A Bun, Some Nutella, No Apologies

McDonald’s Italy invented the Nutella burger and I have nothing but respect for the commitment. The Sweety with Nutella is exactly what it sounds like: a greasy bun split open and filled with an obscene quantity of Nutella. No patty. No pretense. Just a fast-food restaurant serving what is plainly a dessert and calling it a burger because it arrives in a bun.

There’s something admirable about this kind of refusal to dress things up—no artisanal framing, no elevated language to justify charging eight euros for bread and hazelnut paste. The Sweety with Nutella knows what it is. It will make you feel slightly terrible afterward. That’s the deal.

The catch, back in 2016, was that it only existed in Italian locations—which is both the most and least dignified reason to plan a trip to Rome. I’m not saying I thought about it. I’m saying I thought about it longer than I should have.