The Worst McDonald's Burger Has Been On The Menu For 70+ Years

What was once an innovation is now the dullest burger on the menu. Our reviewer tasted and ranked all of McDonald's standard burger options and found one classic that's been there since the start sitting in last place: the humble hamburger. They found nothing offensive about the dish –- it is just plain boring. The hamburger consists of pickles, diced onions, ketchup, and mustard on a very thin burger patty; which is how it's been since the first McDonald's opened in 1948 with only a hamburger, cheeseburger, soda, milk, coffee, potato chips, and pie on the menu. The $0.15 McDonald's Hamburger back then attracted crowds thanks to the surprisingly low price and speedy service. Now the low price is more or less gone while the speedy service can get you more flavorful options in the same amount of time it takes to squirt a couple condiments on a tiny patty.

Our reviewer used their history in the food industry to judge the burgers on both taste and balance. While nothing tasted off with the regular hamburger, they found it to be dry and starchy thanks to the unbalanced bun-to-meat ratio. In the end, their verdict was that, while they would not order one themselves, if someone else bought a McDonald's hamburger for them they wouldn't say no.

Not many people talk about the McDonald's Hamburger. On a Reddit post debating what the fast food chain's main burger is, the original hamburger got little mention. Most of the debate was between the Big Mac and Quarter Pounder. Another Reddit poster asked: "What's your fav McDonald's burger?" Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, Filet-O–Fish, McDoubles, even the regular Cheeseburger were all mentioned multiple times, with only one replying with hamburger. The reason? "Mainly cause I'm cheap."

People complain about the higher prices at McDonald's. "The price of beef has skyrocketed so much that I really can't justify it anymore. Nearly $5 for a burger that was like $2 only 5-6 years ago," wrote one commenter. The prices going up at this once-cheap chain is one of the most common complaints customers have about McDonald's. "I remember when hamburgers when [sic] from $0.15 to $0.20. Five for a buck was a great deal even then," wrote another commenter. These days, depending on where you live, a hamburger can cost $3 or $4. Five hamburgers for $20 doesn't have the same ring to it, especially for how plain they are.