USUALLY a McDonald’s in the UK is found at a service station or a shopping centre – but around the world there are some very quirky restaurants.
Sun Travel has rounded up some of the weirdest from disused planes to the ‘McBoat’ and one that has DJ sets on the weekend.
Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest is home to what’s considered one of the world’s most beautiful McDonald’s.
It’s a beautiful spot to enjoy a cheeseburger during the day but at night, it completely transforms.
Every Friday and Saturday, between 10pm and 4am, the Hungarian McDonald’s tuns into a nightclub.
There’s loud music, DJ sets, and a series of light paintings are projected onto its grand ceilings.
At 6875 Sand Lake Road in Orlando is what’s often called ‘Epic MD’.
It serves up all the McDonald’s staples as well as rare food items like McPizza.
There’s one huge difference though this McDonald’s has the largest PlayPlace in the world.
It has a massive 22-foot-tall tree-house-themed jungle play area and over 100 arcade games.
We’ve all been through the conventional McDonald’s drive -thru – but have you seen one for boats?
In Hamburg, one McDonald’s lets visitors access their restaurant from a river, via a boat drive-thru, or ‘McBoat’.
There’s a small dock at the back of the restaurant where kayakers, paddle boarders and anyone else travelling along the river can order and collect their food.
The dock has been open for 11 years now, after launching in in 2015.
In New Zealand, there is one of the most interesting McDonald’s as it’s found inside a decommissioned DC-3 plane.
The original plane stairs lead diners into the restaurant which has room for 20 people across 10 tables – even the plane’s cockpit has been preserved behind a glass wall.
The previous airline name has been replaced with “McDonald’s” and the tail end of the plane features the classic golden arches.
Outside, there’s also a playground for kids.
The McDonald’s in Guatemala has been called the ‘prettiest in the world’.
Rather than a plain brick building – this restaurant has scenic views of the enormous Agua volcano.
It has a large beautiful cobbled courtyard full of lush green trees, bright flowers, and tables with sun umbrellas surrounding a huge fountain.
One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: “I guarantee you won’t have seen a McDonald’s like it.“
The ski resort of Lindavallen is home to the world’s first ski-thru restaurant.
McSki first opened in 1996 and has a special service window where skiers and snowboarders can glide up and order food.
So there’s no need to even take off equipment or head inside – unless you want to do so.
Skiers can order everything off the classic menu as well as sweet treats like hot chocolate and warm Swedish cinnamon buns.
This is far from the bleak McDonald’s you generally find in the UK – this one in Madrid is found in a former jewellery shop.
It’s on Gran Via avenue inside a grand cream-coloured corner building and first opened in 1981.
Some of its original features still in the building include a winding staircase, marble pillars and statement chandeliers.
On Tripadvisor, one visitor called it a “beautiful building” with a “superb interior”.
This McDonald’s in the eastern part of China is inside a building previously home to a former Taiwan leader, Chiang Ching-kuo.
He lived there in the 1940s and the exterior remains mostly unchanged since then.
Inside however has now been decorated with posters about Chiang’s life.
If you want a hamburger though it’s worth giving this one a miss as it’s a McCafe rather than a full-on restaurant.
This Melbourne McDonald’s, or ‘Macca’s’ as they call it, sits inside a beautiful art deco ‘United Kingdom Hotel’.
It was designed in the 1930s by James Hastie and does look like a building you might find in the UK with its curved sides and balconies.
During the evening it lights up and inside is a retro dining room.
Visitors can expect to find all the usual offerings from the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder to milkshakes.
While it’s not necessarily ‘weird’ but it’s worth an honourable mention is this McDonald’s which is the oldest still in operation.
It’s in the city of Downey in California and first opened in 1940.
It still retains all the history with the huge golden arches and retro-look inside with red plastic chairs.
After grabbing a Happy Meal from its window, take a gander around the free-to-visit museum and gift shop.
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BRITS might not know about this short-lived McDonald’s venture that launched in 2023 as it lasted just two years.
Called CosMc’s, the spin-off was a retro space brand by McDonald’s that focussed on ‘otherworldly beverage creations’.
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In 2023, the very first CosMc’s venue opened selling a few food items and lots of speciality drinks that weren’t available in its original McDonald’s restaurants.
It was space-themed and based on an early alien character who visited McDonaldland in a series of adverts in the late 1980s and early 90s.
The first venue to open was a drive-thru in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
In its first month, the store reportedly had twice the traffic of a regular McDonald’s.
The opening day saw a large queue of customers – with some even being turned away, and police were monitoring the car park.
CosMc’s then opened in four other locations in Texas – Fort Worth, San Antonio and Allen.
The reason it was so popular during its opening was its unique menu.
Apart from a few items from the ‘McDonald’s Universe’ like an Egg McMuffin and McFlurry, all were only available at these restaurants.
Other available food items were the likes of a ‘Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich’ or a ‘Spicy Queso Sandwich’.
There were also ‘Pretzel Bites’ and ‘McPops’ which are essentially filled donuts – and you could get three for $3.79 (£2.78).
According to McDonald’s, hundreds of thousands of McPops were sold throughout the few years CosMc’s was open.
The spin-off was initially founded to crack the coffee market and mirror the success of other brands like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.
CosMc’s sold speciality coffees like the ‘Churro Frappe’ and ‘S’mores Cold Brew’ as well as slushies and soft drinks.
The Signature Galactic Boost range were drinks like the ‘Sour Cherry Energy Burst’ and the ‘Blueberry Ginger Boost’.
Across the two years that it was operational, CosMc’s opened at nine locations, all within the US.
Each was aimed at those wanting a quick snack, which is why each was a drive-thru and had no seating areas inside.
Last year it was reported that McDonald’s would be shutting down its CosMc’s chain, with none remaining open as of June 2025.
