Tag: Most-Shocking-McDonalds-Locations

View All Tags

/ / / / / /

A $17 Value Meal and 'Sennep Sauce' at a Norwegian McDonalds

Where: Bergen, Norway
July 14, 2011 at 6:36 PM | by | Comments (2)

It's a beautiful day in Norway's second-largest city of Bergen, and a stroll down cobblestone lanes seems like a great idea. There's the fish market, and street vendors selling reindeer pelts and long, knit winter hats. And then—making itself at home in a historic building on a corner—you're faced with the dreaded Golden Arches.

Yep, McDonalds has invaded the fresh northern air with its smell of french fries and...hot wings? As usual with foreign McD's, the menu varies:

more ›

/ / / / / / / /

In the Land of Sausages, McDonald's Sells a Veggieburger

May 28, 2010 at 9:29 AM | by | Comments (0)

If there's one thing that's inescapable in Germany, it's sausage. You don't have to be eating it, but you will find a thousand variations of sausage specialties offered up everywhere from fancy restaurants to kiosks on train platforms. Because of the ubiquity of meat, we were delightfully surprised to find that McDonald's, usually the bringer of sandwiches covered in bacon and mystery sauce, is considering the rest of the population by offering a Veggieburger in German McDs.

Originally introduced in February, the Veggieburger is still touted as "Neu" (new), and is made with potatoes, peppers and carrots. In the ad above, the sauce looks suspiciously like mayonnaise when they could have chosen a healthier option, but Europeans love their mayo.

more ›

/ / / /

More Shocking McDonalds Locations: McNuggets at Versailles

Where: 10 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, Versailles, France, 78000
May 6, 2010 at 1:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

If there's one thing we've learned from our time plotting the Most Shocking McDonald's Locations in the World, it's that where there are tourists, there will also be the Golden Arches. From Krabi, Thailand to a rest stop in the Israeli desert, you simply can't escape Ronald (unless you're in Iraq).

Our next stop on our world tour of weird McDonald's locations takes us back into Europe, to the palatial grounds of Versailles, a French royal palace just outside of Paris. Although the palace is named Versailles, so is the town around it, and it's a town that boasts not one, but two McDonald's.

more ›

/ / / /

Ronald McDonald Goes Native in Thailand

Where: Krabi, Thailand
April 22, 2010 at 4:07 PM | by | Comments (0)

In our travels, we've seen fast food chains spreading faster than Avian Flu, and of course McDonald's leads the pack with locations as diverse as the Israeli desert, an ancient Roman site, and even the Museum of Communism in Prague. Earlier this month, we discovered that one golden arches sits among pagodas and mountains in a scenic area of southern China, and now continue on the exotic Asian streak with a McDonald's in Thailand.

Shauna Watson, the nomadic soul behind the site GypsyChickTravels.com reports of a McDonald's in Krabi, Thailand. On Shauna's bucket list as she travels around the world are curious things, like "eat a sheep eyeball" and "drink vodka in a yurt (before said eyeball)," so a little McDonald's shock in Thailand shouldn't be too bad, right?

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· Have a Happy Meal in a Pagoda [Jaunted]
· Is There Really a McDonald's in Iraq? [Jaunted]
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations in the World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmm' [Jaunted]

[Photo: Shauna Watson]

/ / / / /

Have a Happy Meal in a Pagoda: McDonalds Invades Scenic China

Where: Yangshuo, China
April 2, 2010 at 4:13 PM | by | Comments (0)

In our travels, we've seen fast food chains spreading faster than Avian Flu, and of course McDonald's leads the pack with locations as diverse as the Israeli desert, an ancient Roman site, and even the Museum of Communism in Prague. But never have we seen one in a Chinese village...with its own scenic bridge and pagoda neighbor.

A reader actually discovered the curious place, and although he doesn't admit to stopping in for some McNuggets, he does give plenty of info on the destination:

more ›

/ / / / /

Head to Illinois to Find the McDonalds That Doesn't Serve Food

Where: 400 N Lee Street [map], Des Plaines, IL, United States
March 12, 2010 at 9:35 AM | by | Comments (0)

We have discussed our love for shocking McDonald’s locations before, but we this is the first one we’ve seen where you can’t order a Big Mac or even an order of fries. In Des Plaines, Illinois sits a replica of the very first McDonald’s that opened in April of 1955. McDonald’s purists don’t be alarmed—the very first restaurant was located in San Bernardino, California—but this Illinois location was the first franchise location that Ray Kroc opened.

The original place was refurbished a couple times, but the suits at McD’s apparently had enough dealing with its upkeep and the place was leveled in 1984. The restaurant was then reconstructed using the original blueprints with a few changes to make the place comfy and cozy for both visitors and staff. At least that means that there are no rogue French fries from the 1950s still hanging out somewhere.

more ›

/ / / / / /

Enjoy a McDonald's McBacon Steps Away From a Historical Gallows in London

Where: Marble Arch, London, United Kingdom
February 19, 2010 at 10:35 AM | by | Comment (1)

When in London recently, we came across yet another McDonald's in an odd spot, to add to our ever-growing map of the Most Shocking McDonald's Locations. In search of an English Breakfast sandwich we had once had at a British McD's, we walked to a golden arches nearby the Marble Arch tube stop in London. While eating our bacon roll—sadly the English Breakfast sandwich is no more—we Wikipediaed the location and discovered that it was once the site of Tyburn Tree, a gallows where criminals and Catholic martyrs were hung for almost 500 years.

And now we're eating hash browns and egg mcmuffins there.

A better view of that Bacon Roll, and more history after the jump

more ›

/ / / / / /

Is There a McDonald's Down Underground in the Carlsbad Caverns?

February 12, 2010 at 10:40 AM | by | Comment (1)

Just like with our search for a McDonald's in Iraq, we've been asked to help a reader locate a shocking McD's location somewhere in the globe. This time: the rumored existence of the Golden Arches within one of the caves at Carlsbad Caverns State Park.

The claim comes from the reader's coworker, who remembers there being a McDonald's down in the dark depths back in the 1970s, when he was a child. Curious to see if Ronald McDonald's magic had permeated the ground, we started digging, and this is what we found…

more ›

/ / / / / /

What City is Host to the Fanciest McDonald's? Hint: Mosaics!

Where: Piazza di Spagna 46/47, Rome, Italy
February 5, 2010 at 3:08 PM | by | Comments (0)

Have you ever been traveling somewhere really remote or of historical importance, and then turned around and spotted a McDonald's? We have! From the Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai to the Negev Desert in Israel, the world is peppered with Shocking McDonald's locations, and we're trying to map them all.

Helping us out, a reader emailed to tip us off to the fanciest McDonald's, which was also the first to be in Italy; it opened on March 20, 1986, and is still going strong next to the Spanish Steps in Rome. We've actually been to this one a few times when we lived in Rome, and we can vouch for its ritzy interior (mosaics!) and breadth of offerings (salad bar!), but let's hear what a more recent visitor had to say about it:

more ›

/ / / / / /

Is There Really a McDonald's in Iraq?

Where: Iraq
January 29, 2010 at 9:35 AM | by | Comments (2)

Even though we've located this McDonald's imposter in Dohuk, Iraq, we have yet to find a true Golden Arches in the country, one with Quarter pounders and McFlurrys and all that fast food that so bad for you and yet tastes so good.

Yet, after we posted the story on the Iraq knock-off restaurant, we heard from a Jaunted reader serving in the Middle East, who assures us that "there are a few at Forward operating bases all over the country of Iraq. For one instance is the one at Camp Speicher Iraq." So we did some more digging, and although we found mentions of a Subway, Burger King and Pizza Hut at Camp Speicher near Tikrit, any McDonald's locations remained top secret.

But before entering what might be a completely McDs-free land, soldiers homesick with hamburgers usually roll up to the open-24-hours McDonald's at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, where many flights leave to or arrive from Baghdad. We managed to find a picture of it above, and it's probably similar to whatever Golden Arches might be found closer to the front lines.

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is going to be a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· What Is A McDonalds Doing in Iraq? [Jaunted]
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations in the World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmm' [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bee's Blog]

/ / / / /

What Is A McDonalds Doing In Iraq?

Where: Dohuk, Iraq
January 12, 2010 at 1:44 PM | by | Comments (0)

From Oman straight into the heart of Iraq, we continue to explore the world of fast food; namely McDonald's, that controversial culture-bridger. Only this time, we're not talking about a real McDonald's, but a fake! We'll let the Jaunted reader who sent us the photo explain:

This is not really a McDonalds location, but a knockoff restaurant located in Dohuk, Iraq. I visited the city with some Kurdish colleagues and was told that it was the best location in town for a hamburger. Needless to say, Iraqi versions of hamburgers are very different than what we are used to.

They have the golden arches and the right colors, but they don't have the name "McDonald's," and we did a little internet digging and couldn't come find a single true McDonald's listed in Iraq, although some military bases boast Pizza Hut, Burger King and Subway. Well, we guess the soldiers with a hankering for a Quarter Pounder with cheese will just have to make their way to the Majorca Restaurant in Dohuk.

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is going to be a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations In The World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmmm' [Jaunted]
· Fast Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: P. Ammar]

/ / / / /

Order Up A McArabia At The McDonalds In Muscat, Oman

Where: Muscat, Oman
January 5, 2010 at 12:04 PM | by | Comment (1)

It's a new year and you know what that means? Time to continue discovering the world'smost shocking McDonalds locations, and with the help of a Jaunted reader, we're heading back into the Middle East.

Last time we hit up a shocking golden arches, it was in the middle of Israel's Negev Desert, and this time it's in Muscat, Oman. Accompanying this photo, the reader shared her shock:

I snapped this picture while touring through Muscat, Oman in the Middle East. Strange sight indeed!

We just hope she opted to try the McArabia sandwich! Apparently this McDonalds was the third McDs to open in the Middle East, way back in 1994 after Ronald stepped into Riyadh and Jeddah first.

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is going to be a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations In The World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmmm' [Jaunted]
· Fast Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: L. Loverro]

Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12). © Condé Nast. Your California Privacy Rights. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.
Ad Choices