"It's Flimsy": American Tries McDonald's in South Africa and Notices the Meat Tastes Different

• An American tourist filmed herself ordering and tasting McDonald's in South Africa for the first time
• She rated the Big Mac a 9 out of 10 but said the meat had a noticeably different texture to what she knew back home
• South Africans flooded the comments with a one-word explanation for the taste difference

An American woman sat down inside a South African McDonald's on 12 September 2026. She posted her honest, unfiltered review to TikTok, and locals had plenty to say about it.

TikTok creator @tiffanikoonce filmed herself navigating the kiosk ordering screen, picking up her food, and tasting everything from the fries to a Big Mac to an Oreo frappe. She was pleasantly surprised by some things and genuinely puzzled by others.

The fries earned her seal of approval straight away. She said they tasted the same as back home, which she considered a good thing. The Big Mac was a different story. She gave it a solid 9 out of 10 but pointed out that the meat felt softer and more "flimsy" than the American version. She said it was hard to explain: it was the same burger, but not quite.

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Her least favourite item was the Oreo frappe. "It tastes like ice," she said, adding that she could not find the coffee flavour anywhere in it. Her overall verdict was that she preferred the American McDonald's, not because South Africa's was bad, but simply because it was what she was used to. Watch her video below:

Mzansi explain McDonald's SA difference

The comments section on TikToker @tiffanikoonce's video filled up fast, with South Africans offering their take on why the burger tasted the way it did:

@Dev♍️ 🇿🇦 wrote:

"It's cause it's proper beef."

@Lelo replied:

"You prefer lab-grown?"

@Priscilla added:

"The meat tastes different because it's actual meat"

@Jillian De La Porte explained:

"You probably don't like the burger because we put spice on ours, and not all McDonald's taste the same in every country 🌸"

@Social weighed in:

"It's probably less processed than American food, therefore the difference in taste. As for the Oreo choc frappe, that's just a store issue... it's a really good drink"

@Georgie Porgie joked:

"Tastes a bit real 🤣 but I hate all Mcds 🥰 🇿🇦"

@Zee_kwesaba🇿🇦 kept it simple:

"Girlllll that's real beef!!!"

Other Briefly News stories about America and SA

• Expat Thando Mbhele went viral on Facebook after sharing his frustration regarding the lack of basic daily greetings in corporate America.
• TikTok user @ariellyndsey shared a detailed breakdown of why she keeps visiting South Africa, drawing direct comparisons between local metropolitan areas and American hubs.
• Food content creator @1hourlunchbreak shared a viral video testing a lineup of South African dishes purchased from a Los Angeles bar.

Source: Briefly News