Ready to see something that you’ve never EVER seen before? Good — sit down and buckle up because I’m taking you to McDonald’s new spin-off restaurant!

I left my Chicago city bubble to head to the suburb of Bolingbrook, Illinois where you’ll find this guy — CosMc’s! Located in a shopping center and next to a regular McDonald’s, the new spot officially opened to the public on December 7th. “What is the deal with CosMc’s?” you may ask. Well, my team had the exact same question and after seeing the menu I knew I had to visit. So come along for a tour and review of the newest creation from McDonald’s!

Atmosphere

The new concept of CosMc’s is named after a 1980s-era McDonaldland character, and for now, it’s a limited test run that will only result in 10 pilot locations.

If you’ve been paying attention to CosMc’s in the news, you probably saw the hours-long lines. I am pleased to announce that if you go at 7:30AM on a Tuesday morning, your wait should be much shorter!

I used to be impressed when drive-thru restaurants had two lanes — CosMc’s has FOUR. All four lanes merge into one so it doesn’t seem to cut time in line that way, but it seemed organized!

The lane I was directed to had four cars ahead of me and it took about 20 minutes until I was able to order. Patience is key if you’re planning to visit this close to the grand opening.

Then it was my turn! I pulled up to the window to see the menu board (which we’ll get into more later on). Something about this is so aesthetically pleasing compared to other basic fast-food chain menus.

I was helped by a friendly employee (they were much more bubbly than I am before coffee in the morning), and the order was confirmed. It pops up on your screen so you can see the list grow as you order. Then I paid with the card reader next to the screen and got this message: “Hang tight as we prepare your order.”

Within just a few minutes, the screen changed letting me know that the order was ready! There are numbered pickup windows when you drive around the building, and the screen will indicate which one to stop at.

I was again greeted by a smiling staff member and they sent me off with my order saying “Have a nice sip.” It seems to be the slogan of this spot because I turned the corner to see this painted on a wall!

And voila! It was that easy. The ordering process does take more time, but the friendly staff and fun graphics on the screen made it an entertaining experience.

Menu

The menu is filled with drinks we’ve never seen from McDonald’s before, including plenty of coffee drinks and other caffeinated beverages, along with lots of different breakfast items. Specifically, there is a selection of “teas, lemonades, slushies, frappes, coffees, and a section called ‘signature galactic boosts.’” There are many ways to customize your drink as well with espresso shots, drizzles, flavored syrups, or boba.

When it comes to drinks, the menu includes a Sour Cherry Energy Burst, Iced and Sweet Tea, Lemonade, a Churro Frappe, Berry Hibiscus Sour-Ade, and a Popping Pear Slush. Some of the savory items on the menu include a Spicy Queso Sandwich and a Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich, as well as the Egg McMuffin and a Sausage McMuffin with Egg from the regular McDonald’s menu.

So while there are some McDonald’s staples like the McMuffin and McFlurry, most of the menu is new! I grabbed quite a few things and I’m just drooling thinking about it again so it’s time to talk about it.

Eats

Let’s start with the drinks! Although I originally had my sights set on the Churro Frappe, CosMc’s was unfortunately sold out when I stopped by. So I opted for the next best option — the Chai Frappe Burst! This is a blended chai frappe with sweet popping boba finished with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles. The drink surprised me! It was sweet but not in an overpowering way. It tasted just like horchata to me and it seemed like a lot of the chai/cinnamon flavor was coming from the boba. I would totally order this again. A medium costs $5.89.

Next up is this colorful concoction — the Popping Pear Drink! It’s a prickly pear slush with whipped cream and popping candy and a medium costs $5.39 and the boba costs $1 to add. I chose to add the fruit boba to this for $1. Although I loved the Chai Frappe, this was actually my favorite drink of the three I tasted! It was super refreshing and just like the previous drink, it wasn’t overpoweringly sweet. The prickly pear flavor is there, but it doesn’t punch you in the face. However, the boba’s flavor kinda does…but in a good way! If I add boba to this in the future, I would probably ask to leave the popping candy off the top because those two textures were weird together, but overall I really enjoyed this!

Rounding out the drinks, it’s the S’mores Cold Brew ($4.99 for a medium) which is a cold brew “paired with the sweet taste of s’mores” and finished with cold foam and toffee sprinkles on top. Unfortunately, the drink came out without the cold foam or toffee sprinkles, but I’m not sure that could have saved it. The coffee was super syrupy and it did not mix well with the bitterness of the cold brew. It tasted too sugary and too bitter at the same time somehow? This was a miss for me on this trip, but it may have been better with the cold foam on top.

Now it’s time to EAT. I grabbed four of the CosMc’s-exclusive items and started with the Pretzel Bites for $3.99. I also ordered a side of the Spicy Queso Sauce for dipping. I had to compare it to our beloved Disney plastic cheese…for science. Right?!

Anyway, the pretzel bites were pretty standard. I thought they would be dry by the looks of them, but they were decently moist and fluffy. These are salted, but not covered in butter like you’ll find at Auntie Anne’s.

I can’t lie, I was a little scared to try the cheese after looking at it. It puts the plastic in plastic cheese! But, I actually thought it paired well with the pretzel bites and it definitely had some heat. I enjoy spice and I was satisfied with it, so if spice isn’t your thing, you’ll want to stay away. It would be cool to see the pretzels filled with this cheese (wink wink, nudge nudge, CosMc’s).

My team and I were excited about this one…it’s the McPops! CosMc’s has three types of McPops on the menu including Hazelnut, Cookie Butter, and Apple Cinnamon. Each order costs $3.79 and comes with three. You can get the same kind or a mixed bag, which is exactly what I ordered to try them all.

McPops have actually been around before — they were first available internationally including at McDonald’s in Spain, but I’m very happy to see them here in the U.S. These are essentially donut holes with filling, and let me tell you that these pops are fluffy!

First, I tried the Hazelnut flavor and if you are a fan of Nutella, you will absolutely adore this! Nutella donut? Yes, please!

This is the Cookie Butter flavor and it did not disappoint! The filling in the middle tasted just like the creamy cookie butter you can find at Trader Joe’s and it was SO good with the donut.

Last but certainly not least is the Apple Cinnamon flavor. This is the only flavor that was dusted in cinnamon sugar instead of powdered sugar, and it just added to the apple cinnamon taste inside.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for — it’s time to talk sandwiches! First, I tried the Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich for $4.99 which is made with a fluffy omelet-style egg, applewood bacon, creamy avocado tomatillo sauce, and white cheddar cheese served on a brioche bun.

First of all, I have to applaud McDonald’s for making a fluffier egg for these sandwiches. The typical egg in McMuffins is fine, but this is next level. If you’ve ever had the Sausage, Cheddar, and Egg sandwich at Starbucks, the eggs reminded me of that.

The bacon is thin and floppy — nothing to write home about. The cheese slice didn’t stand out too much but it did add some more flavor to the sandwich. The avocado tomatillo sauce was the star of the show here. It was cilantro and lime forward which might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it with the eggs.

Spoiler alert: I saved the best for last. The Spicy Queso Sandwich was my favorite thing that I grabbed here! This snack also has a fluffy omelet-style egg but also has a sausage patty, spicy queso sauce (yes, the same sauce that I dipped the pretzels in), white cheddar cheese, and crispy jalapeno chips on a brioche bun. It also costs $4.99.

I’ve already raved about the eggs so I’ll stop myself here since they are the same, and the sausage tasted the same as a typical McDonald’s sausage patty. I love that the jalapeno chips made a reappearance here after being available at McDonald’s for a limited time! Those with the spicy queso sauce brought some serious heat to the sandwich, but the eggs and bun cooled it down. Speaking of the sauce, I thought the texture was much better when it was melty on this warm sandwich.

Whew! There you have it — that’s all I tried at CosMc’s this time around! I’m sure I’ll be back for more soon.

Nosh or Not

You should make the trip to CosMc’s if:

• You want to try something new! Most of the menu items here are brand new and it was refreshing to see McDonald’s plus up some of their staples like McMuffins.
• You love McDonald’s and want to try food or drinks that have never been available to you before. For example, the McPops are originally from Spain and have not been available in the U.S. with the exception of the International McDonald’s in Chicago. CosMc’s also takes a typical McDonald’s breakfast sandwich and elevates it with sauces and toppings like jalapeno chips.

You should avoid CosMc’s if:

• You live far away. If you have FOMO, just know that CosMc’s plans to expand over the next year with 10 locations in Texas. After that, if CosMc’s proves successful, even more locations may start popping up around the country.
• You’re expecting Starbucks-level coffee. Okay, I did only try one cold brew, but it was a big miss this time around. There are many different customizations you can make to the drinks you order, but it’s probably not what you’re used to if you get Starbucks or Dunkin often.

Overall

Although CosMc’s comes from the fast food giant McDonald’s, it didn’t feel like fast food. Yes, the food was ready pretty quickly after I ordered, but I waited 20 minutes before I could order. Expect to spend a decent chunk of time here, at least until the excitement of the opening calms down.

The biggest bummer is that there is no seating…like anywhere! CosMc’s is operating as a drive-thru-only spot, but there are not even tables outside either. There is a small parking lot where you could probably pull over and eat in your car like at Sonic, but that parking area was blocked off when I visited.

The staff were super nice and made the experience great. I’ll even admit that they rival Chick-fil-A employees on the niceness scale. But in all seriousness, that pushed the time here to a new level.

Stay tuned to DFB for more about CosMc’s and McDonald’s!

 6 Super WEIRD Menu Items at McDonald’s NEW Spin-Off Restaurant

What do you think of the new CosMc’s restaurant? Tell us in the comments!