This McDonald's Favorite Is Only Available In Three U.S. Cities

McDonald's breakfast has had and continues to have a hold on our nation, and barring the occasional menu item being market tested in select locations, rarely is there ever a breakfast offering we can't all experience together. However, adding to the laundry list of things in life that the pandemic messed with, we lost McDonald's all-day breakfast and, with it, a few beloved breakfast offerings.

Both breakfast wraps and bagel sandwiches were permanent casualties of this COVID-induced menu revamp. The bagel sandwiches included egg, cheese, and your choice of steak, bacon, or sausage as the protein. (Chew Boom reports that McDonald's did bring the bagel sandwiches back in select markets for a limited time last year.) But the undersung and sorely missed McDonald's menu item that we've never recovered is the proprietary Breakfast Sauce, found on the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bagel. It was so underrated, you might not even have known it existed.

Since discontinuing its bagel offerings, McDonald's has only reintroduced bagels regionally. A representative for the company confirmed to The Takeout that bagel sandwiches, as well as the sought-after sauce that dresses them, are available in participating restaurants in the area of Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

Interestingly, although you'll find the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bagel on the McDonald's website, the description of the sandwich doesn't highlight the most unique ingredient: the Breakfast Sauce. However, its popularity is undeniable. Despite the sauce being discontinued at the nationwide level, the Twitter community still talks about it with nostalgia and reverence. Here's just a sampling of what users have to say:

• "McDonald's breakfast sauce is the blood in my veins"
• "nothing fulfilled me more than mcdonald's steak bagel w breakfast sauce"
• "MAKE! MCDONALD'S! BREAKFAST! SAUCE! AVAILABLE! FOR ! PURCHASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
• "I went through two years and two pregnancies craving the McDonald's steak bagel. I finally got it today and THEY GOT RID OF THE BREAKFAST SAUCE?? or did my McDonald's just f up"

As you can see, it has many fans outside of the three cities in which it's available.

The Breakfast Sauce, per McDonald's website, contains the following ingredients:

"Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolks, Egg Whites, Distilled Vinegar, Contains 2% Or Less: Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Sugar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Modified Food Starch, Spices, Natural Flavors, Dehydrated Cheddar Cheese (cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Yeast Extract, Buttermilk Powder, Whey Powder, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Sodium Benzoate And Potassium Sorbate (preservatives), Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Extractives Of Turmeric (color), Natural Smoke Flavor, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (corn, Soybean), Calcium Disodium Edta (protect Flavor)."

Many have likened the Breakfast Sauce to either a Hollandaise or a Bearnaise sauce. Much like McDonald's Big Mac sauce, dedicated fans are not content with its limited availability, and so many copycat recipes exist online.

A representative for McDonald's confirmed to The Takeout that in the areas where it's offered, the sauce is available on bagel sandwiches only. Anecdotally, however, some fans report having had success ordering the sauce on other McDonald's breakfast offerings, too, by placing the order in person at the restaurant.

This wouldn't be the first time that some McDonald's franchise locations have played fast and loose with the rules set upon them by corporate; some were found to be serving all-day breakfast after the chain had discontinued it. So, if you're lucky enough to live in one of the few places where the sauce is available, you just might be able to politely request a little customization. After all, McDonald's loves a good hack, right?