Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: McDonald’s

  • Los Angeles – McDonald’s (Pasadena)

    Los Angeles – McDonald’s (Pasadena)

    [I originally posted this in July 2018 about a visit in January 2018 and I’ve reposted it to fix the broken image links]

    The photo above isn’t mine, I took it from Google Maps. This McDonald’s intrigued me though as it the first walk-thru outlet of theirs that I’ve been to. That is they have a drive-thru counter and also a walk-thru counter where customers have to order outside. There are no inside counters at all, which struck me as novel.

    20180109_125409

    The actual reason I went in McDonald’s wasn’t to get food, it was to escape the rain. Pasadena decided to flood when I visited and I had another fifteen minutes walk to get to the hotel.

    20180109_130939

    Although all of the orders were taken outside, there was a relatively small inside dining area.

    20180109_131015

    There’s the sum total of my purchases, a 99 cent unlimited soft drinks cup. Bargain. I stayed quite a while but the rain didn’t really dissipate.

  • Madrid – Beer in McDonald’s

    Madrid – Beer in McDonald’s

    [I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links. Mahou has now been brought to the UK, although by brought over, I really brewed here as another generic lager stripped of any real authenticity]

    20180715_144405

    I admit that going to McDonald’s in Madrid is hardly sampling the local food. But it was hot, I needed wi-fi (actually, I can’t use that excuse any more, I have a large data package to use across the EU, so I’ve lied here) and most importantly of all, I’m sure that Dylan and Leon would want to see photos. It’s of course crucial to educate these two young and impressionable young minds about the importance of travel.

    20180715_143924

    I’ve had beer in a McDonald’s in Porto, Portugal, but I haven’t in Spain, so I thought that I should correct that omission. The beer here is Mahou, which is a Spanish beer which has been brewed in Madrid for over a century (by that I mean that they’ve been brewing beer for over a century, not that they’ve had this particular beer resting for that length of time). The quality was fine and it was at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature.

    As for the quality of the rest of the meal, it met my expectations for McDonald’s……

  • McDonalds Poland – Pistachio McFlurry

    McDonalds Poland – Pistachio McFlurry

    It seems silly to come to a country and not eat the local food so I decided to try this rather delicious sounding Pistachio McFlurry. The promotional text says:

    “Discover the new McFlurry® Pistachio and be amazed by the combination of velvety vanilla ice cream, thick pistachio sauce and crunchy cookie topping. Be warned, it may mess with your head!”

    20250610_143838

    If I’m being honest, this is just a little rustic and there is perhaps a need to work on the presentation of this as there are some subtle variations from the promotional photos. However, I will say that it works in terms of the taste with the pistachio sauce having some depth of flavour and the pistachios themselves adding texture. Anyway, I’d better and have some pierogi to restore the authentic Polish balance.

  • Basel – A Choice of McDonald’s From Three Countries

    Basel – A Choice of McDonald’s From Three Countries

    20250423_131852

    Inspired by Dreiländereck, I could choose a McDonald’s in Switzerland, France or Germany. Easy decision for Germany, it’s my tradition of always having a McRib within 24 hours of entering the country…. And they were the only one of the three countries who let me download their app to get vouchers so they were by far the cheapest of the three countries….  So, forget diplomacy, my choice was purely based on superior digital infrastructure and bargain hunting. And the McRib of course. That’s the kind of high-octane travel blogging you get here….. Oh, and the McRib was lovely, with the usual excessive amount of sauce.

  • Warsaw – Avocado Muffin at McDonald’s

    Warsaw – Avocado Muffin at McDonald’s

    20250406_110141

    Just as another random post of no relevance to anyone other than me, the avocado muffin is perhaps the best thing on the McDonald’s menu. It’s £3 for the muffin and a coffee….. The presentation isn’t important, this isn’t a fine dining experience, but egg and avocado are a beautiful match. Maybe in a few years the UK might catch up. And yes I know there are a lot of independent restaurants in Warsaw that do better presentation, but I want to read my book for an hour and not take up a table that might otherwise be needed……

  • Bremen – Pita Mac

    Bremen – Pita Mac

    [Originally posted in April 2018, I’ve reposted it to fix the broken image link]

    It’s a burger in pita bread. I only went in McDonald’s as it was advertised and I’d never had one. I rather struggled to make the photo look as though it was beautifully presented, but that’s primarily because it wasn’t. It looked a complete mess. However, it tasted fine, although I’m not sure it’ll become an international best-seller.

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 15 (Chicago – McDonald’s on Old Route 66)

    2022 US Trip – Day 15 (Chicago – McDonald’s on Old Route 66)

    20221002_152620

    There is little point to this post other than this McDonald’s at 2315 W Ogden Avenue in Chicago, on the old road that was Route 66, has become one of the destinations that I remember from my several weeks long trip in the United States. A slow walk from the wonderful Goose Island to my train, this is a random point in time that I’ve quite fondly recalled.

    20221002_153324

    I ordered via the kiosks as that’s the preferred method now, but I was the only customer in the place. The crew members were suitably polite when handing over my food, but that’s the only interaction that I had. But, despite the place looking like it hadn’t been cleaned for several hours, it felt like a little slice of the United States. Not the debris on the floor, just the whole efficiency of the service in what is perhaps one of the main exports of the country. And, the Chicken McNuggets were delicious with the hot Picante sauce, as was the Hot n’Spicy McChicken. What a time to be alive and all that….. There are moments on any trip when I just think that a moment is unexceptional, but is actually representative of the entire experience. And typical of me, this is the point in time that I’ve decided to pick out. I accept that I need to get out more.

    It’s a very badly reviewed location on-line, with some customer service issues clearly evident and they like locking the inside early and make people drive thru (which would have been a problem for me). But, it was all quite memorable for me, despite being entirely lacking in inspiration. I did say that there would be little point to this post ?

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 17 (Chicago O’Hare McDonald’s : We Can Do Six, But Not Four Chicken McNuggets)

    2022 US Trip – Day 17 (Chicago O’Hare McDonald’s : We Can Do Six, But Not Four Chicken McNuggets)

    20221004_172031

    In the latest series of my irrelevant posts….. But, I was slightly puzzled that McDonald’s could supply six Chicken McNuggets but didn’t have enough stock for four. I’m sure there’s a more complex reason for it, but I decided that I was amused by the situation.

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 4 (McChicken Biscuit)

    2022 US Trip – Day 4 (McChicken Biscuit)

    20220921_091910(0)

    I had a wait of around thirty minutes before Bronx Zoo opened and I wasn’t sure how to fill that time until I saw that God had put a McDonald’s near the entrance, so I went there to sit with my laptop. As can be seen, this McDonald’s at 1101 E Tremont Avenue sits underneath the rail line they plonked here a century ago.

    20220921_092920

    I don’t really like McDonald’s breakfasts in the main, but I noticed that they had a McChicken biscuit and I’m a big believer of when in a country, get local food, and for this trip I define that as American fast food. This was delicious and nutritious (perhaps not scientifically) with the tender chicken being just what I needed as a breakfast snack. That Fanta, which I note is the correct bright orange colour whilst the UK one seems to be ever more watery, costs 99 cents for an unlimited amount. It’s easy and cheap to stay hydrated in the United States…..

    As for whether I needed to write a blog post just because I had a McDonald’s menu item that I hadn’t had before, then yes, yes I do…… I should probably get out more.

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 1 (McDonald’s – Just Shut the Doors)

    2022 US Trip – Day 1 (McDonald’s – Just Shut the Doors)

    20220918_204411

    I popped to McDonald’s on O’Connell Street in Dublin before getting the bus back to the airport, primarily not for the delicious and decadent food (ahem) but because I wanted my phone fully charged. I’d add now that was a good idea, as it was quite hard to charge phones at Dublin airport, but more on that later.

    Anyway, I mention this riveting tale here as it’s the first time I’ve been in a McDonald’s and it’s clear that they couldn’t cope with the sheer number of orders. They had over 30 customers in the store and at least 10 pick-up orders still to make, and the screens couldn’t cope with the number of orders so they were getting complaints that orders had gone missing. Who knew how many in Dublin wanted McDonald’s on a Sunday evening?

    The manager, who seemed to be incredibly focused, had clearly been here before, and she shouted “just shut the doors” to the security guard who looked quite pleased at this idea. It reminded me of what it must have been like to shut the queue for those wanting to see HM Queen Elizabeth II resting in state at Westminster Hall, there’s always someone cut off who will be disappointed. I could see some very disappointed faces outside, but an air of calmness rode over the store at that point.

    20220918_205132

    €2, a bargain. I was pleased at the store’s decision as I had lovely peace and quiet for about thirty minutes at an upstairs table with power points by it. Just what I wanted, it’s always a relief to have fully charged devices. This is definitely going to be a theme of this trip. As for Dublin, I think they need more McDonald’s, which I’m not sure can be said about Norwich, which seems to have about 60 already and is getting yet another one. Mind you, Dublin could do with more Greggs as well, but I’m digressing here.