there's also the Burritodilla, which the site Secret Menus describes as a "crunchy, slimmer alternative to the monstrous Quesarito." Unlike the larger menu item, the Burritodilla is essentially a quesadilla filled with about half of the filling you'd get in a burrito. To order this, you can ask the Chipotle employee to place a pile of cheese on the tortilla, followed by half the amount of filling you'd find in a burrito and another layer of cheese. This can then be folded like a quesadilla and cooked.
A couple of other secret menu items at Chipotle include nachos and double-wrapped burritos.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell serves several creatively named menu items—and its secret menu options are no exception. Take the Hulk, for example. While its name might raise some eyebrows, the recipe is actually quite simple, as it's just a burrito filled with beans, cheese, and guacamole. To give this item some extra oomph, you can ask for the Incredible Hulk, which is Taco Bell's 5-Layer Burrito made with guacamole instead of the usual nacho cheese sauce.
Staying with the superhero theme, Taco Bell can also make you the Superman, which, as Secret Menus notes, "does everything in excess." This fast-food item consists of a Cheesy Double Beef Burrito with added potatoes, sour cream, guacamole, and crispy tortilla strips.
In-N-Out Burger
Unlike the majority of fast-food chains, In-N-Out Burger has its secret menu available on its website, playfully calling it the "not-so-secret menu." This solely includes burger modifications, though you can also score custom fries and shakes, as well.
To give your regular burger a twist, you can order it animal-style, which means you'll get a mustard-cooked beef patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, and extra spread. Don't want a bun? Order it protein-style, which will give you a burger wrapped in lettuce instead.
If you want to add even more meat, there's the 3X3, which features three beef patties and three slices of cheese, along with lettuce, tomato, spread, and the option to add onions. For something even bigger, there's the 4X4, which is just the 3X3 with an additional beef patty and slice of cheese.
Shake Shack
In addition to its beloved burgers, crinkle-cut fries, and milkshakes, Shake Shake can also prepare some enticing options not available on its standard menu. Like In-N-Out, the chain's burgers can be ordered "protein style." The fast-casual hotspot also has its own four-patty burger, which is known as the "Quad Burger."
The unofficial menu items don't stop at burgers, either. Get your fries topped with chili peppers and cheese—aka the Sport Pepper Cheese Fries. Cool down with an ice cream sandwich made with potato buns. Quench your thirst with a root beer float featuring Shake Shack's famous frozen custard. The list of hacks goes on and on.
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