People Are Sharing Photos of Strange McDonald’s Buildings From Around the World

McDonald’s is literally everywhere. Its iconic golden arches grant universal access to sinful junk food sprees and while it's considered a status symbol in some places, most outlets are pretty run-of-the-mill.

Depending on when they were built, McDonald’s stores usually look like villas, like this:

Or minimalistic buildings like this:

It turns out, though, that the universal fast food chain doesn’t look quite so universal in certain places.

On May 9, Twitter user @katrinkanova shared photos of a McDonald’s in Maine, United States that is located in a 150-year-old mansion. The colonial architecture and traditional interior design look nothing like the McDonald’s outlets that we’re familiar with.

Her tweet went viral as people responded with photos of other interesting McDonald’s locations. Some of these stores even make a pretty good case to travel for a McDonald’s meal.

In Kristiansand, Norway, a stately McDonald’s is housed in a former bank building.

This McDonald’s in Hangzhou, China, opened in the former residence of Chiang Ching-kuo, Taiwan’s president from 1978 to 1988. The building is officially considered a historical site, and Chiang’s grandson apparently refused to participate in the restoration process when he found out that it was being converted into a McDonald’s.

This futuristic McDonald’s in the state of Georgia, U.S. looks like it came straight out of a sci-fi dream. The award-winning architecture is both a fast food restaurant and a gas station.

Behind the unassuming entrance of this McDonald’s in Antigua, Guatemala, is a Narnia of lush greenery.

This flying saucer building was built in 1990 as a spaceship-themed burger joint called Megatron, but was turned into a McDonald’s. The iconic structure was eventually demolished in 2008 but remains in the childhood memories of many.

Instead of the universally recognisable golden arches, this McDonald’s in Arizona has a teal letter M instead. There’s actually a cool story behind this unique colour choice. When the McDonald’s was constructed in 1993, local authorities thought that the bright yellow “M” sign didn’t match the aesthetic of the area (which was surrounded by red rocks) and opted instead for a soft blue colour.

This McDonald’s in Dallas is actually shaped like a Happy Meal, complete with fast food sculptures and flamboyant paintings all over the building.

This McDonald’s in Taupo, New Zealand, includes a decommissioned DC-3 plane which also seats patrons in the cabin. Now a historical artifact, the plane was built in 1943 and flew a total of 56,282 hours before being decommissioned in 1984.

Located in Porto, Portugal, this McDonald’s outlet is considered by many to be the most beautiful McDonald’s in the world for its sheer grandeur. The building used to be a coffee shop called Cafe Imperial in the 1930s, before being turned into the fast food restaurant in 1995.

This McDonald’s in Paris, France, is immediately eye-catching for its medieval appearance. The building, known as Au roi de la bière, was built in 1892 and has been considered a historic monument since 1997.