Some of the most unusual McDonald’s locations around the world have been highlighted, including a striking glass-walled restaurant in Georgia that has even picked up an award for its architecture.
Most McDonald’s restaurants are built with convenience in mind: easy parking, busy footfall, and a spot that’s hard to miss when you’re on the move.
You’ll typically find the golden arches along major roads, close to offices, or inside shopping hubs—places designed to make grabbing food as quick as possible.
But a handful of branches break that familiar mould entirely, setting up shop in unexpected spaces that turn a standard meal into a genuine sightseeing stop.
McDonald’s has, at times, reworked iconic or unconventional buildings into restaurants—from standout modern designs like the award-winning glass-walled site in Georgia, to playful, themed locations that feel closer to attractions than fast-food outlets.
Elsewhere, there are restaurants styled to resemble famous landmarks—one that looks like the White House, for example—alongside another that brings a giant Happy Meal box to mind, both instantly recognisable from the outside.
Below are several of the most memorable and unusual McDonald’s locations from around the globe.
In the central North Island of New Zealand, the lakeside town of Taupō is home to one of the chain’s most talked-about branches.
Often nicknamed one of the ‘world’s coolest McDonald’s’, this restaurant is built inside a decommissioned Douglas DC3 aircraft.
Customers can sit down to their meal in the cabin, which is fitted out with airline-style seating.
There’s also the chance to take a look toward the D3 plane’s cockpit while you’re inside.
Over in California, one McDonald’s is notable not for a themed makeover, but for its history.
This location is widely recognised as the oldest-operating branch in the world, and it has retained the look it had when it opened back in 1953.
Rather than offering a drive-through, the setup is old-school: customers order by walking up to the service windows.
In Melbourne, Australia, the Clifton Hill branch stands out for its heritage architecture and distinctive style.
Designed with the art-deco trends of the 1920s and ’30s in mind, the building was constructed between 1937 and 1938.
It was initially planned as the ‘United Kingdom Hotel’ by architect James Hastie Wardrop, long before it became a McDonald’s.
It’s even been singled out as one of the most ‘beautiful’ McDonald’s restaurants in the world.
Las Vegas is already packed with bold signage and larger-than-life storefronts—and with more than 110 McDonald’s branches across the city, there’s plenty of competition for attention.
Still, one location is especially eye-catching thanks to its ornate, illuminous golden arches that lean into the bright, showy look of the strip.
Another standout in the US can be found in Roswell, New Mexico—a town famous for its extraterrestrial lore.
This franchise is often dubbed the ‘flying-saucer’ McDonald’s, with a design that fully embraces the local theme.
Inspired by Roswell’s extraterrestrial history, it even includes a space-themed play area inside to match the sci-fi exterior.