If you’ve been to McDonald’s in the past week you likely noticed the restaurant has been given a slight anime makeover. The take-out bags are now covered in vivid manga drawings, there are posters everywhere promoting something called “WcDonald’s” and now there is a new limited-time-only dipping sauce known as WcDonald’s sauce, complete with Japanese Kanji.
The sauce might have given you pause at the drive-thru window recently — do you stray from your tried and true favorite dipping sauce and try this premium limited sauce, or do you stick with what you know works? This can be a real dilemma considering McDonald’s charges for any additional sauces to the two you receive free with your order. And while extra sauce isn’t exactly breaking the bank (though two is never enough), some people won’t pay for extra sauce just based on principle. So we’re taking the hit for you, rolling up to McDonald’s, and ordering a 10-piece McNugget meal with a side of fries, and a bunch of extra WcDonald’s sauce to answer the question: is WcDonald’s any good?
But first… let’s talk about the anime tie-in and why it’s happening.
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What The Hell Is WcDonald’s?
If you’re an anime fan you may have noticed a McDonald’s-like restaurant appearing with an upside-down “W” logo across several different anime properties. The symbol first appeared in a 1985 episode of the anime Cat’s Eye and has since popped up in anime like City Hunter, Virtua Fighter, Gundam Wing, InuYasha, Detective Conan, Digimon Savers, and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, just to name a very very small few.
That’s over 40 years of anime, all repping a restaurant known as “Wakudonarudo.”
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McDonald’s has decided to embrace Wakudonarudo — renamed WcDonald’s because its easier to say — and has teamed up with legendary anime studio Studio Pierrot (responsible for classics like Urusei Yatsura, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, and Bleach) for a special WcDonald’s manga series that customers can access by scanning the QR codes on the new manga-inspired packaging, which features artwork by Japanese illustrator Acky Bright.
As a kick-off for the promotion, McDonald’s put together an immersive dining experience in Los Angeles that just wrapped this weekend and recreated WcDonald’s.
Okay, that covers the anime tie-in, let’s talk about why you’re here: the sauce.
WcDonald’s Sauce Review
Tasting Notes & Thoughts
There is an intense sweetness to the WcDonald’s sauce, with a combination of ginger and garlic flavors joined by a light dusting of chili flakes in a heavy soy-based sauce. It’s a bit like thick teriyaki sauce in consistency, but not as delicate and nuanced. It’s got more heat and a stronger emphasis on sweet flavors that McDonald’s stock Sweet and Sour sauce doesn’t deliver.
The heat lives on the backend and never tips into full-on spicy, but it’s a nice amount of heat that even the most spice-obsessed will be able to enjoy. Overall, I think it’s a strong addition to McDonald’s roster of sauces and it’ll be a real shame when this one leaves the menu.
As for what to pair it with I think the McNuggets win this round easily. The sweetness of the sauce and heavy ginger flavor shine best when paired with the neutral flavor of the nugget, allowing the sauce to elevate the dish and deepen the flavors.
McDonald’s fries already have a sort of buttery sweetness to them, and when paired with the sauce I felt the combined flavor was a bit too overwhelming. Make no mistake, it makes for a good fry dip if you like sweet flavors, but if you’re trying to ration sauce, I’d use it on the nuggets before the fries. You’ll get about two nuggets per sauce before you have to open another.
The Bottom Line:
A rich and flavorful sauce that leans sweet and deserves permanent menu status. The sauce tastes best paired with nuggets.
Find your nearest McDonald’s here.
