McDonald’s is as famous for its signature menu items as it is for its golden arches and Justin Timberlake-adjacent jingle.
The McNugget, Big Mac, quarter-pounder, thermonuclear apple pie, and McFlurry are all in the S-tier of Maccies options, and even the bravest pretenders to the throne have fallen by the wayside over the years.
Now McDonald’s has laid out ambitions for permanently expanding that stable of iconic options with a new burger that’s just rolled out worldwide: the Big Arch.
Having had a successful trial launch in Canada, it’s now available to tear through in the UK and in a boatload of other McDonald’s territories.
The Big Arch is essentially a Big Mac on steroids. It comes with two 100% British and Irish beef patties, slices of white cheddar cheese, crispy onions, lettuce, gherkins, and a new Big Arch sauce which is a blend of ketchup and mayonnaise.
All of that comes sandwiched in a stylish sesame seed bun. It looks like they could easily modify it with a pair of McPlant patties if they wanted to get the vegetarians in on the action, too.
The new burger, which McDonald’s has promised will be a ‘future icon’, is getting some rave reviews on Reddit already.
“I’ve tried it today, absolutely delish and much, much better than any other burgers on the menu, honestly!” said one rave review. It’s easy to say that when the Chicken Legend isn’t in the arena, of course.
“Verdict - delicious,” said another. “Combining the best bits about the Big Mac but with bigger burgers. Only one negative was that by the end it was falling apart.”
For a more in-depth review, check this one out: “Had one this afternoon. It's by far, the best Maccies burger I've had. Knocking Big Tasty down to second, McCrispy (with extra sauce) down to second, and Steakhouse to 4th.
“The patties are really meaty tasting. Which is good, as it's meat. The cheese melts well, lots of salad - two types of onions, lettuce, and the pickles which cut through the richness of the meat. The bun is good. The sauce... Yes. It's great. McDonalds in a sauce. It's like a mustard & black pepper mayo mixed with ketchup or something. It's almost a cocktail sauce. Like Walkers Prawn Cocktail with no prawn taste.
“But, it feels like it belongs in a burger. I want to eat a Big Tasty and a Big Arch at the same time just so I can truly judge it. Better than any other fast food beef burger I've had, including 5G, BK, Wimpy, etc. Oh, and it's bloody heavy. When I got the bag, I assumed I'd "accidentally" ordered 10 double cheese again...”
If there’s any gripe, it’s over the price.
“But is it £8 delicious??” asked one frugal Redditor.
“To me that’s just insane,” said another. “I can go to somewhere like honest burgers where the ingredient quality is much higher and spend the same money.” To be fair to McDonald’s, their ingredients are pretty good.
“For that price you can go out and get a decent burger,” said another who clearly hasn’t seen the litany of glowing reviews above.
What’s your take on the Big Arch?
Featured Image Credit: Matt Cardy / Contributor/Getty Images
Rachael Davis