I recently visited McDonald’s while traveling in Seoul, South Korea.

McDonald’s menu in Korea includes things you cannot find in the US, including corn chowder, bulgogi burgers, and a McChicken topped with mozzarella sticks.

The McChicken Mozzarella was a sauce-laden disaster, but I would recommend the bulgogi burger to any fast-food lover visiting South Korea.

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I visited McDonald’s my first full day in Seoul, South Korea.

My excuse for the fast-food stop is that I’m a reporter who covers the restaurant industry. A big part of the reason that I am currently traveling is to see how massive, international chains attempt to win over customers in different countries.

But, even if I wasn’t on a work trip, there is something to be said for visiting McDonald’s restaurants around the world. A McDonald’s location can tell you a lot about different countries’ preferences, highlighting long-standing demands and the latest regional trends.

In Korea, that means serving up a chicken sandwich covered in mozzarella sticks and a burger unlike any I’d tried in the US.

Here is what it is like to visit McDonald’s in Korea.

I visited a McDonald’s in the busy Myeongdong neighborhood, dodging busy shoppers as I ducked into the store.

Lees ook op Business Insider Horeca vreest vroege sluiting in grote steden vanaf 12 uur ’s nachts door stijging coronabesmettingen

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With my Korean language abilities tapping out after two weeks of Duolingo, I decided to order via kiosk.

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There was even an option to order in English!

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While I’d been able to communicate with most waiters and cashiers in Seoul so far, largely thanks to their superior English abilities, I was happy to pick my native language and opt to order in.

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The location also offered table service — really allowing me to live my lazy American McDonald’s dreams.

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When my order arrived, I realized I might have gotten a bit out of control in my attempts to get a full sampling of McDonald’s menu in Korea.

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I ordered the egg bulgogi burger, corn chowder, curly fries, the McChicken Mozzarella, a Coke Zero, and a Green Grape Chiller.

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The McChicken topped with mozzarella sticks is a new, limited-time menu item. According to McDonald’s, it is made of chicken, lettuce, and two mozzarella cheese sticks, topped with mayo and Arrabbiata sauce.

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Frankly, it is a beast of a chicken sandwich. I struggled to take a selfie while holding this massive McChicken, ultimately smearing spicy Arrabbiata sauce all over my jeans.

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I’m not sure the mozzarella-topped monster was worth the mess. The sauce was overwhelming, making it nearly impossible to taste anything but a vaguely sweet, spicy, tomato-y flavor.

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Originally, I thought the mozzarella sticks were a stroke of genius. However, they quickly devolved from stretchy bands of goodness into sad, soggy, tasteless blocks covered in moist breading.

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The bulgogi burger was a different story. It was easy to hold the burger — with a flat patty about the size of a Big Mac — in one hand, even with the egg on top.

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The bulgogi burger is an iconic Korean McDonald’s menu mainstay. Made with pork and flavored with a sweet sauce, the burger was created to win over Korean customers. This version added an egg, which looked like it could have been plucked straight from a McMuffin.

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The egg didn’t add much — if only it were runny! — but I quite liked the bulgogi burger. The thin, softy patty has a richer taste than McDonald’s sometimes mulch-like beef burgers. It’s definitely a sweet burger, but one I would order again.

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As a curly fry fanatic, I was extremely excited to see these on the menu.

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I’d put these guys up with Arby’s curly fries, which I consider the best in fast food. These fries didn’t have much of a flavor punch and, like traditional McDonald’s fries, they quickly decline in quality as they cool. But, I would love to see them on the US menu.

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This is not coffee. It’s actually a cup of corn chowder.

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As someone who is not used to sipping on creamy corn in a cup, I thought it was actually very good! It was sweet, but kind of comforting.

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Finally, I had the Green Grape Chiller. Both this frozen drink and the Coke Zero were served in reusable plastic cups, a classy and eco-friendly alternative to the cups in the US.

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The Green Grape Chiller was very, very sweet, but I could not stop drinking it. It’s a classic frozen drink — and one that made me wonder why green grape is such an underutilized flavor in the US.

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My sampling of the McDonald’s menu had hits and misses. I would definitely order the bulgogi burger and curly fries again — but the Mozzarella McChicken works far better in my fried cheese dreams than in reality.

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Is it the best food you’re going to find in Seoul? Obviously not. But, getting the bulgogi burger in Korea was a great way to get a taste of the local fast-food flavor.

Foto: sourceKate Taylor/Business Insider