Filipinos Can Now Enjoy McRib in the Philippines

The McRib by McDonald's is taking the Philippines by storm. Just check for #mcrib on Instagram and you will see many of our kababayan raving about this new offering at McDonald's. Netizens have different opinions about the McRib. Of course, we all have our differences in taste preference, but basing on the comments on IG, it looks like the McRib has earned the desire of the majority of Pinoys.

Your New Desire

So what is the McRib?

The McRib is basically a pork patty smothered with barbecue sauce, topped with pickles and onions and served in a bread roll. It's not really a new product. It has been around in the US since the 80's and it is only now that it is being introduced in the Philippines. To be exact, it was first made available in the Philippines on October 14 in selected pilot branches in Metro Manila. McRib's official tagline in the Philippines is Your New Desire. It is available a la carte or as a value meal with small, medium or large fries and drinks.

The McRib

Browsing on Instagram, we've seen that the McRib was launched in Guatemala four days ahead of the Philippines, on October 10, with the tagline Sabor Irresistible (English: Irresistible Taste). Just like the Filipinos, it was also warmly welcomed by the Guatemalans. Back in January 2014, the McRib was launched in Germany with the tagline Geschmacksvolltreffer (English: Hitting the Flavor) and because it became a hit, it is still available in McDonald's branches in Germany until today. The McRib was also relaunched this year in Canada, Spain and the US.

Pinoys Love Rice

To ensure its success in the Philippines, a rice meal was created especially for the Filipinos. The Glazed Pork BBQ with Rice Meal is only available in the Philippines. The meal includes the same pork patty used in the McRib and is glazed with the same barbecue sauce. Finally, it is topped with chopped onions, sans the pickles. It is served with a single serving or rice. You can customize you meal by adding small fries, cheesy mashed potatoes, or mac n cheese.

Glazed Pork BBQ with Rice Meal

What do we think of the McRib?

We seldom blog about fastfood meals, and when we blog about them, that means we really loved'em. I particularly like the flavor of the barbecue sauce. It has a sweet-smokey flavor into it, far different from the BBQ sauce used for the McNuggets. Right now, I personally prefer the McRib over the burgers. I don't get tired of its taste. The same goes to the Glazed Pork BBQ with Rice Meal. I am so dying to dip it in vinegar with lots of garlic, just like how we Pinoys enjoy our pork bbq. I will bring my own vinegar next time, haha. One problem though with the rice meal, the patty is quite tough to be sliced using a plastic spoon, so I hope McDonald's will provide plastic knives (the same one in pancake meals) when serving this meal.

McRib Menu at McDonald's Tycoon Center-Ortigas

Is the McRib worth my money?

Definitely! The McRib meals may be more expensive than the Cheeseburger and the Cheeseburger Deluxe meals, we would still pay a few extra pesos (P20-P30) for a better tasting sandwich. The Glazed Pork BBQ with Rice meal is also more expensive than a 1-pc Chicken McDo Meal by a few pesos, but is almost the same price as the Longganisa with Rice meal, so it's still good value for money.

Where is the McRib available in the Philippines?

It is currently available in a number of pilot branches across Metro Manila. We had ours at the Tycoon Center branch in Ortigas. We checked #mcrib on IG and found photos uploaded at People Support branch and Greenbelt branch in Makati, SM North branch in QC, MDC 100 branch in Libis, and SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. If you know of other McDonald's branches that serves the McRib, please send us a comment.