The Most Interesting McDonald's Locations In The World

Few fast food chains have dominated the globe the same way McDonald's has. There were over 41,000 McDonald's restaurants worldwide in 2024, and that number is expected to grow exponentially. Part of the chain's success is that you pretty much know what to expect no matter which location you visit. From the menus to the decor and the Golden Arches, many of the restaurants are cookie-cutter copies of one another. However, that's not always the case. If you're willing to travel, you can find some utterly unique McDonald's restaurants that stand out for their interesting architecture, locations, and history. 

Imagine enjoying a Big Mac in the belly of a decommissioned DC-3 airplane or sipping a McCafé in a historic Alsatian brasserie dedicated to the "King of Beer." You can also order a McFlurry to go from a paddleboard on a river, have a Happy Meal in a flying saucer, and eat at the oldest active McDonald's on the planet. The menu items might be familiar, but the experience of dining at these locations is above and beyond what you'll get from your run-of-the-mill food court or roadside Micky D's.

There's only one place in the world where you can hit the slopes and ski or snowboard right up to a McDonald's takeout window, and that's in the Lindvallen ski resort in Sälen, Sweden. Also known as McSki, this unique McDonald's restaurant is styled like a ski lodge and situated at the base of the slopes. You can grab a quick meal from the takeout window without having to remove your gear and head indoors.

During the winter, McSki does a roaring trade in classic McDonald's items like Big Macs, fries, and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. There is also a McCafé that serves hot drinks like coffee and hot chocolate and pastries like donuts and cinnamon buns. You can warm up inside at the wooden tables and benches and gaze out the huge windows to soak up views of the slope, or sit at the outdoor picnic tables. McSki is typically open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the ski season, but closes for the summer months.

There are plenty of McDonald's outlets in airports worldwide, so you may have eaten some takeaway McD's on a plane. However, Taupō, New Zealand, is the only McDonald's (or Macca's as it's called locally) restaurant in the world where you can dine in a decommissioned vintage plane. The grounded DC-3 airplane was built in 1943 and was part of South Pacific Airlines' fleet from 1961 to 1966. It was later used as a crop duster plane until it was decommissioned in 1984 and became an attraction for a car dealership. McDonald's bought the site in 1990 and outfitted the plane as a dining room.

To get to the DC-3 plane, you'll need to enter via the main restaurant. Here you can place your order for classics like the McChicken and Quarter Pounder, as well as items that are unique to New Zealand locations. For example, you could try the Serious Angus beef burger or vegetarian Salad Burger. Grab your food and head to the back where you'll find a set of stairs leading to the plane. Inside there are tables for two along either side. You can also check out the cockpit behind glass doors.

Architectural awards probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind when you look at most McDonald's restaurants. Then again, you won't find many that look like the glass-domed restaurant in the coastal city of Batumi, Georgia. Designed by architect Giorgi Khmaladze, this ultra-modern building features striking glass panels and a cantilevered canopy with sloping garden walls on the upper part. There is also a reflecting pool surrounding the structure. This unique futuristic-looking building was named Best Commercial Building of 2014 by ArchDaily.

Step inside the Batumi McDonald's and you'll find yourself in a space filled with natural light. The furnishings are sleek and modern and several seating areas offer views of the reflecting pool. If the weather is nice, you can sit outdoors on the upper patio next to the garden walls. If you decide to hit up the drive-thru instead, you might be surprised to discover that the whole structure is built on top of a gas station. The drive-thru entrance is around the back next to the gas station, which sits under the massive canopy.

Orlando has its fair share of attractions, one of which is the largest McDonald's restaurant in the world. Spanning 19,000 square feet and sporting three levels, the space is part restaurant and part entertainment complex. It has a huge play area for kids, an arcade, a brick pizza oven, a dessert display case, and multiple seating areas including bar stools, booths, and tables. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Epic McD isn't just larger than all other McDonald's restaurants, it also has some unique menu items you won't find at too many other places. Breakfast options include all the usual dishes like McMuffins and hotcakes, as well as a ham and cheese French toast sandwich and Belgian waffles with fruit or chocolate chips. You can also build your own pizza with your choice of toppings or customize a pasta dish with your choice of noodles and sauce. For dessert, you can have sweet treats like cheesecake, a guava and creme pie, and the Peanut Butter Explosion Cake.

It can sometimes be jarring to see a modern McDonald's in the midst of a historic city. In some cases though, the chain makes efforts to retain the charm of a specific building or area. That's the case with the Imperial McDonald's in the waterfront city of Porto, Portugal. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful cafe from the 1930s formerly called the Imperial Cafe. McDonald's bought the building in 1995 and revamped it slightly, but maintained many of the original Art Deco features, including the striking Imperial eagle on the facade.

The first thing you'll notice when you step inside the Imperial McDonald's in Porto is the huge wall of Art Deco stained glass windows with colorful scenes of people harvesting, shipping, and drinking coffee. High up on the walls are friezes of people dancing and ornate chandeliers hang from the ceiling. It's a pretty classy spot to tuck into a Big Mac or some Chicken McNuggets. You can also try Portuguese dishes like the sopa de feijão verde (green bean soup) or pastel de nata (egg custard tart).

The Golden Arches may have a huge global reach, but there are still several countries with no McDonald's restaurants due to political reasons or local laws and tastes. You might think that Cuba would be on that list, but there is actually one McDonald's on the island. It's on the Guantánamo Bay military base and caters only to American military personnel and their families stationed here. Opened in 1986, McDonald's is one of a few American fast-food franchises on the base. Others include KFC, Subway, and Taco Bell.

There's not much to set McDonald's in Guantánamo Bay apart from its sister restaurants in the States other than the fact that it's in the middle of a military base. The architecture is similar to what you might see stateside, and the English-language menu features classic McDonald's burgers and sandwiches like the Big Mac, Spicy Deluxe Crispy Chicken, and Filet-O-Fish. However, a TikTok video posted by a user named Sarah Dogs revealed that the location also has some pretty tasty-looking chicken wings. 

The first McDonald's drive-thru window was installed at a Sierra Vista, Arizona, restaurant in 1975. Since then, it has become a common feature at countless McDonald's restaurants across the world. One restaurant in Hamburg, Germany, takes the concept one step further with a float-thru service. The McBoat is the world's only McDonald's where you can order food while floating on the water and have it delivered directly to your paddleboard, kayak, or boat.

Located on a canal just off the Elbe River, the McBoat consists of a wooden dock accessed by a set of stairs behind a McDonald's restaurant. You can float up to the dock, order your food via the McDonald's app on your Smartphone or another device, and a staff member will bring it to you once it's ready. The dock service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the spring and summer. During the fall and winter, you'll have to dock your boat and go inside the restaurant to satisfy your cravings for Big Tasty Bacon burgers, McFlurries, and pommes frites (fries).

If you want to experience what McDonald's was like back in the early days, make your way to the location on Lakewood Boulevard in Downey, California. This is the oldest active McDonald's in the world and it looks very much like it did when Roger Williams and Bud Landon opened it in 1953. It was the third McDonald's franchise to open and is the only one of those three OG locations still operating as a restaurant today. Even the original McDonald's that opened in San Bernardino in 1940 is now just a museum.

The Downey McDonald's features a giant retro sign topped with the chain's first mascot named Speedee. The restaurant has neon Golden Arches on either side of the building and old-school glass windows where you can order. The only things that seem to have changed here are the menu and prices. In the 1950s you could order the entire McDonald's menu for under $2. Not so much today. However, the Downey location has held onto one tradition — this is the only place in the States outside of Hawaii where you can get a deep-fried apple pie.

Soak up some history with your burgers and fries at the McDonald's in Bray, Ireland. This unique McDonald's restaurant is housed in a historic Tudor-style building that was built in 1882. It was originally the old town hall and had a covered market inside. The red brick building has distinctive windows with black and white aprons and gables with carved coats of arms. Step inside and you'll find yourself in a space with soaring timber ceilings and beams.

Eating in the Bray McDonald's may make you feel like you're in a medieval tavern, but the food will be pretty familiar to most. The menu consists of global favorites like the Big Mac, McChicken, and Sausage & Egg McMuffin. However, some items are different from what you find on McDonald's menus in the States. For example, you can get a Bacon Roll for breakfast and wraps and salads for lunch or dinner. Dessert could include an apple pie or a McFreezy ice pop.

When a McCafé opened in a historic villa in the West Lake district of Hangzhou, China, it made national headlines. The two-story villa was built in 1931 and briefly housed influential political figure Chiang Ching-kuo, who was the son of the Chinese Nationalist Party leader Chiang Kai-shek. When the Chinese Communist Party defeated the Nationalist Party in 1949, both father and son relocated to Taiwan. After his father's death, Chiang Ching-kuo followed in his footsteps and became the president of the Nationalist government in Taiwan.

Although mainland China and Taiwan have a convoluted history, that's not the main reason the McCafé in Hangzhou caused controversy. The villa was declared a cultural relic in 2004, and many people believed that it should have been turned into a museum instead of a Western chain restaurant. Officials argued the building was in disrepair and the revenue from the McCafé was necessary to recover some of the costs of the renovations and fund ongoing maintenance. A McDonald's spokesperson told CNBC it has every intention of preserving the building's heritage.

[Image by Siyuwj via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Roswell, New Mexico, is famous for the UFO crash that supposedly happened there in 1947, so it should come as no surprise that many businesses in the city have adopted an extraterrestrial theme. The Roswell McDonald's is no exception. This is the only McDonald's restaurant in the world that's designed like an alien spacecraft. Encased in metal and shaped like a flying saucer, the restaurant is a must-visit destination for ufologists and space buffs.

During the day, the metal structure gleams like a beacon to the galactic beings, and by night it's illuminated with neon lights as though it's ready for take-off. Inside there are futuristic fittings and a large play area with statues of McDonald's characters wearing space suits. With its unique UFO theme, you might think there would be some special menu items that allude to flying saucers or space food. Sadly, that's not the case. However, you may be able to order your cheeseburger with green hatch chiles, which is a twist that's only available at McDonald's locations in New Mexico.

From street level, the entrance to the McDonald's at 119 Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris looks like one you might find in any other place in the world. However, take a look at it from across the street and you'll see a pretty magnificent facade. The front of the narrow building is decked out in dark wood and bricks and has interesting features like a stork on the chimney, the Strasbourg coat of arms, and a king holding a beer stein.

The history of the building is just as interesting as the facade. After the Germans annexed the Alsace-Lorraine region of France in 1871, many Alsatians made their way to Paris and opened businesses. One arrival was Alsatian restaurateur Jacqueminot-Graff, who created this ornately designed brasserie (brewery) adorned with the figure Gambrinus, the "King of Beer." Rumor has it the brasserie was frequented by literary luminaries like Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound. The brasserie closed in 1994 and was declared a national historical monument in 1997. One year later, McDonald's moved into the ground floor.

It's hard not to get into an artsy frame of mind at the McDonald's in the City Hall in Subotica, Serbia. Designed by architects Deszo Jakab and Marcell Komor in the Hungarian Art Nouveau style, it features gorgeous tiled floors, stained glass panels, rich wood accents, and intricate wrought iron pieces over the windows and along the curved staircase. This is the only McDonald's in the world where you'll find original Art Nouveau elements.

You could play it safe at the Subotica McDonald's and order something familiar like a cheeseburger or McChicken. Then again, the stimulating surroundings might inspire you to try something more adventurous. For example, you may be tempted by the Maestro Pulled Paul with pulled pork, barbecue and green pepper sauces, cheddar cheese, pickles, and arugula with a side of spicy waffle fries. Finish your meal on a high note with pistachio ice cream or a slice of cheesecake.

The word McMansion tends to have negative connotations as it usually refers to an over-the-top, gargantuan home with little architectural integrity. But what if we told you there's an actual McDonald's McMansion and it's dripping with elegance? Head to New Hyde Park in Long Island and you'll find the Denton House McDonald's (aka the McMansion) in all its historic grandeur. This is one spot where you won't feel like you're slumming it even if you order off the Dollar Menu.

This stunning two-story building was originally a farmhouse built by Joseph Denton in 1795. It was later converted to a Georgian-style mansion in 1860. However, by the early '80s, the house had fallen on hard times. McDonald's purchased the property in 1985 and completely renovated it, restoring it to its former glory. Now it has a classic white facade with black shutters and an unobtrusive black McDonald's sign. You can eat in the grand foyer downstairs, a glassed-in gazebo on the side, or make your way up the sweeping staircase to eat on the upper level. There's also a drive-thru.