37 photos of the weirdest and most unique McDonald's restaurants in the world

It is the oldest surviving McDonald's location in the world. It doesn't even have a drive-thru — instead, customers walk up to the restaurant's windows to order.

Speedee, a chef with a hamburger for a head, appeared on the original McDonald's signs alongside the brand's logo of two interlocking golden arches.

Some signs also advertised the low price of McDonald's hamburgers — just 15 cents at the time.

Before being converted into a McDonald's and McCafe restaurant, the building was known as a cultural relic that was the residence of politician Chiang Ching-kuo for one month during the 1940s, CNN reported.

CNN reported that many locals objected to the restaurant opening inside the historic building, calling it a prime example of Western commercialism invading Chinese culture.

However, since opening in 2015, the restaurant has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, welcoming visitors from all over the world.

The restaurant opened on October 8, 1990, in Shenzhen's special economic zone.

The South China Morning Post reported that on its opening day, the unique McDonald's received over 40,000 customers despite only having a maximum seating capacity of 460. It was the first McDonald's to open in mainland China, which made it a popular destination for locals and tourists at the time.

The restaurant's roof is still adorned with the iconic golden arches to make it recognizable to passersby.

Author and photojournalist Gary He, who's dined at over 100 McDonald's restaurants around the world, told Business Insider it was one of the most "epic" locations he's ever visited. 

Named one of the "world's coolest McDonald's" on a sign outside the restaurant, customers can enjoy everything from a classic Big Mac to Chicken McNuggets and McCafe beverages inside the plane.

Visitors to this unique McDonald's restaurant can also view the D3 plane's cockpit.

The building was originally the United Kingdom Hotel and was designed by architect James Hastie Wardrop.

Constructed between 1937 and 1938, this restaurant has been called one of the most beautiful McDonald's buildings in the world.

The restaurant, which spanned two floors and was a replica of Ray Kroc's first McDonald's, was filled with music and pop-culture memorabilia.

After the restaurant was partially demolished and modernized, the memorabilia once housed in the restaurant went into the franchise owner's personal collection, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Known for its giant marquee featuring thousands of light bulbs, the restaurant — perhaps surprisingly — closed in 2020 not as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but rather as part of McDonald's regular review of its restaurant portfolio, a spokesperson told NBC.

However, there's a new McDonald's restaurant located in Times Square, meaning you can still get your fix.

The restaurant, which was built in 1993, is located in one of Arizona's most beautiful cities; it's known for its awe-inspiring red-rock mountains, canyon walls, and pine forests. 

While the bright yellow color of most McDonald's signs might work in other parts of the country, the turquoise color chosen by the Sedona, Arizona, location blends much better with the surrounding landscape.

Sedona also has strict restrictions on the height of buildings and signage, which is why the famous arches are placed lower than at most other McDonald's restaurants.

On top of the large McDonald's restaurant, which also had a play place, was a statue of a NASA astronaut holding a container of fries.

Ronald McDonald and the rest of the "McDonaldland" characters lined the walls wearing space suits and posing against a starry background.

Moored slightly south of the Gateway Arch on the Mississippi River, this McDonald's was the very first McDonald's to be opened on a riverboat.

It was open for 20 years before closing in 2000.

Some McDonald's locations attempt to blend in with the local buildings and are designed more sympathetically. 

This McDonald's location, however, was actually built inside a preexisting colonial mansion that's more than 150 years old. Located in Freeport, a small seaside town in Maine, the building was converted into the town's only McDonald's in 1984.

The restaurant is on Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris, France. Though the building is now a McDonald's, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Inspired by Roswell's extraterrestrial history, the interior of the spaceship contains a space-themed play area.

Though you might think patrons can stroll up the steps to enter one of the most unusual McDonald's buildings in the world, customers actually enter from a side entrance.

The building almost resembles the White House. It's known as the Méqui1000 because it was the 1,000th McDonald's to open in Brazil.

However, past its columns and grand facade, customers can still enjoy McDonald's favorites like the Big Mac or Brazilian menu items like the McCrispy Chicken Legend and the cheddar McMelt.

The giant bronze eagle, designed by Portuguese sculptor Henrique Moreira, is usually the first thing customers notice when they approach the restaurant. 

The colorful window is original to the coffee shop that previously occupied the space, and it features beautiful coffee-related scenes.

The restaurant has been called the world's most beautiful McDonald's.

It was designed in accordance with building requirements from the city.

"The building is unique to any I have ever seen and it is a joy to take a break and walk to the second floor and enjoy the view while I enjoy breakfast or lunch," wrote one TripAdvisor user.

The "train station" opened in 1975, and is also occupied by a Starbucks and a Popeyes.

Despite having a unique theme, the restaurant still serves up McDonald's favorites.

The building was originally an 18th-century farmhouse that was converted into a Georgian-style mansion in the 1860s.

However, Atlas Obscura reported that the fast-food giant faced pressure from preservationists to restore the home to its former grandeur.

The town then allowed the chain to build onto the existing building to create space for a drive-thru. 

The station was built in 1877 by the Eiffel Company, which also built the Eiffel Tower. The New York Post reported that the restaurant temporarily closed before being reopened in September after an extensive renovation.

Located in downtown Batumi, this McDonald's stands out for its reflective glass exterior. Patrons eating inside the restaurant can also gaze out onto the pool of water and manicured grass surrounding the building.

This location was built in 2013 and won the award for The Best Commercial Building of 2014 by the architecture website ArchDaily.

This makes for a great photo-op or simply a beautiful sight while patrons eat their meals.

Resembling a ski lodge, the restaurant fits in perfectly in the mountain town. However, the inside is grander than perhaps any outside viewer could expect.

The interior is also decorated with wallpaper, pieces of art, and hanging chandeliers. 

Located in Lindvallen, one of Sweden's premier ski resorts, this one-of-a-kind "ski-thru" McDonald's allows guests to enter the building and order their food without ever even removing their skis. 

Gary He told BI that it was the most unusual location he had ever visited. 

"The air is so clean and crisp — it's like being on top of the world," He said. "When I visited, it wasn't even busy. It was just me, the McSki, and the mountains. I was just hanging out and enjoying myself."