Find out what chefs order when they pull up to the Golden Arches
Everyone craves a McDonald’s burger now and then—even chefs. We’re talking about people with expert palates who spend their days reducing demi-glace to perfection, plating intricate tasting menus and obsessing over sourcing the finest ingredients. Yet, when the mood strikes, they still find themselves irresistibly drawn to the Golden Arches, just like the rest of us.
“People think chefs eat like kings and queens every day. Not true!” says Lisa Brooks, the executive chef and CEO of Heart & Soul Personal Chef Service in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We have our ‘guilty’ pleasures for sure! And I love McDonald’s!”
For many, a meal from McDonald’s is rooted in nostalgia: a reminder of childhood road trips, late-night drive-thru runs or the comfort of familiar and dependable food. For others, it’s about convenience, consistency or simply because, well, they’re lovin’ it. No one can deny that there’s something about that unmistakable flavor: the squish of the bun, the tang of the pickles and the exact melt of the cheese. It brings people back again and again—and that list includes top chefs.
So we asked 10 cooks—from Food Network stars and a hotel chef to restaurant owners and even a former McDonald’s corporate chef—for their go-to burger order at Mickey D’s. Read on for the juicy details.
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What McDonald’s burger is the favorite among chefs?
A clear front-runner emerged: the Quarter Pounder, in all its forms. Of the 10 chefs we surveyed, more than half of them cited the Quarter Pounder as their go-to McDonald’s burger. They only differed as to how they order it: Double, with cheese; with cheese and bacon; or Deluxe (a Quarter Pounder with the addition of Roma tomatoes, lettuce and mayo).
Why do chefs love the Quarter Pounder?
“The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese is my ride-or-die burger because it’s all about the beef and cheese: two thick patties, plenty of melty cheese and just enough toppings to let the meat shine. It always hits the spot,” says Zachary Chancey, the executive chef at the Alida Hotel in Savannah, Georgia, who has competed on Beat Bobby Flay. “Something about that combo of beef and melty cheese takes me straight back to being a kid, when grabbing one felt like the best part of the day,” he adds.
“The Quarter Pounder is still the best burger option at McDonald’s,” says Mike Haracz, a former McDonald’s corporate chef, who likes his with cheese and bacon. “In the U.S., it is made with fresh beef … and it is supposed to be cooked to order, making it the freshest option.”
“I like the simplicity of it,” says Los Angeles chef, restaurateur and TV personality Eric Greenspan. He enjoys his Quarter Pounder simple and orders it without the ketchup and mustard it normally comes with.
Dino Giordano, executive chef at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, also likes the simplicity of the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Plus, he says, “it’s more customizable than the Big Mac, which allows me to put some fries inside as well as lots of extra ketchup!”
“I just like a good old burger, and the Quarter Pounder is the perfect burger at McDonald’s,” says Thomas Perone, the chef/owner of Brooklyn Roots Italian and The Corner, both in Brooklyn, New York, who likes his with cheese and bacon. He adds that “the burger for the Quarter Pounder is bigger than that burger they use for the Big Mac.”
The size of the burger was also mentioned by Jessica Randhawa, the chef/creator of the Forked Spoon, who goes for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe on family road trips. “It has a bigger/juicer patty, which makes for a good meat-to-bun ratio,” she says. And the extra veggies (lettuce, tomato and onion) of the Deluxe “make it a bit healthier.”
What other burger did chefs pick?
The runner-up, cited by four of the chefs surveyed, was the simple McDonald’s classic Cheeseburger.
Why do chefs love the classic Cheeseburger?
“It’s zero frills, to the point, and just tried and true,” says Christian Velez, a pastry chef and culinary arts instructor based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who was a finalist on the Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship.
Nick Pescatore, executive chef of That Pasta Club and That Supper Club, in Park Ridge, New Jersey, agrees. “When it comes to McDonald’s, I keep it simple: a Cheeseburger with just cheese, ketchup, pickles and a little onion,” he says. “It’s the classic combination—nothing fancy, just the right balance of salty, cheesy and satisfying.”
Top Chef alum Nini Nguyen is also a fan—except she goes for the Double Cheeseburger. “I like it because of the raw onions, pickles and the ketchup-mustard combo.”
And Brooks adds: “I’m a 55-year-old woman, and I will get a Cheeseburger Happy Meal right now today. Because why? It makes you happy! It’s part nostalgia, sure, but at the end of the day, it actually tastes good.”
Anyone else have a sudden craving to hit the McDonald’s drive-thru?
About the experts
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Sources:
- Lisa Brooks, executive chef and CEO of Heart & Soul Personal Chef Service and author; email interview, Sept. 10, 2025
- Zachary Chancey, executive chef at the Alida Hotel; email interview, Sept. 11, 2025
- Mike Haracz, food scientist, research & development (R&D) chef, former corporate chef at McDonald’s and content creator; email interview, Sept. 15, 2025
- Eric Greenspan, chef, restaurateur, TV personality and author; email interview, Sept. 8, 2025
- Dino Giordano, executive chef at Mount Holyoke College; email interview, Sept. 11, 2025
- Thomas Perone, chef/owner of Brooklyn Roots Italian and The Corner; phone interview, Sept. 5, 2025
- Jessica Randhawa, head chef, recipe creator, photographer and writer of The Forked Spoon; email interview, Sept. 5, 2025
- Christian Velez, pastry chef, culinary arts instructor and finalist on the Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship; Instagram chat, Sept. 8, 2025
- Nick Pescatore, executive chef of That Pasta Club and That Supper Club, email interview, Sept. 15, 2025
- Nini Nguyen, chef, author, instructor and Top Chef alum; email interview, Sept. 8, 2025
