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McDonald's Serves Beer Now—But There's a Catch

Here's where you can wash down Mickey D's burgers and fries with a cold one.
FACT CHECKED BY Mura Dominko

At a typical McDonald's restaurant, customers can wash down their burgers and fries with their choice of soft drinks, coffees, teas, smoothies, or juices. But at some lucky Golden Arches locations, the beverage selection also includes something on the stronger side for adults.

As some McDonald's fans have only recently begun to discover, some of the fast-food chain's outposts actually serve beer. The catch with this exciting revelation is that only McDonald's stores in select overseas countries offer the alcoholic beverage, so many Americans may never have the chance to sip on a brew poured by Mickey D's. Still, this knowledge should come in handy for McDonald's fans who plan visit one of the participating markets in the future.

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"I had no idea some countries in Europe have McDonald's that serve beer," an X user wrote recently, adding that they wished American and Canadian restaurants would do the same.

According to both Thrillist and Chowhound, Germany, Austria, South Korea, Italy, Portugal, France, Greece, Spain, and Belgium are among the nations where McDonald's restaurants serve beer. While McDonald's beer selection likely varies in different countries, the New York Post reported that the options may include well-known brands such as Budweiser, Heineken, Coors, and Stella Artois.

McDonald's meal with beer in Portugal
Photo: Robson90 / Shutterstock

McDonald's also reportedly sells local brews in some of its global markets. Stores in Germany, for example, offer Mekkes beer, while South Korean locations offer Makgeoli, Tasting Table reported. So, any beer lovers who find themselves in one of the participating countries should check out a nearby McDonald's to see which varieties are available there.

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American customers who've already gotten the chance to enjoy a beer at international McDonald's locations have been big fans of the menu offering.

"Italian McDonald's > all fast food in America combined. I've eaten at an Italian McDonald's in Florence and Venice, just to see what it would be like…America could never. Cooler options (Big N' Tasty, McWraps, WINGS?!?!, beer, etc.), and the quality is so much better," one recently wrote on X.

Beer is only one of the unique McDonald's menu items that customers can find in other countries, but not in America. For example, Canadian McDonald's locations offer poutine and the beloved Snack Wraps that were discontinued in the United States in 2016. McDonald's stores in Japan also sell crispy teriyaki chicken sandwiches, while locations in the Philippines serve spaghetti.

Zoe Strozewski
Zoe Strozewski is a News Writer for Eat This, Not That! A Chicago native who now lives in New Jersey, she graduated from Kean University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Read more about Zoe
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