Raquel Lacusky
You've heard of Americanized Spanish food, but have you ever thought about what Spanishized American food might taste like? Consider this your comprehensive guide to Spanish McDonalds.
It's no secret the golden arches have become a globally recognized symbol. Although Mcdonald's is largely viewed as an American establishment, the fast-food chain takes on many different forms in different countries.
A brief history
McDonald's was first opened in 1948 by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald in 1948 in California. The brothers focused their business plan on selling quick drive-through 15-cent burgers. They first spread the franchise through California and eventually infiltrated the rest of the United States.
In 1967, McDonald's opened its first international location in British Columbia, Canada. The greasy goodness of the golden arches was introduced to Europe in 1971 with the opening of a location in the Netherlands in 1971 in partnership with the popular Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn. McDonald's made its Spanish debut with the 1981 opening of a Madrid location, making it the first of many locations on the Iberian Peninsula.
Now with over 550 operating locations in the country since 2018, McDonald's has become a staple in the lives of many Spaniards. It's important to note, that a customer's McDonald's experience in Spain is sure to be different than it would be in the United States. The Spanish people have added their own Spanish flair to the restaurant that has become so notoriously American.
Service Differences
Forget what you know about a nearly vacant rural Mcdonald's location full of drive-thru employees left with little to nothing to do. If you visit a Mcdonald's in Madrid or Barcelona, you will experience something very different. The chain's locations in the country's biggest cities are almost always packed. In Spain's Capitol, McDonald's restaurants are full of people until as late as 4 and 5 a.m. to accommodate Madrid's wild nightlife.
Daniel Torres is a young man who visits Madrid regularly from Segovia. "My friends and I from different parts of Spain meet up here for fun weekends where we like to go out together," Torres said. "McDonald's has started to become a crucial part of our post-club routine."
Ordering your meal on the McDonald's touch screens seems to be the primary way that Spaniards order their meals. Employees work quickly to fill orders as fast as possible in an effort to try and trim down the long lines that form in the restaurants.
"Even though the lines get long, the workers do a pretty good job of preparing things quickly and calling numbers fast," Torres said.
If you're looking to order a ten-piece nugget meal at a Spanish McDonald's, you're out of luck. McDonald's restaurants in pain off Mcnuggets meals in four, six and nine counts.
Along with these service differences, the McDonald's menu itself features many tasty items that aren't available to order in the states.
Menu Differences
The Spanish McDonald's menu is unique. It features many delicious staples of Spanish junk food. contains a variety of items that may take Americans by surprise. Here is a breakdown of some of the best Spanish McDonald's Menu Items that you can't find in the states.
Bacon cheese fries
Ham is an extremely important part of Spanish cuisine. At Mcdonald's, this manifests in the form of bacon. It's common, and possible, to add bacon to almost everything at a Spanish Mcdonald's.
The menu's bacon cheese fries are a fast food take on the Spanish culture's emphasis on cheese and ham.
The fries themselves are quite savory. The cheese tastes reminiscent of any other fake American cheese you would have in the states. The bacon isn't crispy, but rather chewy and gets sprinkled on top of the melted drizzled cheese that lays over the fries.
The bacon cheese fries come in three different sizes, making them a great item off the menu to share with friends.
Deluxe potatoes
Like cheese and bacon, potatoes are another staple of Spanish cuisine. As a common ingredient in croquettes and Spanish tortillas, potatoes are a common player in Spanish meals. At a Mcdonald's in Spain, you can find potatoes in many forms. In addition to the regularly thinly cut fries, you can find in the States, the Spanish menu includes deluxe potatoes.
Deluxe potatoes are short thick cut fry-like potatoes that are covered in a savory seasoning that is reminiscent of Old Bay. They are truly delicious and not something you want to miss if you are heading to a Mcdonald's in Spain.
McShaker fries
In addition to the savory deluxe potatoes, you can also order McShaker fries. When you order McShaker fries, you get your regular Mcdonald's fries that come in the classic red sleeve, a white paper bag and a flavor packet. In Spain, the flavor packet contains powdered cheese flavoring with notes of cheddar and garlic.
To prepare to eat your fries, you dump your fries in the paper bag, pour in the flavor packet, fold the top of the bag and then shake. As you shake the bag your fries become gently coated with the delicious cheese powder. And bon appetite! Your McShaker fries are ready to enjoy. The process is fun and exciting compared to just receiving your regular run-of-the-mill large fry. Don't be surprised if you find yourself eating these faster than you would a regular fry. They are quite tasty!
Tanner Duncan is an American tourist who popped into the McDonald's across from La Sagrada Familia to see what was different about the restaurant in Spain. "Out of everything I tried here, the McShaker fries were definitely my favorite," Duncan said. "They taste way better than normal fires. I wish I had these at home."
Mcflurry Nocilla and cookies
Nocilla is a popular Spanish chocolate and hazelnut spread that is very similar to Nutella. At McDonald's, you can get the Spanish household kitchen staple in a Mcflurry! The Spread is quite delicious and drizzled over ice cream it's even better. McDonald's adds sweet, crunchy cookie pieces in with the spread to give the vanilla ice cream that classic Mcflurry feel. One difference between an American and Spanish Mcflurry is the way that it's prepared. In the states, the toppings are blended into the ice cream, but in Spain, the toppings are simply drizzled on top. Either way, the desserts are sweet and yummy!
Get to lovin' it
If you are a tourist visiting Spain, I highly recommend taking a quick trip to McDonald's. It is quite interesting to see how different cultures remix the same menu classics to include aspects of cuisine that are important to them. Plus, who knows? You may even discover your new favorite item of the McDonald's menu.
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