8 1980s McDonald's Menu Items We'd Love To See Come Back

For Gen-X and most elder millennials, modern McDonald's locations, with their bland corporate facades and distinct lack of a dollar menu, are more than just a disappointment. The automated kiosks and inflated prices at these new McDonald's are a stark reminder of what we've lost. 

Yes, we all miss the mansard roofs and play places of our youth, not to mention the Happy Meal toys sturdy enough to last, in some cases, until now. Heck, in the 1980s, you could expect a real Hot Wheels car (made of real metal) with your Happy Meal. While McDonald's beef patties are sourced from the same place they were 30 years ago, the final products may have changed. We're very nostalgic about our fast food, but the biggest loss McDonald's has dealt us in the modern era is the lack of experimental spirit in its menu.

Back in the 1980s, McDonald's was a proving ground for soon-to-be classics and a laboratory for new flavors. In 1983, the first McNuggets meals crossed the counter. The 1980s were the first full decade in which Happy Meals were available. The first salads appeared on McDonald's menus in the 1980s, and in 1983, for example, a classic cheeseburger was just $0.40. What we miss most now, however, are the menu items that have, for one reason or another, gone the way of the dodo. From all of McDonald's unique desserts to wonderful twists on fast food classics, the 1980s were McDonald's true golden age.

The McDLT is possibly more evocative of the 1980s McDonald's spirit of experimentation than any other item on this list. It didn't set out to reinvent the proverbial wheel. Instead, it turned to a simple packaging change to make its already beloved burgers even more delicious. As anyone around in the 1980s and 1990s will remember, McDonald's burger packaging used to be made of Styrofoam. Nowadays, more eco-friendly cardboard is used. Unfortunately, though, one simply can't make a McDLT without the extremely wasteful Styrofoam packaging.

The double-wide, two-chambered McDLT package housed the bottom bun and beef patty in one place and the lettuce, tomato, and top bun in the other. This allowed the salad elements to stay cool and crisp on the way home, while the burger itself stayed good and hot. Styrofoam, however, is not biodegradable, and McDonald's bowed to public pressure and switched its packaging to paper and cardboard. Since the whole McDLT concept relied on the Styrofoam packaging, McDonald's was forced to give up its experiment, leaving us to miss the McDLT forever.

McDonald's desserts have been a particular victim of the company's modern "play it safe" attitude. The irresistible Apple Pie is still a favorite (even if it's baked, not fried like it used to be) and the McFlurry is enjoying a renaissance now that McDonald's ice cream machines can be fixed with relative ease. In the 1980s, though, McDonald's experimented with soft-baked cookies, cherry pies, and these Caramel Pecan Rolls that we simply can't stop thinking about.

Created by Luxembourgish-American chef René Arend, the same mastermind behind the McRib sandwich and Chicken McNuggets, this decadent, gooey treat might have been overshadowed by the ubiquitous shopping mall staple Cinnabon. But, for our money, the long-lost McDonald's offering was just as delicious (even if it's a bit much to add a caramel pecan roll to your already calorific McDonald's breakfast). 

When McDonald's rolled out its McCafé brand in 2001 in the United States, customers got a new cinnamon roll for a few years. But compared to Chef Arend's original masterpiece, this simple pastry was a severe disappointment. The lack of pecan topping and caramel sauce was easy to notice, and we're left to keep pining for the original.

Soon after McNuggets first appeared on menus and became an instant hit, McDonald's made them even more delicious with new sauces themed to "Fiesta" and "Shanghai". With the fiesta option, three sauces were offered: Mesquite BBQ, Green Chili Salsa with jalapeño peppers, and Mild Salsa with chunks of tomato and onions. Coin collectors were also happy to receive a genuine coin from Latin America with their nine or 20-piece nuggets.

With the Shanghai meal, diners were given the choice between three "oriental" sauces: Cantonese Sweet and Sour, Teriyaki, and Hot Mustard. They were also given collectible chopsticks, a "McFortune Cookie", and even had the chance to win a trip to China.

McDonald's choice to go global with its McNugget branding may have had something to do with the newfound popularity of Mexican and Chinese-American chain restaurants. Though Taco Bell had been around since the 1960s, the 1980s saw it expand its reach and popularity.  Panda Express opened its doors in the 1980s as well. In an attempt to keep pace with other fast food options, McDonald's turned to its 1980s experimentalism and created six classic sauces, one of which (sweet and sour) is still available today.

If you order intelligently, the burger known at various times as the Lite Mac and Mac Jr. is technically still available. Originally introduced as a diet-friendlier version of the Big Mac, the Lite Mac dispensed with the middle bun and one of the patties, leaving you with (pay attention, secret menu orderers) a single cheeseburger with Mac sauce, pickles, lettuce, and onions. When it first came out in 1983, the Lite Mac was advertised as having 40% fewer calories than the traditional Big Mac. It was a great choice for kids who had trouble finishing the whole burger, folks cutting calories, and those who simply wanted a snack. It was ultimately not kept on the menu permanently, leaving the restaurants it debuted in after just a year.

However, in 2017, McDonald's introduced the Mac Jr along with the Grand Mac. While the latter burger was an even more gargantuan version of the Big Mac with three patties and four buns, the former was simply the Lite Mac with a different name. In 2018, the different-sized Macs were reintroduced for another limited run. Since this second run, however, the only way to experience the more reasonably-sized single-patty Mac is to reconstruct one from the secret menu.

In the 1980s, McDonald's was still seen by most consumers as a breakfast and lunch restaurant. Customers simply didn't associate McDonald's with the dinner table in the same way they thought of, for example, Pizza Hut. 

McDonald's attempt to enter the pizza chain wars would take years, see several iterations of "McTalian" food, and leave many consumers nostalgic and confused at the same time. The first McPizza was a calzone-style pocket, presumably meant to be eaten on the go. Next came a full-sized pie that was (hilariously, in retrospect) too large to fit through the narrow drive-thru windows at almost every franchise. The pizza ovens were also large and cumbersome, getting in the way of McDonald's famous kitchen organization and delaying orders.

McSpaghetti, on the other hand, was a staple on McDonald's menus in the late 1970s and 1980s as they attempted to break into the dinner market. Simple noodles with red sauce and hot dog pieces, McSpaghetti resembled what many Jollibee enthusiasts go for today. In fact, the Philippines, home of Jollibee, is one of the only places on Earth where you can still enjoy this relic of a time when McDonald's was still figuring out its place in the American dining landscape.

Perhaps no item on this list has a greater cult following than the short-lived McDonald's Cheddar Melt, introduced in 1987 for a limited-time run that no one who had one has been able to forget. The internet is packed with copycat recipes for those hoping to recreate the magic at home, and it's easy to see why. On a menu full of burgers that follow a similar vibe, the Cheddar Melt was one of a kind. Featuring a quarter pound patty, teriyaki-sauteed onions, cheddar sauce, and a special rye bun, the Cheddar Melt offered a savory snack that's yet to be matched. In May 2025, a petition even appeared on Change.org urging folks to sign off on their desire to bring back the Cheddar Melt.

This simpler, tidier, and easier-to-eat version of the classic diner patty melt is a perfect example of McDonald's willingness to try new and exciting flavors in the 1980s, even if it was just for a limited time. But the good news is that it's relatively easy for a home cook to recreate. The cheese sauce is a simple mix of butter, milk, and cheddar; the teriyaki glaze for the onions can be purchased in-store, and a rye bun from your local bakery will be even better than the original.

Everyone knows and loves McDonald's baked apple pie, and it's always fun to see which seasonal holiday hand pies the chain will offer each year. But those in the know are still hoping for a taste of the old-fashioned fried cherry pie that could be found on the menu throughout the 1980s. A sure sign of McDonald's former dessert glory, the cherry pie was a simple, all-American addition to the menu that rounded out many a meal during the Reagan years.

While there might not have been all that much actual cherry in it, the McDonald's cherry pie (like beef tallow fries and delicious, if vaguely orientalist, special sauces), is something from a bygone era, before calorie listings. While the FDA required no less than 25% real cherries per pie, contemporary investigators found the reality to be short by nearly 10%. Vegetarians were also unhappy to find out that the pies contained animal products. So, while we might see new versions of a cherry-flavored pie on foreign menus or limited edition commercials, the original is likely to remain a memory.

Finally, we come to the sandwich that neither fans nor franchisees could let go of: The McRib. It's had three "farewell" limited runs since being introduced in 1981, with 2024 being the most recent. It does seem, though, that the McRib is destined to come out of retirement every few years and remind us what we're missing. In 2023, for example, just one year after what was supposed to be its final goodbye, the chain noted that it was likely fans of this elusive sandwich would see its return in November of that year at a select few McDonald's locations.

The BBQ Rib patty on a seeded hoagie bun is a fan favorite that is (thankfully) never quite allowed to rest in peace, with popular sentiment demanding the sandwich be brought back every so often. Another creation of master chef René Arend, the McRib was inspired by a trip to South Carolina, where the Luxembourger fell in love with BBQ and found his next great idea. And while there are no current plans to roll out the McRib again, those of us who have been paying attention know it can't be long before the tangy treat is back on the menu.