The 15 most beautiful McDonald’s in the world that you need to visit from former banks to UNESCO sites
WHILE IT may be somewhere you tend to pop to for a quick lunch or dinner on the road, some McDonald’s are worth lingering at.
There are several outposts of the iconic fast food restaurant that are so beautiful they could be considered landmarks in their own right.
From a Norwegian bank to an Australian cinema, many of the global chain’s franchises around the world serve up plenty of cool history alongside their famously swift menu.
Make sure to stop off at these if you’re ever in town…
Bray, Ireland
One of the most striking McDonald’s on the planet can be found in the Irish town of Bray in County Wicklow.
It is housed in the old town hall, which happens to have a very eye-catching design.
There are wooden beams hanging from the ceiling, Tudor-style windows and an arched entrance.
Elsewhere in Bray, a coastal spot, you can head to the scenic beach – perhaps with a McFlurry in hand on a good day.
Budapest, Hungary
Tucked away in Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary is a truly stunning McDonald’s.
It is housed in a building dating back to 1877, that was designed by Austrian architect August de Serres, who went on to help build the Eiffel Tower.
The space opened as a McDonald’s in 1990, and temporarily closed for a matter of months this year for renovation.
Its original features – including antique lamps and painted stucco ceilings – have been restored.
Porto, Portugal
For a McDonald’s with a palatial vibe, head to the cute city in the north of Portugal.
It is housed in a former historic coffee shop, with grand architecture – including ornate ceilings, glitzy chandeliers and marble floors.
It looks just as incredible from the outside, with stained glass windows and an eagle sculpture over the entrance.
Since it was opened by the fast food chain in 1995, it has become as much a point of interest in the city as the Livraria Lello bookshop and port wine.
Madrid, Spain
The McDonald’s on the city’s Gran Via is located in a grand cream-coloured corner building.
It was the fast food empire’s first ever Spanish outpost, with its doors being opened in 1981.
The Madrid location was formerly a jewellery shop, which perhaps explains its stunning interiors.
Some of its original features include a winding staircase, as well as marble pillars and statement chandeliers.
Batumi, Georgia
The McDonald’s in the coastal city of Batumi, on the Black Sea, stands as one of the chain’s most breathtaking.
It has a sleek, modern structure with curvaceous glass walls, and its contemporary design contrasts with the surrounding natural landscape.
The space, which has a pool along its edges, was designed by architect Giorgi Khmaladze.
In 2014, the polyhedronal structure was bequeathed the Best Commercial Building Award by the architecture website ArchDaily.
Hangzhou, China
The doors to the McDonald’s in the eastern part of China opened in 2015.
It is in a building previously home to a former Taiwan leader, Chiang Ching-kuo, who lived there in the 1940s.
The exterior remains largely unchanged since then, but the interior is now decorated with posters about Chiang’s life.
It is worth noting that it is a McCafe rather than a full restaurant, due to local restrictions about historic buildings.
Kristiansand, Norway
It would be easy to think you’re stepping into a rather important institution when heading to McDonald’s in Kristiansand.
Indeed, the chain’s restaurant in the Norwegian city was formerly the home of a bank.
The restaurant’s iconic letters are now positioned above the original grand columns.
However, the majestic entrance is no longer in use, with guests needing to go in via a side door.
Sydney, Australia
Unexpected interiors await at the McDonald’s branch on Sydney‘s George Street.
Built in 1930, it was 2,000-seat cinema called the Plaza Theatre before the American chain took over in 1977.
The outside of the Australian restaurant is rather nondescript, but the inside is quite magical.
There is ornate stonework and elegant chandeliers that make quite the backdrop to your Big Mac.
Paris, France
There aren’t many fast-food restaurants that can claim to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, the quaint McDonald’s in Paris on the Rue Saint-Lazare, built in 1892, is just that.
It has a half-timbered brick facade – as an example of Alsatian architecture.
There is also a sculpture half-way up the front of Gambrinus, a European legend known as the ‘King of Beer’.
Barcelona, Spain
This McDonald’s, on the street Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, is in a truly beautiful building.
At the entrance to the restaurant, close to the Spanish city’s main sites – including the Sagrada Família – are grand marble columns.
However, it’s what’s on the menu that also draws more crowds than usual.
You can buy beer – including Mahou and Estrella – as well as Spanish omlette and macarons.
Belem, Portugal
Those visiting Lisbon‘s Belem district – the birthplace of pastéis de nata – can’t help but notice the McDonald’s.
It looks like a typical Portuguese home, with its pretty pastel pink exterior.
There are also wrought-iron Juliet balconies, filled with flowers and plants.
Situated along from the Belem Tower and Jerónimos Monastery, it has become a tourist spot in its own right.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
The McDonald’s in the Dutch city was specially designed by the firm Mei Architects.
While the chain had been located on the site for 45 years, it enjoyed a revamp that was unveiled in 2015.
The two-storey building has a steel spiral staircase which can be seen through glass windows from outside.
Additionally, the facade is lad in panels of gold aluminium that form a pixellated image depicting a crowd of people.
Roswell, New Mexico
In 1947, a UFO is believed to have mysteriously crashed into fields on the outskirts of the city of Roswell.
Aliens have continued to be associated with the city in New Mexico, United States, ever since.
Fittingly, McDonald’s paid homage by opening a spaceship-shaped restaurant there in 2005.
With angular corners and neon lights, it really is something out of this world.
Melbourne, Australia
Those with a penchant for art deco design will be in for a treat at a Melbourne branch of McDonald’s.
It is set in the Australian city’s former United Kingdom Hotel, designed by architect James Hastie in the late 1930s.
The two-storey red-brick building features rounded balconies and thin metal railings on the outside.
Inside, there’s a retro dining room that will transport you back in time.
Downey, California
One of the most aesthetically impressive McDonald’s of all has to be the oldest still in operation.
The restaurant, in California city of Downey, is the fast food chain’s very first branch.
It was opened in 1940 by the McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, who went on to create their lucrative empire.
The original design has been retained, including its famous ‘golden arches’.