hypatia

OK..I read so many posts that make poke fun at those who would eat at places like McDs in Europe...While I never plan to make that a priority, by chance I happened to use the "facilities" and purchase a quick drink or snack.
In Salzburg we stopped by a market and I wanted a drink.Across the street was a MacD.that had the most delicious fresh mango shake. Then in Venice I looked in and was surprised that on the menu was pizza and tart (both delicious)and finally in Amboise, we
stopped to check out the Burger King and purchase some frites.What was so funny is how long it took. I was curious as to why we were waiting so long for our food(we were there in the late afternoon and there were very few others) and they thought it was so funny that we would think the food was already prepared..Don't you love it?
Now I make a point to check them out..In Rome it was same old, same old
Anyway I just wondered if the rest of you have ever had an interesting experinces as well...

Cowboy1968

To add to your "Amboise experience":
When traveling to and in Provence, we sometimes stopped at McD for a "quick" lunch. But: I have never ever experienced a comparable degree of slowness than in those "fast" food restaurants between Marseille and Carpentras.
Spending 30 minutes in line (with just 3 or 4 other people ahead of us) for some burgers, was always quite an experience.

Lawchick

I don't really eat fast food - but in Belgium we have a chain of healthy "fast food" shops called EXKI and they are spreading across Europe. If you are in Belgium, try one out.

It has things like really tasty prepacked salads and sandwiches, but also hot soups, quiches etc. and great coffee.

It is REALLY fast and very yummy.

suze

I have heard that some fast food places in europe serve wine. Is that true?

Lawchick

Most sell beer certainly - like McDs etc. Non chain places like the kebab shop, Pizza place, wurstel stand, friterie would have wine.Don't know about wine in McDs/Burgerking etc. - but probably.

GiuliaPiraino

I always thought it was cute that in Italy the hamburgers at McDonalds are served on ciabatta bread instead of a sesame seed bun! Hillarious.

hypatia

where in Italy axactly?
I was in Thailand and they had what looked like a sesame seed veggie burger ...very stange but I never got one

thursdaysd

I eat at Pret a Manger in the UK, which is now owned by McD. Yummy sandwiches! I also sometimes look for a McD in Asia because they usually have clean toilets. I've only eaten at one outside the US twice, once in northwest Malaysia (I was hungry and lazy) and once in Simferapol in Crimea (it was close to the station). Neither meal was memorable, although neither was particularly like US fast food as I remember it (haven't eaten at one in the US in decades).

Grcxx3

from what I recall - the McD's in Paris had wine.

For us, the only "fast food" place we have in our middle-of-nowhere location is McD's and when we travel we try to avoid it EXCEPT for the breakfast stuff. My boys miss the hashbrowns!!!

As for the other stuff...I will have to admit that we all get rather excited when we see a BK or a Subway or a KFC!

sheri_lp

I remember that I never had a more delicious french fry than at the McD's in Salzburg (must be the special Austrian grease!) Had a tasty McD breakfast pastry in a drive thru in Italy and I was so surprised to see the Paris McD absolutely packed! Do those people think it's a cafe? Kinda weird.

kybourbon

When my daughter was younger, she liked to get happy meals at McD's because the toys were so different from the US toys.

Last time we were in Rome McD's had caprese salad.

flanneruk

McDonalds have never owned Pret: they merely had a substantial minority shareholding.

They've now sold - or at any rate announced they're going to sell - that stake.

hypatia

I too like the pre-a-manger..
.When we arrived late in London,we had missed lunch. I spotted the sandwiches and thought they looked good.So I told my DH that were going to get them and a bag of "crisps".Well he pitched a royal fit... and commented he'd never eat such a thing from a 7- eleven at home....but later and hungrier , he relented and we had those sandwiches every day for the rest of London...I loved the shrimp...the chips were great and we tried different ones every day...even the Moroccan lamb flavor..

Lawchick

In Austria at the Würstelstand/hotdog stand you can get horsemeat sausages and Leberkäse.

Lawchick

I forgot a Belgian classic - the Mitraillette....

Half a baguette, topped with meat (like sausage or burger), topped with a small mountain of frites, then finished off with half a gallon of a flavoured mayonnaise dressing. Yumm

brando

I must admit I probably eat fast food maybe once every month, but after a month and a half and a long night of drinking in madrid, McDonalds was just lovely.

Lawchick

Oh, I'm on a roll - I've thought of another strange one....the Irish breakfast roll. There's even a song about it it's such an institution.

A Baguette encasing 2 fried sausages, 2 fried rashers, black pudding, lots of butter and tomato ketchup (or Brown sauce), usually eaten in the car on the way to work - but served 24 hours a day.

suze

Thanks Lawchick. If wine was available, I was thinking of adding McD's to my list of public bathroom stops.

dba31498

I ate at a McD in England and it was bad! However, I stopped at one in Asia, and it was not that bad. Not as greasy as the States

kerouac

Wondering about the Amboise experience, since Burger King pulled out of France in 1997.

As for McDonald's, obviously the hamburgers have to better in a number of countries of Europe than in the United States, because local laws about the maximum fat content in ground beef must be respected.

For the same reason, the import of British sausages to France is forbidden.