It was 5:45 a.m. and I was waiting in my car for a fast food restaurant to open.
Let me explain.
In late 2023, McDonald’s launched CosMc’s, a spinoff restaurant named for an alien character in the extended McDonaldLand Universe. CosMc first appeared in the 1980s, when he “got all six hands on McDonald’s menu items… and never returned,” as the official lore goes. Somewhere out there in the cosmos, CosMc started experimenting with the recipes, and after serving millions of his fellow aliens, he “decided it was time to bring this menu down to Earth.”
The first CosMc’s opened in Bolingbrook, Illinois, outside of Chicago. It recently expanded to a second location in Dallas, Texas, within driving distance of my current residence in Austin. I read about the long lines (three hours!) in Illinois, so rather than risk the wait during the dinner rush, I arrived at CosMc’s on a recent Sunday morning, 15 minutes before doors opened. This proved to be a wise decision: I was the only one there, other than the half-dozen employees who were prepared to direct the forthcoming traffic in the drive-thru line, with another dozen or so inside.
Here’s what it looked like:
I don’t drink coffee and I didn’t want to set myself up for a late-morning sugar crash, so I didn’t add any beverages to my order (I’m sure my fast food expert colleague Dane will have a full menu review when CosMc’s moves out west). I also excluded any items that are available at any ol’ McDonald’s, like the Egg McMuffin or Oreo McFlurry.
Here’s what I got — beginning with some quick hitters before getting to the signature sandwich.
The avocado tomatillo sauce was a little too sweet for my taste, but I liked the crunch that the bacon provided. A solid breakfast sandwich.
A smaller version of the iconic McDonald’s hash brown. The bites come four to an order and there’s just enough of a difference from its larger counterpart (the mini features parsley, onion, and garlic, unlike the original) to make it worth impulsively adding as a side.
It’s a box… with snacks. I’m not sure why I even bothered trying the packaged gouda cheese, sliced pepperoni, flax seed crackers, and a squirrel-size amount of almonds and dried cranberries. Don’t make my mistake.
I will try anything with the Mc- prefix at Mcdonald’s. McDouble? Of course. McNuggets? I must’ve eaten hundreds in high school. McGeneral Tso’s Chicken? If it existed, you know it. The McPops — essentially mini donuts filled with your choice of cookie butter, apple cinnamon, and hazelnut, or all three in the mixed bag — is the latest member of the McFamily.
Unfortunately, they didn’t live up to the McHype. Of the three, I would go with the apple cinnamon.
Now, on to the main feature…
We do things a little different down here in Texas. We slap the state flag on literally every surface imaginable, we still call the Dallas Cowboys “America’s Team” even though they haven’t won a Super Bowl in decades, and we have strong queso takes. Before moving here, I never thought twice about queso; now, after living in Texas for over a decade, I would die for the melted cheese (assuming it doesn’t kill me from a heart attack first).
Is the Spicy Queso Sandwich at CosMc’s the best queso I’ve ever had? No, of course not — but it’s still pretty good.
The sandwich is served in a brioche bun and consists of an omelet-style egg, spicy queso sauce, melted white cheddar cheese, jalapeño chips, and sausage, which I removed in favor of smoked bacon. The bun was whatever, but I was pleasantly surprised that the sauce and chips added a slight hit of spice. Not a lot, especially for the heatseekers of the world, but more than I expected from a fast food breakfast sandwich.
In short, I was impressed.
The Spicy Queso Sandwich isn’t worth a multi-hour wait, but if you’re driving past a CosMc’s and see a short line, give it a try.
