Off-menu items are like the hidden door in the bookcase -- you've got to be able to tell cashiers exactly which button to push on the register in order to reveal the hidden wonders at your favorite fast food restaurant.
Mental Floss published a list of 10 off-menu items at popular fast food chains -- but as with so much of the Internet, the best information is in the comments and suggestions that follow the story. A double grilled quesadilla at Taco Bell is a good idea. The chili cheese burrito, however, sounds like it was left off the menu for a reason.
Starbucks retired the strawberry-blended lemonade from the menu (it debuted 2006), but it's still available in stores. It's among the items recommended as Starbucks hacks, complete with ordering lingo, on barrista Jule Ann's site.
McDonald's "Mini Mac" is a double cheeseburger made like a Big Mac. It sounds a lot more appetizing than the Snack Wrap Mac -- a Big Mac shrunk and stuffed into a flour tortilla rolled out earlier this year. And at Burger King, I've taken advantage of the magic word "frings," which gets you something similar to a Winstead's 50-50, half-onion rings, half-fries.
For those who have forgotten, Fat City offered up a few secret chicken dishes not advertised on Kansas City menus. KC Lunch Spots and the Ulterior Epicure offered up guides to going off menu at Chinese restaurants in the city as well.
The servers at Guadalajara Cafe will often suggest that you go off menu; odds are you'll get a shrimp or seafood dish. And, while it's not a secret, Waldo Pizza offers vegan and gluten-free menus. You just have to ask your server.
Now it's your turn, commenters.
[Image via Flickr: totalAldo]
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