Oct 13, 2023 - Food and Drink

We tried McDonald's new Mambo sauce

Cuneyt Dil

Mambo sauce packets on a table with McNuggets and fries — Outside the frame: Hungry Cuneyt. Photo: Paige Hopkins/Axios

I'm reviewing a D.C. classic I grew up eating at carryouts — Mumbo sauce. Or, in this case, what McDonald's is labeling as Mambo sauce, for trademark reasons.

The sauce: In dipping cups
The dunk: McNuggets
The taste: Spicier than I expected!

It compares to a syrupy Thai chili sauce.

Mumbo sauces differ from carryout to carryout in D.C. And the McDonald's version definitely has a cayenne hit.

Context: McDonald's started serving Mambo Sauce this week, describing it as "a tomato-based, sweet, spicy, and vinegary sauce; inspired by the regional Washington, D.C.-area sauce staple."

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We tried McDonald's new Mambo sauce

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