1000 Tiny Birds: 2025 edition

McDonalds Spain

Barcelona, 2024-03-26

  1. I do normally have a rule that I don’t count different branches of a chain/franchise as multiple restaurants for the purposes of 1000 Tiny Birds or just my own general count of how many restaurants I’ve been to. But it feels like the experience at a Spanish McDonalds was so distinct from that in the UK that it deserved its own entry.

  2. Similarly, I do also normally have a rule that, y’know, don’t go on holiday to Spain only to have a McDonalds. But there’s both an element of being halfway through the holiday and needing a cheap day, and also understanding that if you make the bread of your metaphorical estaurant sandwich fine dining, the filling needs to be… decidedly less fine.

  3. It is always a thrill, though, to see what variations you might get on the continent, from the Croque Monsuier in Paris or the macarons in Italy. I decide that each part of my meal here should be things I cannot get back home.

  4. That looks like a McExtreme cheesburger, which for some reason contains both a cheese sauce and cheese, as well as an egg. There’s not even a pretense of a bit of lettuce or even onions, which a lot of the time I’m happy enough with but even I needed that here. Match that with some McShaker wedges, with an overwhelming flavour of sour cream which was nice for a few bites but oh boy outstayed their welcome.

  5. The drink pairing for this combination was generic no name beer, served in a paper cup, and honestly it was refreshing both literally and metaphorically - that said, you look at the McDonalds in Bristol and understand why they’re not serving ‘em here.