I couldn’t resist it anymore…after going in one the other day, I decided that today was the day I needed to try McDonald’s.
Getting there was a little ridiculous. Even though there are McDos sprinkled around Hamburg, the only one I really knew how to get to was just outside of the south end of the Hauptbahnhof (main train station). In my mind, this worked out fine because I had to go to the Hauptbahnhof anyway to figure out which platform I should be at on Sunday (more about that later!). So, I went; the particular U-bahn train I took dropped me at the north end of the station, right by the Deutsche Bahn platforms, so I found my platform right away.
After deciding to get lost in the station for a little while, I decided I was hungry enough that I should start looking for that McDonald’s. I walked all around the north end of the station trying to figure out how to get out; the station was packed full of people, and through the bustling crowd it was almost impossible to tell where I was going. So I went back to my starting point and followed as many U-bahn signs as I could, and then just walked through the U stations until I magically arrived at the south end. Hooray!
I was starving by the time I finally made it to McDo, and I was so excited to try foreign(ish) fast food. My original plan was to try only the fried brie wedges, but I was hungry enough that I needed a sandwich, too. Here’s what I got:
What you see here are deep-fried brie wedges with raspberry dipping sauce and a Big Tasty Bacon burger. Now, hear me out…I’ve had fried brie before, and it was awesome! I knew I was taking a chance on the burger, but in the end I actually liked the burger more (edit: a smidgeon more) than the brie wedges. I never like a burger more than any kind of cheese, much less brie…but this brie was totally flavorless and kind of tasted gross with the sauce. The burger had tomato, lettuce, “swiss” cheese, onion, bacon and special sauce on it. This made for almost too many flavors, although I did enjoy how sloppy it was!
I was considerably more satisfied with my choice at the McCafe a few hours later. (I went back. I’m only sort of embarrassed to say this.) They have this delicious Apfelkuchen, which is what Americans might consider to be a deep-dish apple streusel pie. Oh, was that tasty! They have other delicious looking treats, like cheesecake and petits-fours and muffins and chocolate swirl bread. I wish I would’ve tried the coffee…it’s a lot cheaper than some other places I’ve been.
So, the verdict: the regular menu is about as underwhelming as any other McDonald’s, but I might go back for their desserts. Maybe.
When in Hamburg 