McDonald’s Japan adds exclusive Hawaiian Burgers to its menu for a limited time

We try all three to find out which one is worth your money. 

In recent years, McDonald’s Japan has been adding a limited-time lineup of Hawaiian Burgers to its menu in summer, with Hawaiian-inspired flavours designed to take our taste buds on a journey to the tropical island paradise.

This year, two favourites from the range — the Cheese Loco Moco and Garlic Shrimp — returned to the menu from 26 July, with a brand new companion on board called the Chunky Potato & Beef Creamy Jalapeno.

▼ The three burgers in this year’s range: Cheese Loco Moco (530 yen), Chunky Potato & Beef Creamy Jalapeno (530 yen) and Garlic Shrimp (470 yen).

While the Cheese Loco Moco is also on the morning menu, in the form of a McMuffin, we were curious to try all the burgers to find out which one was the tastiest, and whether they were good value for money.

▼ So let’s begin the tasting with the Cheese Loco Moco.

The combination of beef patty, egg, and buns is similar to the chain’s popular “Teritama” series of fried-egg burgers, but what makes this one different is the addition of a special Hawaiian barbecue sauce, which is made with more than 10 kinds of spices to give it a fruity finish.

The special barbecue sauce was fantastic as usual, with a subtle spicy kick but plenty of rich umami, giving it a distinct Loco Moco taste. It was a great partner for the beef, egg and rich cheddar cheese, lifting each mouthful with its deep yet refreshing flavour.

▼ Chunky Potato & Beef Creamy Jalapeno

This burger uses the same barbecue sauce as the Loco Moco, but pairs it with a creamy jalapeno mayo sauce for extra heat. The crunchy texture of the chunky potato hash brown stole the show here, and the combination of ingredients was so good it turned out to be our favourite burger of all three.

▼ Garlic Shrimp

This burger ended up being our least favourite, as it didn’t seem all that different to the Shrimp Filet-O, a regular year-round menu item. The only difference seemed to be the addition of a spicy sauce, and though it wasn’t bad, we were just hoping for more of a unique flavour to make us truly fall head over heels for it.

Given that the Garlic Shrimp Burger costs 70 yen more than the Shrimp Filet-O, it seemed to underperform in terms of cost performance as well. So in our opinion, you’d be better off trying the Cheese Loco Moco, if you haven’t already, and above all else, try the new Chunky Potato & Beef Creamy Jalapeno, which is different from anything else on the menu right now, and a must-try for hash brown lovers.

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