Missing The McDonald's Big N' Tasty Burger? Here's How You Can Still Order It Today

Many McDonald's sandwiches have come and gone over the chain's long life, but few have inspired such lasting memories as the Big N' Tasty, a sandwich the Golden Arches introduced in 1997. The item was designed to compete with Burger King's Whopper, which debuted 40 years earlier in 1957.

The Big N' Tasty consisted of a seasoned, ¼-pound beef patty — yes, McDonald's uses 100% beef in its burgers — topped with one large tomato slice covering most of the burger, leaf lettuce, pickle slices, slivered onion rings, ketchup, and mayonnaise, all on a toasted sesame seed bun. Burger King fans may notice that, true to the Big N' Tasty's intended competition, these ingredients are quite similar to those included on the Whopper.

Astute McDonald's fans, however, may notice that the Big N' Tasty also shared many components with the Quarter Pounder, which can be turned into a similar sandwich with a custom order. To duplicate the discontinued item, just ask for a Quarter Pounder with no cheese and no mustard, then add mayonnaise, tomatoes, and lettuce. You may have to make do with shredded (not leaf) lettuce and several small tomato slices instead of a large one, but otherwise, it's essentially the same burger.

The Big N' Tasty suffered a somewhat confused existence. Although it was meant to take on the Whopper, popular opinion held that the actual competitor to Burger King's signature sandwich was, of course, McDonald's signature sandwich: the Big Mac (which itself was originally intended to compete against yet another fast food burger, Eat'n Park's Big Boy).

The Big N' Tasty disappeared from American menus by the end of 2010. It's unknown exactly why McDonald's discontinued the Big N' Tasty, but a clue may lie in a similarly named item that's sometimes mistaken for the Whopper dupe: the Big Tasty. Available internationally, the visibly different burger used three slices of Emmental cheese and a smoky Big Tasty sauce, neither of which were present on the Big N' Tasty.

McDonald's removed the Big Tasty from menus in 2018. According to a statement on the chain's website, this was because its preparation took up too much kitchen space relative to other popular sandwiches. But while the Big Tasty occasionally reappears for limited international stints, the Big N' Tasty seems doomed to remain one of the discontinued McDonald's items we still miss (absent a custom Quarter Pounder order, of course).