Washington DC

McDonald's is rolling out Mambo Sauce nationwide – and DC has strong opinions

McDonald’s is rolling out two new sauces in October, and one of them will be very familiar to D.C.-area fast food lovers.

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D.C.’s most famous sauce is coming to McDonald’s restaurants across the country.

McDonald’s is rolling out two new flavors to dip your fries into on Oct. 9: Sweet & Spicy Jam Sauce and their own version of Mambo Sauce (no, not mumbo!).

The “tomato-based, sweet, spicy and vinegary sauce” is “inspired by the regional Washington, D.C. area sauce staple,” McDonald’s said.

The classic D.C. way to eat the sauce is drizzled over crispy chicken wings and fries from a no-frills carryout – so we’ll see how it tastes over McDonald’s fries and nuggets. Just don’t expect Mayor Muriel Bowser to rush to sample it!

McDonald’s is far from the first company to put mumbo/mambo sauce on the menu. Capital City has put their Mambo sauce on chicken at Papa John's and KFC. And plenty of local companies sell the stuff, like Uncle Dell’s, started by two teen brothers in Prince George’s County (but what version would the Buffalo Bills smash?).

Still, the DMV had some strong opinions about the McDonald’s announcement.

"winning throw in a chuck cd in the happy meal," one user said on X, referring to go-go legend Chuck Brown.

"It’s not theirs to roll out. This doesn’t sit well with me at all. Bottle up our culture and sell it back to us….hmmm," @UnapologeticVal said.

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