It's late on Monday March 16th '26 as I start this post. By tomorrow, which will be today (or later!) when you read this, I would have finally tried something I've wanted to tick off my fast food bucket list.
I first became aware of McDonald's McGriddles in one of the chats I had with my friend, Vicki, a long time ago. I'd make a guess it was around the time when McDonald's brought back the Breakfast Wrap after the lockdowns. Vick asked me something along the lines of 'have you ever tried a McGriddle?'
I had no clue what they were. Vick explained they're a breakfast sandwich with the food contained between 'maple cakes'. I don't know why I quoted 'maple cakes' (there, I did it again!). I cannot recall if that's how Vick worded it. However, upon doing my own research, I concluded they sounded very intriguing. Kind of like hard pancakes (scones? biscuits?) Whatever it was, I wanted to try one!
A few weeks back, I came across a video on YouTube. The man in front of the camera ran through a handful of new products set to be a part of the new McDonald's menu.
McGriddles are set to debut here in the UK for a limited time. Starting in a few hours from when this post sees the light of day, in fact.
I'm ordering one on DAY ONE. I have to.
It has been a long time since I ordered McDonald's for breakfast. It looks like June, so would have been when Vick was still with us. I would have loved to have been able to break the news as soon as I found out these items are finally making their way here.
What I'm going to do is let this post go live at midnight and then update it once I've had the breakfast.
If all goes to plan, you'll witness my initial thoughts immediately below the timecard.
I woke up earlier than I would have liked. The first thing I did was wonder which day of the week it was. I initially thought it was the weekend and then realised it was Tuesday. It then dawned on me 'Ahh, it's the McGriddle today.'
After figuring out the day, I checked both the UberEats and Just Eats apps to see if the new product was available on the menu.
The good news - it is.
My ordered arrived a little after 8:30am.
We ordered three Sausage and Egg McGriddle meals. I noticed a strong whiff of coffee when the courier handed over the bags. I thought it had spilled. Anyway, I wanted to mention the coffee because - as soon as I put that bag aside (it hadn't spilled) - I was left with the one containing the food. The aroma of maple was strong before I had even opened up the bag. It would have been the first sensation I experienced at the handoff had one of us not ordered coffee today.
The maple scent was even more empowering once I unwrapped the product. As you can see above, it has the M stamped into it.
Before I continue, I'd like to draw attention to something I wrote in the first part of today's post.
I mentioned the word 'maple cakes' because, when Vicki described them to me, I had a vision of the sandwich holding items between two pancakes. That imagination was thrown off a few days ago when I was talking about McGriddles in a chatroom. One of the users stated that they were 'like a biscuit', so I began to explore the thought they were more like scones rather than the pancakes I had assumed them to be for the past six plus years.
It turns out my initial guess, prompted by Vick's explanation, was spot on. They lean heavily more to being a thick pancake rather than a biscuit (scone!).
So - I suppose - that's what it felt like to eat one. Two maple-flavoured thick pancakes with sausage, egg and a slice of cheese.
Over the years, one of my favourite McDonald's breakfast meals has been sausages and pancakes. I never really went for the McMuffin. Only when I felt like a change. It has either been the sausages and pancakes or a breakfast wrap/roll.
The McGriddle seems like a collision between the sausages and pancakes meal and some of the contents of the other breakfast meals I go for.
A nice collision. Sweet and savoury.
I will surely have a McDonald's McGriddle again. Maybe not during this current run, but when - or if - the company brings it back in the future.
Vick was right to point the McGriddle out to me. I did enjoy it.
The product took its time to get here. Apparently, the McGriddle has been around for twenty-three years.
I can now officially tick a McDonald's McGriddle off the list of things Vick shone a spotlight on during our many chats over the years. I still have a lot of other things I'd like to try out. Such as a Little Caesar's pizza or one of those Frosty drinks from Wendy's. I hold out hope those franchises branch out local to me. They're apparently on the rise in England, so I hope they eventually find their way across the bridge.
I bought a 'fountain Coke', as Vick called them, with today's breakfast. I've left it in the fridge to have later. When I do, I'll toast her.
