The McCrispy is a rebranding of McDonald’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and it’s a much better name than the wordy and generic Crispy Chicken Sandwich. If you missed it, the name change occurred a few weeks ago, but the first new addition to the renamed line is the Bacon Ranch McCrispy.

It features a crispy chicken filet, applewood smoked bacon, crinkle cut pickles, buttermilk ranch sauce, and a toasted potato roll. There’s a Deluxe version that also includes Roma tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

Full disclosure: I thought the Crispy Chicken Sandwich was a mediocre, bland offering, so read this review with that in mind. So why am I reviewing this? Because I wanted to know if bacon can truly make everything better. With that said, this new variety is slightly better in some ways and slightly less so in others.

The fillet is noticeably skinnier than what I had with the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. That one put the “fill” in fillet. But the one in this makes the sad McChicken patty look substantial. While it was thinner, the meat was tender and somewhat juicy. Also, despite sitting in its foil bag for several minutes and under lights for several more minutes while I took the photos in this review, the breaded exterior still had some crispiness. While this fillet’s thickness doesn’t match what I experienced with the original Crispy Chicken Sandwich, they share a common attribute — blandness. It’s the reason why I was so disappointed with the original.

So thank the fast food gods for the pickles, ranch, and bacon because they compensated for the fillet’s lack of flavor. The pickles and ranch combination is a winner, with the pickles adding a tanginess that complements the creamy ranch sauce. As for the bacon, some were crispy, and others were chewy, but all provided smoky, porky goodness. Also, my order came with enough slices to almost blanket the chicken. Bacon does make this sandwich better, but the pickles and ranch sauce do more to accomplish that.

Overall, I liked McDonald’s Bacon Ranch McCrispy, thanks to the toppings. It’s decent enough that I’d probably order it again or try the Deluxe version.

Also, there’s one last thing about the name. I’m disappointed that McDonald’s used the name McCrispy for a chicken sandwich because it hurts my idea of having a product called McCrispies, which would be a clamshell container of those short crunchy French fry shards that end up at the bottom of fry sleeves that could be used as a sandwich or dessert topping.

Purchased Price: $6.89*
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 650 calories, 36 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1610 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 8 grams of added sugar), and 33 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

McDonald’s Smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with Cheese is like a combination of two other Quarter Pounder varieties — Quarter Pounder Deluxe and Quarter Pounder Bacon – but with the usual condiments kicked to the curb, the pickles punched out of the park, and the onions out of the picture.

The latest Quarter Pounder variation features a beef patty, two American cheese slices, applewood smoked bacon, Roma tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and a new smoky sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun. It’s also available with two beef patties.

Before seeing pictures of this burger, I thought because of the “smoky” in its name that it would have a barbecue sauce. But as you can see in the photos, the smoky sauce looks like mayonnaise or ranch dressing. Its tangy and smoky flavor makes it similar to a bacon-flavored ranch dressing, but it doesn’t have a strong flavor even though it’s on both buns.

Is the sauce tasty enough that I’d want it on every McDonald’s burger? I’m not sure because I feel it’s there specifically to enhance the bacon’s flavor, much like the hot fudge in the new Oreo Fudge McFlurry enhances the chocolatey cookie crumbles. So putting it in burgers that don’t have bacon might not work. Speaking of the pork, I loved biting into the slices I had in mine. They were thick, salty, meaty, slightly crispy, and, as I’ve experienced with the regular bacon Quarter Pounder, paired well with the beef patty.

The lettuce was crunchy, somewhat green, and fell out from the burger like it was pretending to be in a Big Mac. As for the Roma tomatoes, two bright red slices added a slightly sweet and acidic bite. While eating the burger, I forgot two American slices were in it because my taste buds didn’t notice them. Instead, they ended up more focused on the bacon and smoky sauce.

Overall, McDonald’s Smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a tasty variation of its classic burger, and it successfully makes me think of a BLT. I do believe its name is more of a mouthful than the burger itself, but I guess I should be glad that it’s not the McDonald’s Smoky Bacon Lettuce Tomato Quarter Pounder with Pasteurized Process American Cheese.

Purchased Price: $7.99*
Size: n/a
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 770 calories, 51 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 115 milligrams of cholesterol, 1410 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 36 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

The “Customize” button that appears with most menu items when ordering from the McDonald’s app opens up various ingredients and options you can add that don’t come standard. Want your fries with MORE salt? That’s an option. Want to turn an inexpensive McDonald’s hamburger into something that costs twice as much with the addition of bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes? You can do that, moneybags. The “Customize” button also allows you to order McDonald’s limited time only Oreo Fudge McFlurry long after it’s gone.

Before being an official menu item, I could order an Oreo McFlurry with hot fudge sauce for an extra 35 cents, which ends up being slightly more expensive than what I paid for this official version.

While it’s not the most unique McFlurry idea I’ve stuffed into my face, I still think it’s a delicious treat. How could hot fudge in an Oreo McFlurry not be delicious?

Mine was mixed well, and every spoonful had a bunch of crunchy Oreo crumbles. The cookies add a bit of a darker chocolate flavor than what the hot fudge does. Also, because the topping is mixed into the ice cream, its flavor doesn’t come through as it does with a hot fudge sundae.

Also, I miss the fudge’s gooey texture, which isn’t there beyond whatever got flurried onto the inside of the lid. Instead, all the chocolatey topping does is enhance the Oreo flavor, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Since McDonald’s didn’t put much thought into this treat, I decided to put as much effort into enhancing it one step further. Thanks to a birthday surprise through the McDonald’s app, I could get a free cinnamon roll. So I decided to combine the two treats, thinking it would be awesome. It ended up being okay because the cinnamon roll overpowered the ice cream and cookies. They’re definitely better apart.

With the McDonald’s Oreo Fudge McFlurry, I guess we finally got a McDonald’s Menu Hack that doesn’t involve us having to put it together on our own. It’s available for a limited time, and it’s definitely worth a try while it’s around or when it becomes the slightly more expensive McDonald’s Oreo McFlurry with hot fudge sauce that you can get by tapping the “Customize” button.

SIDE NOTE: It seems while the Oreo Fudge McFlurry is available, it’s not possible to customize a regular Oreo McFlurry with hot fudge sauce. Makes sense. But you can add caramel topping to one. Maybe an Oreo Caramel McFlurry is in our future?

Purchased Price: $4.39
Size: Regular
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories, 20 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 99 grams of carbohydrates, 77 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 14 grams of protein.

What is it?

McDonald’s newest McCreation is the Chocolatey Pretzel McFlurry. The sweet treat features chocolatey-coated pretzel pieces and caramel topping blended with vanilla soft serve. It’s available for a limited time at participating locations.

How is it?

The dessert is creamy, chocolatey, crunchy, caramel-ly, and cretzel-ly, um, I mean pretzel-ly.

First off, let’s talk about those pretzel pieces with a chocolatey coating. For the most part, they’re crunchy. The cocoa coating dampens the crunch a tad, but that’s better than uncoated pieces getting soggy in melting soft serve. I was expecting some saltiness from the pretzels, which would’ve made this more of a sweet and salty treat. But I’m fine with their crunch and whatever pretzel flavor comes through, which I’ll admit is not a lot. However, there are a lot of pieces. Every spoonful I dug up had a few. As for the coating, it has a mild chocolatey flavor that’s more noticeable than what’s inside it.

The caramel in the Mount McFlurry crater in the middle of my cup is gooey and sweet. But, unlike the pretzel pieces, it’s not as noticeable in every spoonful after I’ve stirred everything a few times. Also, while it adds butteriness and more sweetness, it might’ve been better if it was salted caramel. Perhaps I should’ve asked for a salt packet to sprinkle on top. Oh, wait, salt melts ice or something, right?

Anything else you need to know?

Speaking of McDonald’s caramel topping, if it seems as if the fast food chain uses it often when it comes to new McFlurry varieties, you are McCorrect. Last year, it was the Caramel Brownie McFlurry. In 2020, it was the Chips Ahoy McFlurry. And in 2019, it was the Stroopwafel McFlurry. I’m not complaining, but I’d like to remind the R&D folks in McDonald’s test kitchens that they also have hot fudge and strawberry toppings.

Conclusion:

McDonald’s Chocolatey Pretzel McFlurry is tasty. Though, I’ll admit it’s not the most exciting combination when compared with previous limited time McOfferings. I don’t think it’s as scrumptious as the Stroopwafle or Caramel Brownie McFlurry, but it’ll satisfy a summer sweet tooth.

Purchased Price: $3.59
Size: Regular
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 670 calories, 19 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 109 grams of carbohydrates, 75 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 15 grams of protein.

What is McDonald’s Minute Maid Tropical Mango Slushie?

Just in time for the season of consistent daily double-digit UV index levels, McDonald’s has added a new flavor to its cold drink lineup — the Minute Maid Tropical Mango Slushie.

How is it?

It’s 82 degrees in my office, and the frozen beverage is doing a great job at keeping me cool as I suck its high-level UV index-colored goodness from a straw. But, after trying so many different mango-flavored products that have an easily recognizable mango flavor over the years, which make them so great, I have to say I don’t have a crushie on this slushie.

If I went up to random people on the street, asked them to try the Tropical Mango Slushie, and then asked what flavor they think it is, I’m not sure most people would say mango. Some might say peach, and others might say apricot because that’s what I taste. For those who answered with non-mango fruits, I’d tell them that they’re wrong. Then I’ll say they should never accept a slushie sip from a stranger. However, I do notice something that’s more recognizable as mango in the aftertaste. But it’s a fruity flavor that I associate with beverages that have artificial sweeteners, which isn’t optimal for a drink that doesn’t have any.

Anything else you need to know?

If you find yourself at McDonald’s and desire a limited-time slushie flavor, go for the Minute Maid Strawberry Watermelon Slushie. It’s better tasting, and it tastes like what its name says.

Conclusion:

McDonald’s Minute Maid Tropical Mango Slushie will temporarily cool you down during the season that makes your antiperspirant work super extra hard. But if you’re a mango maniac, its flavor might not be a letdown.

Purchased Price: $2.00
Size: Medium
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 220 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of carbohydrates, 59 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of protein.