McDonald’s has been serving breakfast for decades, and most people have their go-to orders locked down. But have you ever wondered which items are actually worth your money? Three separate taste tests ranking every McDonald’s breakfast item came to some surprising conclusions. While the Egg McMuffin gets most of the love, some menu items consistently rank at the bottom across multiple reviews. From disappointing bagels to confusing chicken sandwiches, these breakfast flops might be taking up valuable menu space.
The plain bagel is a waste of money
McDonald’s plain bagel ranks dead last in multiple breakfast reviews, and for good reason. When you order this item, you’re essentially paying for a boring piece of bread with butter as your only topping option. The chain doesn’t offer cream cheese or any fruit spreads, which seems like a huge oversight. Most reviewers compared it to a stale grocery store bagel still wrapped in plastic. The texture lacks that satisfying chew and crisp exterior that makes real bagels worth eating.
What makes this even worse is the inconsistent toasting. Sometimes you’ll get a slightly golden bagel, other times it arrives looking pale and unappetizing. The only time anyone recommended ordering this was if you plan to build your own breakfast sandwich by adding eggs, cheese, and meat. Otherwise, you’re better off saving your money and getting literally anything else on the menu. At most locations, the plain bagel costs around four dollars, which feels like highway robbery for something so bland.
Scrambled eggs arrive as folded squares
When McDonald’s added scrambled eggs as a side option, it seemed like a smart move for people watching what they eat. The problem is these aren’t actually scrambled eggs in the traditional sense. What arrives is the same folded egg square used in biscuit sandwiches, pre-formed into a neat rectangle. The texture is spongy rather than fluffy, and the appearance looks nothing like eggs you’d make at home. Multiple reviewers noted the taste is extremely mild, bordering on completely flavorless without added salt or hot sauce.
Anyone ordering scrambled eggs as a standalone item will likely feel disappointed. Without cheese, meat, or bread to add contrast, you’re stuck eating a rubbery egg patty that does nothing to satisfy morning cravings. The price point makes it even less appealing since you could get a full sandwich with actual ingredients for just a couple dollars more. If you want eggs at McDonald’s, stick with getting them inside a sandwich where they can at least play a supporting role alongside other ingredients.
Chicken McGriddle creates a confusing mess
The Chicken McGriddle combines crispy fried chicken with sweet maple pancake buns, and reviewers universally agree this combination misses the mark. While the chicken itself is well-seasoned and crispy, pairing it with sugary griddle cakes creates a clash nobody asked for. The McGriddle patties are dense and loaded with maple syrup pockets, which makes every bite taste more like dessert than breakfast. Adding savory fried chicken to this sweet base creates a confusing flavor profile that never finds its balance.
The main issue is that this feels like someone combined lunch and breakfast without thinking through whether they should. Fried chicken belongs on a biscuit with honey or hot sauce, not sandwiched between pancakes. The heavy, sweet griddle cakes also make the entire sandwich sit like a rock in your stomach. Most taste testers ranked this near the bottom, noting it seemed more like a failed experiment than a legitimate menu option. Unless you’re the type of person who drowns chicken and waffles in syrup, this sandwich probably won’t appeal to you.
McChicken Biscuit feels more like lunch
Another chicken option that falls flat is the McChicken Biscuit, which stuffs a crispy chicken patty inside a Southern-style biscuit. The chicken is perfectly fine, crispy and well-seasoned just like the lunch version. The biscuit starts out promising with its buttery appearance, but quickly reveals itself to be dry and crumbly. Trying to eat this sandwich on your morning commute becomes a challenge as the biscuit falls apart in your hands, leaving crumbs everywhere.
The bigger problem is that nothing about this sandwich says breakfast. There’s no egg, no cheese, and no sweet element to connect it to morning eating. It tastes exactly like someone took a lunch sandwich and served it before 10:30 AM. Multiple reviewers mentioned craving honey or some kind of sauce to make this work, but McDonald’s serves it completely plain. The dry biscuit combined with plain chicken creates a forgettable experience that leaves you wishing you’d ordered something more breakfast-focused. At least the Chicken McGriddle tried to be a breakfast item, even if it failed.
Steak breakfast items cost way too much
McDonald’s offers steak options across multiple breakfast items, and they consistently rank in the bottom half of taste tests. The main issue is price. At many locations, the Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel costs over thirteen dollars, which is absolutely ridiculous for fast food breakfast. The steak itself is a processed patty that resembles ground beef more than actual steak, with a fatty and dry texture that doesn’t justify the premium price tag. A few sad strips of grilled onion don’t improve things much either.
When steak appears on McGriddles or biscuits, the results aren’t much better. The processed meat patty clashes with sweet griddle cakes, creating an unpleasant combination that tastes more like a confused burger than breakfast. Several reviewers suggested McDonald’s should just put a regular burger patty on these sandwiches instead, since the steak brings nothing special to the table. The only steak item that earned middling reviews was the Steak McMuffin, where the English muffin and egg at least provide some breakfast context. Even then, most people agreed they’d rather save money and get sausage instead.
Biscuits and gravy pack too much salt
Available only in certain regions, Biscuits and Gravy sounds like it should be a winner for Southern breakfast fans. The reality is a bowl of disappointment. The gravy comes loaded with sausage crumbles and has a creamy texture that’s actually not terrible. However, the overwhelming amount of sodium ruins any potential this dish had. One serving contains a shocking amount of salt that you can taste in every single bite, with pepper being the only other detectable seasoning beyond artificial flavoring.
The biscuits themselves are decent when fresh, but they arrive split and drowning in gravy, making them soggy and hard to enjoy. Reviewers also pointed out this is possibly the worst item to eat in your car, since spilling thick gravy all over your seats would create a nightmare cleanup situation. The lingering smell alone would haunt your vehicle for weeks. At around four dollars, this regional offering ranks near the bottom of most breakfast lists. You’re better off making biscuits and gravy at home where you can control the salt level, or visiting a restaurant that specializes in Southern breakfast.
Big Breakfast with Steak looks like cafeteria food
The Big Breakfast with Steak platter ranked absolute last in one comprehensive taste test, and the reasons are pretty clear. This meal comes with that same questionable steak patty, scrambled eggs, a biscuit, and a hash brown, all served separately like a school cafeteria tray. The presentation alone kills any appetite, with the withered steak garnished by just two lonely onion strings looking especially sad. Nothing on this platter works together, and each component tastes like it came from a different meal.
The scrambled eggs need heavy doses of salt and pepper to taste like anything. The biscuit requires butter and jam just to be edible. The hash brown begs for ketchup. When your breakfast requires that many condiment packets just to be palatable, something has gone seriously wrong. The steak remains the worst part, being fatty, dry, and completely unseasoned. At nearly seven dollars, this platter offers terrible value when you could get a satisfying breakfast sandwich for half the price. The only people who should order this are those with way too much time and access to multiple condiment packets.
All three bagel sandwiches fall short
McDonald’s brought bagel sandwiches back to the menu in 2020 after a long absence, but maybe they should have stayed gone. All three versions with bacon, sausage, or steak rank in the bottom half of breakfast sandwich lists. The main problem is the bagel itself, which tastes like a frozen grocery store version that may or may not have been toasted with butter as advertised. The bread is dry, dense, and overwhelms whatever protein gets sandwiched inside, even when doubled up with cheese and sauce.
The bacon version suffers most since McDonald’s bacon is already pretty weak, and the massive bagel completely swallows any bacon taste. The sausage version fares slightly better because the meat adds some needed moisture and fat. The steak bagel costs the most at nearly six dollars and delivers the least satisfaction, combining that disappointing processed steak with a bun that refuses to let any other ingredient shine. Multiple reviewers suggested going to an actual bagel shop like Einstein Bros if you want a decent breakfast bagel. The McDonald’s versions feel like they were designed by someone who had never actually eaten a good bagel sandwich before.
Sausage McMuffin lacks anything special
The basic Sausage McMuffin without egg ranks low simply because it’s boring compared to everything else available. This sandwich is just a sausage patty with cheese on an English muffin, nothing more. While the sausage itself is well-seasoned and the English muffin provides a solid base, there’s no reason to order this stripped-down version when you could add an egg for minimal extra cost. The simplicity that might seem appealing actually works against this sandwich.
What really hurts the Sausage McMuffin is how easily you can recreate it at home. Buy some frozen sausage patties and English muffins from the grocery store, and you’ve basically got the same thing without leaving your kitchen. McDonald’s breakfast shines when it offers combinations and convenience you can’t easily replicate, but this sandwich brings nothing unique to the table. At its low price point, it’s not a terrible option if you’re on a tight budget. But when there are so many better choices on the same menu for just slightly more money, why settle for the most basic sandwich possible?
McDonald’s breakfast menu offers plenty of great options, but these bottom-ranked items prove that not everything deserves a spot in your morning rotation. The plain bagel, scrambled eggs, and both chicken sandwiches consistently disappointed reviewers across multiple taste tests. Steak items cost too much for what you get, while the bagel sandwiches can’t compete with actual bagel shops. When you’re standing in line deciding what to order, skip these breakfast flops and stick with the classics that made McDonald’s morning menu famous in the first place.
