Cast your mind back to the 1990s, and you might remember this somewhat strange item landing on Burger King menus in the US. Launched as part of the brand’s table service efforts and Dinner Baskets range (a series of ‘high-end’ dishes introduced in 1993), the Meatloaf Sandwich consisted of flame-broiled meat stuffed inside a long sesame bun, with raw white onions and ketchup. It came with a choice of fries or baked potato, and coleslaw or a side salad. Despite being widely advertised, it failed to deliver on the flavour front.

You’ve heard of Tex-Mex–inspired burgers – just add guacamole, salsa and jalapeños – but have you eaten a burger-inspired burrito? Unless you tried the Whopperrito from Burger King in 2016, it’s very unlikely. Following the theme of the chain’s bestselling burger, it featured minced beef, tomato, onions, lettuce and gherkins in a flour tortilla. It shouldn’t have worked, but actually, it kind of did.

The chain launched a burger with a royal twist to honour Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Available in the UK, the Coronation Chicken Royale featured a crispy chicken breast patty with iceberg lettuce and a sweet curry sauce. Burger King didn't offer a similarly named burger for King Charles III's coronation; it ran a buy-one-get-one-free offer on Chicken and Vegan Royales instead.

Did you know that Burger King once offered two beef hot dog options? Available in the US for a short period in 2016, the Classic (intended to be 'the Whopper of hot dogs', according to the chain's former president, Alex Macedo) came loaded with mustard, ketchup, relish and onions, while the Chili Cheese featured the same toppings, but with added Cheddar and chilli. However, the reception was far from kind, with the dish receiving scathing reviews online. Burger King isn't the first fast food brand to try to branch out into hot dog territory; McDonald’s famously attempted (and failed) to popularise the McHotDog in the 1990s and early 2010s.

A popular side order available in global markets, Burger King's Chicken Fries are the stuff of legend. The stick-shaped chicken nuggets were introduced in 2005, and they've since become a permanent fixture in over 30 countries. Chicken Fries Rings, on the other hand, have not. Initially rolled out across the US in 2016, this menu item offered an onion ring–shaped spin on the increasingly popular chicken-based side dish. Available for a limited time only, the rings were by no means a global success.

In 1990, Burger King was the first fast food chain to introduce a grilled chicken burger, the BK Broiler, to its menu. A healthier menu item, it consisted of a grilled chicken breast with lettuce, tomato and dill ranch sauce served in an oat-dusted bun. At first the grilled chicken sandwich was hugely popular, but it was discontinued in 2002 due to falling sales. Burger King have introduced a variety of short-lived grilled chicken sandwiches since, such as the Chicken Whopper, but is yet to make any of them permanent.

An upmarket offering from Burger King UK, the Lamb Flatbread consisted of a flame-grilled spiced lamb patty, an ample helping of salad, chilli ketchup and mint yogurt, all tucked into a rosemary flatbread. It appeared on menus in 2012, but hasn't returned since, though we'd love to get our hands on it again. 

Taking fusion fast food in a new direction, the chain launched its Crispy Taco on US menus in 2019. Priced at $1, the taco was filled with ground beef and cheese, deep fried, then finished with a helping of shredded lettuce. It didn’t receive great reviews generally, but it did sell well in Illinois and Missouri, relaunching at select stores in 2023.

A little over a decade ago, Burger King was arguably a healthier place than it is now. In 2012, the chain launched a range of Garden Fresh Salads in a bid to offer more nourishing options. There were a few salads to choose from, including Chicken Caesar, Chicken BLT, and fan favourite Chicken, Apple and Cranberry. Sadly, these options were eliminated quietly and replaced with a simple mixed green salad option.

Burger King's biggest rival, McDonald's, might be known for its extensive breakfast menu (in particular its Egg McMuffins), but the home of the Whopper has given the chain a run for its money a few times. The home of the Golden Arches had a worrisome year in 2019, when its competitor rolled out a series of breakfast items. The French Toast Sandwich came with a choice of sausage, bacon or ham, fluffy folded eggs and American cheese, all packed between two pieces of French toast. When the chain temporarily reintroduced the item in 2021, it came with the tasty addition of maple butter sauce.

In 2017, Burger King took one of America’s favourite and most nostalgic cereals, Froot Loops, and turned it into a moreish milkshake creation. Imagine drinking cereal milk mixed with velvety vanilla soft-serve, studded with cereal chunks. and swirled with sweet sauce. That's exactly what you got!

During the great sweet potato craze of the 2010s, the bright orange fries that were meant to be a 'nutritious option' appeared on menus everywhere – and fast food chains were by no means an exception. Burger King's Sweet Potato Fries were launched as part of its Southern-inspired barbecue menu in 2012 and, despite all the eye-rolling, some fans enjoyed this alternative to regular fries. The brand also launched Sweet Potato Curly Fries (complete with a dusting of cinnamon sugar) the same year, but they were said to have a strange texture. 

A garish red milkshake that looked like something that would launch for Halloween, the Red Velvet Oreo Shake, available at US locations in 2015, was deceptively delicious. A chocolate shake with Oreo cookies crumbled on top, it was surprisingly refreshing thanks to the addition of tangy cream cheese. Some enthusiastic fans declared it the best shake they'd ever tasted.

The hot ham and cheese sandwich known as the Yumbo first appeared in 1968, and had a six-year run before it was discontinued. It was brought back briefly in 2014, with a modern update in the form of lettuce, mayo and a hoagie bun (a long, flat roll). All credit to Burger King, it had plenty of retro appeal; its adverts playfully featured a 'Yumbo hotline', in a throwback to the analogue era.

Back in 2012, Burger King went European on us with the launch of the Italian Breakfast Burrito. The on-the-go meal, featuring scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage and melted mozzarella, had a fresh Mediterranean flavour, all thanks to its marinara sauce and tasty medley of chopped red peppers, green peppers and onion. 

The name was right. This 2005 breakfast item really was enormous! Consisting of two cooked eggs, cheese, bacon and sausage on a long sesame seed roll, it was guaranteed to keep you full until lunchtime. Sadly, coming in at a whopping 700 calories, it wasn't exactly a healthy choice, and it didn't stay on the menu for long – though you can still try it at Burger King locations in The Bahamas. 

The perfect option for when you were feeling peckish but not hungry enough for a whole meal, Burger Shots was added to Burger King's menu in 2008, but sadly didn't stay around for long. These miniature burgers featured a little patty and gherkin combo, and were sold in packs of two or six. It actually wasn't the first time the brand had launched mini burgers; a set of petite patties called Burger Bundles were available in 1987. Again, their arrival was short-lived and they disappeared from menus within a year.

Can you remember these delicious sweet treats from the 1990s? Cini-Minis – tasty miniature cinnamon rolls touted as 'the best part of the cinnamon roll in every bite' – launched at Burger King in the US in 1998, with a pack of four costing just 99 cents. Fans of the discontinued item even launched an online petition, amassing over 2,000 signatures, to bring them back – which the brand did in 2018, in a special month-long collab with food delivery service Grubhub.

A seriously noteworthy addition to the 2012 summer menu in the US, the Bacon Sundae featured a vanilla soft-serve ice cream base topped off with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and thick-cut smoked bacon. A 500-calorie treat, it was described by some as a ‘monstrosity’ – but it was adored by fans for its addictive sweet-and-savoury flavour.

Something remarkable happened in the fast food world in 2010 – Burger King launched bone-in pork ribs, a dish usually only attempted by barbecue restaurants. Charred, smoky, tender and lightly glazed in sauce, they were a taste sensation. A huge 10 million ribs were sold, so the big mystery is, why has this item never reappeared? We can only speculate on that one.

There’s no better way to cool down on a hot day than with a glass of refreshing lemonade. At least, that's what Burger King thought when it released its sweet and sour Frozen Lemonade and Frozen Strawberry Lemonade in the summer months between 2012 and 2014. The fast food chain did let fans know the frosty treats were limited-edition items only, but that didn’t make it any easier when they were discontinued.

Are you familiar with McDonald’s famous rib-themed offering, the McRib? Probably. Now, try to recall Burger King’s version, the Rib Sandwich, which debuted in 2013. It’s a bit harder, isn’t it? Three years after the success of its Fire-Grilled Ribs, Burger King trialled a sandwich consisting of a juicy boneless rib patty and a sweet, tangy barbecue sauce in a toasted artisan bun. It was sadly only available as part of Burger King's summer BBQ season, and it hasn't returned since.  

Canada's national dish, poutine, sees crispy fries, cheese curds and hot gravy combined to delicious effect. Burger King Canada gave the item a twist, launching Poutine a la Burger in 2014. The dish saw traditional poutine layered with a deconstructed Whopper (think chopped beef patty, gherkins, mustard and ketchup). Some viewed it as an altogether heinous move, while for others, it was nothing short of genius.

Featuring on the chain’s 2013 US summer BBQ menu, the Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich saw braised pork mixed with BK's Memphis BBQ Sauce, sliced onions and sweet Southern dressing, then packed inside an artisan bun. The fast food chain has since launched several other pulled pork items, including 2015's Extra Long Pulled Pork Sandwich and 2019's Pulled Pork King, though none of them seem to have had any staying power.

Alongside the French Toast Sandwich, Burger King launched not one, but three Maple Waffle Sandwiches in 2019. Available nationally in the US, the dish featured fluffy eggs, American cheese and a choice of bacon, sausage or ham, all sandwiched between two warm waffles. You can still get your hands on the dish in the Philippines. 

One of the most mouthwatering Burger King menu items of all time, the Italian Original Chicken Sandwich was inspired by the popular Italian American favourite: the chicken Parm. It consisted of breaded chicken coated in marinara sauce and mozzarella, sandwiched inside a long sesame seed bun. It first launched in 2014 and has reappeared several times since then as a limited-edition menu item, with rumours suggesting the sandwich may return again for summer 2025.

The molten chocolate cake trend took some time to make its mark on the fast food world, arriving at Domino's, Arby’s, and finally, Burger King in 2013. That said, BK's Molten Fudge Sundae, featuring molten brownie balls, vanilla soft-serve and chocolate-caramel sauce, was utterly delicious – and well worth the wait.

Remember us describing Chicken Fries – the stick-shaped chicken nuggets that once graced Burger King’s menu? Well, in 2015, Buffalo Chicken Fries, along with Fiery Chicken Fries and Pretzel Chicken Fries, were a limited-edition iteration of the chicken-based side dish. According to reviews, the Buffalo Chicken Fries were far superior to the overly spicy Fiery Chicken Fries. The item returned to US locations in spring 2023 for a limited period.

The intimidatingly-named Angry Whopper – a tasty bacon cheeseburger topped with pepper Jack cheese, fried onions, lettuce, tomato, jalapeños and Angry Sauce – launched in the UK in 2008. The word 'angry' was meant to imply spicy, but in reality, customers found it more zesty than red hot. The Angry Whopper made its way to the States in 2009, where it earned a solid fan base. It's one of the chain’s most popular limited-edition items and has reappeared in the US, Canada and UK a number of times. 

You may well recognise these tasty, bitesize morsels; Burger King is constantly launching limited-edition runs of its moreish Cheesy Tots. The delightful dish – featuring warm, cheesy potato in a crispy breadcrumb coating – was first launched in 2013, only to disappear and reappear a multitude of times, most recently landing in the US in late 2023. This snackable side was given a hickory bacon centre in 2019, in a bid to pull in carnivorous fans. However, the moreish Bacon Cheesy Tots have sadly not resurfaced since, despite being utterly delicious. 

There’s one juicy burger that Burger King's UK fans are still dreaming about, and it's called the Double Mushroom Swiss. Featuring two beef patties, melty cheese and a rich mushroom sauce stuffed inside a classic sesame seed–topped bun, it hasn’t graced UK menus in over 20 years, despite fans constantly pleading for it to return. In fact, Burger King’s social media accounts are regularly calling for fans to stop asking for it back.

Now discover the fast food brands everyone loved growing up

Last updated by Dominique Ayling.