We're spoilt for choice at modern fast food restaurants – but, sometimes, you just can't beat the classic, decades-old dishes that have stood the test of time, earned hordes of fans and even been approved by celebrity chefs. So, whether you love them or hate them, we've ranked the most legendary fast food items around the world, from divisive creations such as McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish to historic classics like White Castle's Original Slider.
Click or scroll through our gallery to see if your fast food favourite made the cut.
Our ranking is based on reviews, accolades and the popularity of each fast food item, taking into account sales, longevity, and the reaction to the products at the time of their release.
It may not be the most showstopping side dish in fast food history, but Wendy’s baked potato is nevertheless a unique offering, introduced to the menu in 1983, when low-fat diets were all the rage. Wendy’s is believed to be the only major fast food chain to sell baked potatoes as a side, and the company slings an impressive one million baked spuds every week. Toppings range from bacon and cheese to sour cream and chive, and they’re available at branches all over the world.
Traditionalists may baulk at the idea of KFC’s chicken gravy being used in poutine – which is traditionally made with super-dark, thick, rich gravy – but KFC’s take is wildly popular in Canada, and considered the best fast food chain version you can get. The ‘secret' ingredient in the restaurant’s gravy is said to be the umami-rich crackling that's left over from deep frying all those chicken pieces, so it’s no surprise that it works so well smothered on fries with squeaky cheese curds.
Hardee's – also known as Carl's Jr., depending on where you are in the world – introduced this hefty burger in the 1990s, and it was an instant hit. It consists of a thick beef patty covered in Swiss cheese, mayo, tomatoes and bacon, sandwiched between slices of buttered and grilled sourdough. While that might not sound like a very revolutionary combination, Hardee's was one of the first chains to use bacon in its burgers. The Frisco Burger retired for a short period in 2003, but was brought back as the Frisco Thickburger in 2005 due to public outcry.
While Chick-fil-A didn’t invent the idea of serving crispy fried chicken in a soft and buttery biscuit, the American chain certainly brought the dish into the mainstream when it unveiled its iconic Chicken Biscuit in 1985. The winning combination made it a breakfast menu favourite, with more than 122 million sold in 2022, according to the brand. While Chick-fil-A currently only has branches in North America and Puerto Rico, the chain recently announced bold plans to expand into Europe and Asia – so even more of us will get a chance to taste the legendary breakfast treat.
It’s not one of the chain’s original items but, since the McFlurry was introduced in Canada in 1995, it's been an integral part of McDonald’s menus all around the world. The ice cream dessert features soft serve and candy in a cardboard cup with a lid and a chunky hollow spoon. Over the years, McFlurries have come in tempting flavours including Oreo, M&M’s and KitKat.
When A&W comes to mind, you instantly think of the Root Beer Float. The oldest restaurant franchise in America, the chain started as a root beer stand in 1919. Its signature brew is still made onsite at restaurants, before being topped with creamy vanilla soft serve and presented in a frosty mug. A&W even invented National Root Beer Float Day.
Canada’s largest fast food chain has a huge reputation when it comes to baked goods, and it’s easy to see why. While Tim Hortons' full-size doughnuts are always delicious, it's the restaurant's signature Timbits that have us coming back for more. These bite-sized doughnut holes are light and fluffy on the inside, with a slight crunch on the outside, and are available in 10 classic flavours including chocolate, soured cream glaze and apple fritter. They were first introduced in 1976, and remain a bestseller in Tim Hortons’ native Canada and beyond.
One of McDonald’s longest-standing menu items is the controversial Filet-O-Fish. The divisive dish was added to the menu in the 1960s to encourage meat-abstaining Catholics to eat at the restaurant on Fridays and during Lent. The breadcrumbed white fish, American cheese and tartare sauce sandwich was a hit from the start, and inspired other fast food outlets to bring out their own versions.
Panda Express' signature Orange Chicken was created by a French-trained Taiwanese chef at one of its restaurants in Hawaii in 1987. It has grown to become a wildly popular dish, with a massive 115 million pounds of it sold in 2021 alone. Now you'll find the sweet and spicy fried chicken dish at numerous other outlets – and if you look online, you'll find plenty of recipes outlining how to make it at home.
Inspiring legions of homemade imitations, Sonic’s sweet and tangy Cherry Limeade might just be the greatest fast food drink of all time. The drive-thru chain originally opened in Oklahoma in 1953, and is known for its carhop service, large menu of fast food classics and customisable soft drinks, with Cherry Limeade a top seller. Made with freshly squeezed limes, sweet cherry flavouring and Sprite, the refreshing thirst-quencher has gathered a cult following over the years, and Sonic now sells enough to fill 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools each year.
This tiny burger is the foundation of a fast food empire (albeit one that has never expanded outside the US). White Castle's Original Slider, invented around 100 years ago, famously features a small, square patty with five holes that help it cook quickly. The burger is still sold the same way it always has been, too: steam grilled with onions and pickles, and doled out by the sackful.
A golden, crispy turnover filled with sweet cooked apple, McDonald’s Apple Pie joined the chain's menu in 1968 as its first dessert. Since its inception it's gained millions of fans, despite a number of recipe updates – over the years it's switched from being fried to baked, and the sugar content has been reduced.
Subway’s flagship sandwich, the Italian BMT was introduced 10 years after the chain opened, in 1975. The ultimate on-the-go lunchtime treat, it features pepperoni, salami and ham, and your choice of salad and bread. Back in the day the name stood for Brooklyn Manhattan Transit – giving a more literal meaning to the name Subway – but it now simply stands for ‘Bigger, Meatier, Tastier’.
Munchkins were introduced at Dunkin’ Donuts in the 1970s. Invented as a way to use excess dough cut out while stamping the holes, the bite-sized treats are now so popular they’re made with a separate machine. Available in boxes ranging in quantity from three to 50, these tasty bites come in all kinds of tasty flavours, but the most popular are enduring classics like Cinnamon Sugar, Glazed Chocolate and Old Fashioned.
The Blizzard was introduced in 1985 – and sold some 175 million units in one year. Still to this day, Dairy Queen employees flip the chunky, frozen soft serve treat upside down to prove just how thick it is. Every month you can find a different seasonal Blizzard to try, featuring everything from chocolate and fruit to sweet sauces and chopped nuts.
Subway might be best known for its footlong sandwiches, but the company’s impossibly soft and gooey cookies are also utterly irresistible – there’s a reason why they’re displayed right next to the till, after all. This top-tier fast food treat is available in a few varieties, but fans rave about the classic Double Chocolate Chip and White Chip Macadamia Nut flavours.
A fast food staple, golden, crispy Chicken McNuggets are a relatively recent invention – they were added to the McDonald’s menu in 1983 with just four sauce options: barbecue, honey, hot mustard, and sweet and sour. They remain an enduring favourite, loved for their unique tempura breading, and a whopping 34 million of the tasty bites are sold worldwide each day.
Selling an average of three million pizzas per day, Domino's is the largest pizza brand in the world. The majority of its sales are for its pepperoni pizza, a medium-thick, floppy-crusted delight featuring a coating of tomato sauce, bubbling cheese, crispy pepperoni slices and garlic dipping sauce.
Many credit 1990s chain Chipotle for starting the lunch bowl trend with its customisable burrito bowls featuring rice, beans, protein (such as chicken, beef barbacoa or pork carnitas), salsa, salad and cheese. It's a bestseller at the Mexican fast-casual spot, likely because it offers decent value for money and makes the perfect work desk lunch.
It’s hard to remember a time when the start of autumn wasn’t signified by the arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Starbucks offers endless seasonal creations, but none have ever reached the cult status of the PSL, which was first launched in 2003 and contains a warming blend of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. While the coffee giant didn't invent pumpkin spice, it certainly popularised it, prompting an annual pumpkin craze that many other brands have since tried (and mostly failed) to emulate.
This sandwich, featuring thinly sliced beef, Arby’s Sauce (a tangy, spicy ketchup) or Horsey Sauce (a mayo and horseradish sauce) and a toasted sesame seed bun, has been on the menu at Arby’s since the beginning, in 1964. While the chain has added fancy new items, such as a sandwich with venison steak, crispy onions and juniper berries, the roast beef delight has true staying power.
When Shake Shack opened in the early 2000s, its aim was to serve simple, great-quality classic American burgers. The Shackburger (the go-to order) features a juicy smashed patty, melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce (a slightly spicy combo of ketchup, mayo, mustard and pickle brine) in a buttered, griddled potato bun. Judging by the queues outside its first location in New York City and its rapid international expansion, it’s one that'll remain a favourite for decades to come.
The most famous breakfast item at McDonald’s, the Egg McMuffin was added to the menu in the 1970s. It features a fried egg, American cheese and bacon on a toasted English muffin and, for most of its history, it has only been available in the early morning. Nonetheless, the breakfast menu reportedly manages to generate around a quarter of the company’s annual revenue.
When Five Guys opened in the 1980s, it offered a new fast food experience: freshly cooked, juicy beef burgers with unlimited free toppings (such as pickles, grilled mushrooms bacon and cheese), all packed into a squishy bun. Considered to be more upmarket than its competitors, it took off, first franchising nationwide, then globally from the 2000s onwards. The Bacon Cheeseburger remains a fan favourite.
This whopping burger features two beef patties, six pieces of bacon, American cheese, ketchup and mayo. Invented in 2007 to boost sales at Wendy’s, it quickly became one of fast food’s most successful introductions. In less than a year it sold more than 68 million units, and it has spawned countless new items such as Baconator fries, the Breakfast Baconator and the smaller Son of Baconator.
The first chicken sandwich sold by a fast food chain, Chick-fil-A's Original Chicken Sandwich consists of a toasted, buttered bun filled with a breaded chicken breast and two pickles. It was added to Chick-fil-A's menu by founder Truett Cathy in 1964 after he tested hundreds of recipes, and it hasn’t changed since. Newer versions like the Spicy Chicken Sandwich have since joined the menu, but we reckon the original still takes some beating.
The secret formula for KFC Original Recipe Chicken was dreamt up at a petrol station in Corbin, Kentucky in the 1930s. Colonel Sanders decided to start making the fried chicken he grew up eating – cooked in a pressure cooker and seasoned with 11 herbs and spices – for customers. Today, it’s still one of the most craveable foods in the world, and is sold in more than 100 countries.
Since 1937, Krispy Kreme's Original Glazed doughnut – an inconceivably light, sweet treat whose recipe is a secret – has single-handedly carried the chain’s global success. Part of the wonder comes from the fact that you can watch the doughnuts being made through a glass screen in stores, in the factory section. Look out for a glowing red 'Hot Now' sign, meaning you can enjoy them fresh off the line.
Contrary to popular belief, Taco Bell didn’t actually invent the hard shell taco (that accolade is believed to belong to Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino, California). However, the crunchy beef, Cheddar and lettuce snack is arguably one of the most influential fast foods of all time. One of the first items to appear on Taco Bell’s menu in the 1950s, it helped the chain grow to the size it is today, introduced Mexican-inspired food to millions of Americans, and is still one of the brand's most popular dishes.
Though it’s seen as the Big Mac’s biggest competitor, the Whopper actually pre-dates its rival by 10 years. A 4oz (113g) beef patty topped with tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, pickles and white onion in a sesame seed bun, it was positioned as a bigger, fancier version of what Wendy’s and McDonald’s had to offer at the time.
Pizza Hut’s signature pizza style is less about the toppings and more about the method of cooking: dough is pressed into a well-oiled pan in a similar way to Chicago deep dish or Detroit-style pizza. This technique gives the pizza a thick, golden crust that's crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and it's been used by the fast food giant since 1980.
One of the most respected burger chains in the US, with legions of celebrity fans, In-N-Out is famous for the Animal Style option on its Not So Secret Menu. Order this and you’ll get a classic burger, but with mustard cooked into the patty. It has been lauded by none other than late chef Anthony Bourdain. With locations exclusively in the US (mostly on the West Coast) and no signs of global expansion aside from the occasional pop-up, the company's ethos of leaving us wanting more certainly has the desired effect.
These crispy-edged, soft-centred string fries are some of the best in the business. Introduced in 1949, they’re fried in vegetable oil and seasoned with beef flavouring (though they used to be fried in beef tallow). These days, they’re ordered as part of nearly every McDonald's meal – and are sometimes even eaten on their own. There’s a reason the fast food chain is the largest buyer of potatoes in the world.
The sandwich, the myth, the legend: Popeyes' signature Chicken Sandwich is such a fast food icon, it's shocking to think it only launched in 2019. The classic sandwich sees chunky buttermilk-battered chicken breast, fresh pickles and creamy mayo piled into a squidgy brioche bun – and the simple combination proved so popular when it was launched that it prompted a 38% jump in sales, not to mention nationwide shortages. Since then, the frenzy has only continued, and Popeyes is now available in 30 countries (with more on the way).
Could our number one slot really have gone to anything else? Added to McDonald’s menus in the 1960s, the Big Mac is one of the most famous burgers on the planet. It features two beef patties, a three-part sesame seed bun, Big Mac sauce, pickles, lettuce, chopped onion and cheese. It’s the chain’s signature item, and it's so widely available around the world that The Big Mac Index is used as an economic tool.
Now check out the fast food chains we wish never closed
Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.