A man who has eaten McDonald's in 53 countries reveals the best and worst menu items

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

James McGowan has visited McDonald's restaurants in 53 countries and has written more than 340 reviews about the food he's tried on each trip.

Among the items he's tried are tuna pies in Thailand, "Sir Sombreros" — or fried cheese shaped like sombreros — in Serbia, chicken-sausage burgers in Malaysia, a crab-croquette burger in Okinawa, Japan, and sweet-potato fries in Singapore.

McGowan, a software developer, writes reviews of the food on his blog, McDonald's Around the World.

Here's a map of all the McDonald's restaurants he has visited:

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

McGowan told The Wall Street Journal that more than 2 million people have visited his blog.

"Strangers say, if you're fortunate enough to go to all these countries, why do you waste it on McDonald's?" McGowan told The Journal. "I like sharing online. People seem to enjoy it. And I don't gain weight."

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Forgot to post a link yesterday. Here's my review of the Chicken Ham Pie from McDonald's TH https://t.co/4pq5ocA54A pic.twitter.com/jHGhOHMWhS

He said he doesn't drink or smoke, so eating McDonald's is his "vice."

McGowan most recently tried a burger in Sapporo, Japan, featuring bacon, beef, cheese, and mashed potatoes. He said that it was "easily the the worst promo burger" he's ever had in Japan.

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New reader & old readers alike, enjoy my review of the mash potato-topped Hokkaido Burger! https://t.co/1Lwlfu2BC6 pic.twitter.com/KnH6HxKNJF

He had better luck with Hokkaido Salmon Namtok Rice in Thailand, which he rated 4.5 stars out of five.

It features fried salmon chunks with white rice and a sauce made of ground chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, shallots, and mint leaves.

Here's some of the other McDonald's food items he's tried around the world:

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My review of McDonald's Chicken Teriyaki Rice @ McDonald's Thailand @McThai https://t.co/UVusJ2C1fv pic.twitter.com/sfs2haaTYm

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Promo photo v. what I was served. At least the pineapple made it... #wheresmychilli pic.twitter.com/4XWiI7eqOe

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3 reviews this time! Homestyle Chips, Chilli Cheese Tops & Chilli Dip all @ McD's Denmark https://t.co/24iFk3QqFB pic.twitter.com/HrOXtllEqt

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Remember @mcdonalds Chicken McBites? @McDonalds_ID Indonesia still serves something similar https://t.co/O49EGxswo6 pic.twitter.com/BbEdpr2Jnv

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My failed attempt at trying to review the Aloha Heat from HK. https://t.co/4yiBdX7uBQ pic.twitter.com/vJUrVjkX3m

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McChurros have been promoted to the Regular Menu in Korea. Just in time for my review - https://t.co/DrqdImEKvB pic.twitter.com/BKIeI2O5Xg

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Mocha + Speculoos McFlurry at McDonald's Singapore https://t.co/J1vsoEzJUx pic.twitter.com/NkheMXHLx7

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@McThai Are the Curry Crab Stick pies usually 1/2 empty? http://t.co/6NluCNfhhZ pic.twitter.com/nMU9mCrgCe

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Easily the ugliest burger I've ever had from McDonald's Japan - Chicken Vegetable Burger http://t.co/wtBuWiRrgZ pic.twitter.com/z2fax14vi6

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Garlic Onion Drumlets, available in Singapore for the next couple of weeks http://t.co/7ha4HNvlEC pic.twitter.com/5QmaEGDjaJ

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The review @JetSetCD has been waiting for. The New York Bagel Burger, from McDonald's Taiwan! http://t.co/BqcUHJmIAk pic.twitter.com/e69CX8VpXc

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Away from Asia finally. The first of many new reviews from France - The 280 Recette Fromagère http://t.co/KMgwJZRos9 pic.twitter.com/nssTYM3y5W

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