In the battle between the global fast food empire and the plucky local cuisine, we have a winner.

McDonald's has dropped the McFalafel from its Israeli menus just a few months after it introduced the dish.

The company announced this week that it was bringing to Israeli outlets a new burger made of entrecote and prime rib, but said that the McFalafel did not belong in McDonald's.

A McDonald's spokesman told Ynet that it was an experiment that had failed and said that it would be gradually phased out of McDonald's restaurants.

"We wanted a vegetarian dish alongside the corn snacks," he told Ynet. "But it didn't succeed".

When the falafel option was introduced earlier this year, it was marketed as a McDonald's product "adjusted to the Israeli taste".

It was offered with tahina or pita bread and chopped salad, but despite its healthy appearance it contained more calories than a McDonald's Big Mac.