McD Restaurants with Pasta and Cremolosa on the menu in Rome/Vatican?

Well I don't think you will find many supporters on this forum.
I have though stopped into more McD in Europe than I care to admit because of traveling with a picky young daughter that prefers processed Chicken Nuggets over just about anything else.
If a 10 minute stop will keep her happy going to otherwise boring to her tourists sites for a couple more hours it is sometimes worth it.

Don't recall ever seeing one with Pasta ; might have been a temporary offering ; most all of them have very expanded dessert and specialty drink sections with many more options than a US McD might have. In some places a whole different counter for that and it seems to be a big business for the locals. They seem to have drinks that are otherwise not commonly offered in a typical café.

As far as Dunkin Donuts I would avoid that in Italy as best I could. Never been a fan of Café Americano in Europe though.

Thanks, McReynolds, for the good info. I did see pasta on a menu at a McD in Rome in December, as well as April, so I don't think it's a temporary thing. I think some McDs there just don't have pasta on the menu, ever. The one near the Vatican where we enjoyed the pasta (it comes boxed, like their salads) was an upscale McD, if there is such a thing. Near an area with lots of outdoor cafes, very quaint and charming area. They had a wonderful salad with mozzarella in it, too, Insalata.

The ubiquitous McD signs, pointing this way and that, all over the city, are so hard to follow. We would go in the direction of the arrow and NEVER find the McD. Lol.

The giant one at the Spanish Steps did not have pasta on the menu, as I recall. It, did, however, have a marvelous selection of gelatos, a whole colorful caseful, which we did not find at the others.

Yes, the McD with the tasty Cremolosa had the specialty drinks and desserts all at a separate counter. Lots of croissants to choose from there, too.

I couldn't believe how many folks we saw wolfing French Fries at McDs with relish and glee, as if they were the best thing in town. We just shook our heads. Many of the people who were enjoying the greasy burgers and fries appeared to be locals? Why this food would appeal to them, when they have the best food in the whole world in Italy, was beyond us. I guess it's just different, and American Iconic, so fun for them to explore?

My best McD travel story was when we were in Austria.
We stopped at a McD drive through in the town of Lienz and ordered a happy meal.

Apparently in Austria they have regulations on gifts for kids so instead of a little plastic toy we received a huge like 11" x 17" thick hard cover illustrated children's book which would have cost more to make I imagine than the Happy Meal sells for.
Was all in German but made for a nice souvenir and though the weight and size made the value of taking it home questionable we packed it and took it back.

Why this food would appeal to them, when they have the best food in
the whole world in Italy, was beyond us.

That's a great question. So in that spirit, can I ask why McD's holds appeal for pasta and cremolosa? Even on a budget, you'll get a better value (and much better atmosphere) going to a local joint (doesn't need to be a sit-down) and eating their pasta and dessert over McD's. As for coffee, (not coffee drinks/concoctions, but actual coffee), Dunkin is pretty much a sacrilege in a country like Italy. Give a local bar a try, it will be worthwhile and you'll never want to go back to Dunkin again.

That's a great McD travel story, McReynolds! So interesting, and what a fun souvenir! I have heard the McDs in Germany have beer. We will be traveling through Germany this trip (Frankfurt, Damstadt), so I guess we should plan to pop in to a McD there, just for fun, to see what they have. Thanks for the idea.

Agnes, I like to experience ALL aspects of a culture, not just the most evident ones, to answer your question. I guess it's the sociologist in me. And like I said in my initial post, it's fun to people watch, and the pasta is actually good at McD. That's WHY I am seeking to find out where the McDs that serve Pasta, not just Greasy Burgers and Fries, are located within Rome.

Oh, and Agnes, I went to a local restaurant in Rome and ordered a Pizza Margherita. The picture in the menu showed pretty green basil leaves atop the pizza. I LOVE basil. The pizza came minus the basil leaves, when it appeared at my table. I asked them why the menu picture showed basil leaves and mine didn't have them on it. The reply? "Oh, that is just a picture. We don't put basil leaves on our Pizza Margherita." So interesting. This was not a McD, where the pictures match the food you actually get... This was a local restaurant. The pizza was good, but it would have been so much better topped with the basil that was in the photo, for which my mouth was watering. LOL.

Sometimes our noses get a little high in the air but to be successful the McD has to appeal to the local population with menu selection and taste. These are not transplanted US McDs. Don't know about McDs in Italy but BurgerK in Spain served wine that was very good for bulk wine. I will have to check out a McD the next time we are in Rome. Might be interesting to see their adaptation to local culture.

So fun to know about McD's in Spain serving wine, Frank! How fun. I haven't been to Spain yet, but I hope to get there.

Yes, there are always some in this forum with their noses in the air; I agree.

My sister says there are some discount stores near the Vatican. I'm wondering what they are called? Does anyone know? I will ask her. We stopped in a Dollar Type Store in Croydon, London, that was a lot of fun to explore.

We shopped at Tiger Stores in Rome at Christmas. They were also fun, and a good source of Befana Dolls, for Epiphany.

I'm sure everyone gets burned at a restaurant sometimes, but I'd hate to add that "local" restaurants (meaning those whose clientele are mainly Italians) will not have photos of their food or even English translations on the menu at all. I might be wrong, but I've never seen photos except at establishments clearly geared toward tourists. But that aside, there are cafeteria like take away places where you can actually see exactly what you're getting. Something like this: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bonci-roma-2

I have to confess that I would maybe try McDs in India because I know it would be wildly different (hopefully veggie burgers done right, and curry) but not in Italy.

According to this article they started offering a pasta salad in 2013.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/stirring-pot-mcdonalds-serving-pasta-italy-6C10066307

But looking at more recent menus I do not see a pasta salad listed.

https://www.zomato.com/roma/mcdonalds-re-di-roma-roma/menu

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mcdonalds-roma?select=uKo8zmuDDNL7ZNafowaSdw&reviewid=vF6-lWP1CWWF1LQdfvv28Q

I have to disagree. I have been in several local pizza joints in Rome that had picture menus. May not be common but they exist. Same for English menus or any other languages. I always quietly chuckle at the recommendation to never go to a restaurant with a posted English menu. An English menu is not the kiss of death. Maybe just a smart operator. Remember English speaking tourist are not the majority.

I can positively say the McDs in Germany served beer as long ago as 37 years ago.

Also, recently I had breakfast in a McD in Florence. We were leaving early and had just enough time to grab a quick breakfast in the McD in the Florence train station. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had fresh croissants and freshly squeezed orange juice (I watched them squeezing the oranges).

I have stopped in a McD’s in every European country we’ve visited. Yes, there was beer on the menu in Germany (and I think in Austria). My husband tried it, and said to stick to the local options! I like to at least stop in to see what’s unique on their menus.

Last year in Spain, the ordering was all at touchscreens away from the counter. Then you would queue up at the counter to pick up your order when your number was called. The Seattle airport has this same system now.

I guess there’s a level where my nose will go into the air because when I read “Dunkin Donuts coffee” in Italy, I made a face - ha! Maybe it’s because I’m from Seattle. : )

Going to a McDs in Italy for pasta and coffee? And in the same breath decrying their fries and burgers (which are their classic staples)? My eyes rolled so hard I swear I could see the inside of my skull for a minute.

most all of them have very expanded dessert and specialty drink
sections with many more options than a US McD might have. In some
places a whole different counter for that and it seems to be a big
business for the locals. They seem to have drinks that are otherwise
not commonly offered in a typical café.

Same in Paris, some years back. It's the McCafe model.
(Only there because nothing else was open at 6:00 AM or we needed a loo!!!)
No nose pointing north (really!) but MickyD's would be the last place I'd go for pasta even if they did offer it.

We checked out the McDs in Rijeka, Croatia when it first opened at least 10 years ago. They were on the Korzo and had outside seating and waitress service. They also had a lovely Cafe McD with local coffee and desserts. We sat there many times having a delicious dessert and coffee, people watching.

This reminds me of our first trip to Germany in 1981. We were in Nuremberg and came across a Woolworths. If you don't remember them, they were 5&10 that sold inexpensive notions. Anyway, they had mink coats in the window, real fur. They weren't just selling inexpensive notions. It was quite the upscale store. So, you never know how American products/services are sold overseas. You just may be surprised.

Great post, Barbara! So interesting. Yes, I remember Woolworth's. How funny it must have been to see mink coats in their windows.

Oh, I think I have found it! Thank goodness for the Internet. This looks like it, and you can see the picture of the Pasta Insalata on the wall. I must check my map of Rome to see whether the Piazza Pio area lines up with where I think my sis and I were when we discovered the McD.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d4973179-Reviews-Mcdonald_s-Rome_Lazio.html

That photo is from 2014 so it may be that the pasta salad has been discontinued.

We had a great cappuccino and croissant at the McDonalds in the Milan train station. It was served on ceramic plates and cups, so it seemed like a very classy joint.

How cool, astro-gator! I haven't been to Milan yet. Thanks for the tip. I'm enjoying all these Italian McDonald's stories.

If you're looking for quick, fresh pasta around the Vatican, you should look at this place, called Pastasciutta.

Oh, my gosh that Pastaciutta looks GOOD, Eric! Is it hard to find? Yummmm! I want to eat there. Will put it on my list right now. What is the best pasta on the menu, in your opinion?

Lola, I found this fun Honeymoon Blog from a couple who were in Rome when my hubby and I were, this past December. Judging from their photos, Pasta IS still served at that McD near the Vatican. There is a board with all the pasta dishes pictured on it, and at the bottom is the Pesto Pasta I read about today. I want to try it. I have a feeling it is offered only at select upscale McCafes. I read in another link that there are 260 McCafes in Italy, and that the healthier pasta bar idea really has done well with parents who are seeking an alternative to the greasy burgers and fries their kids love. I wish this blog said where this McD is. It just says outside the Vatican. Maybe I can write to the couple for more info. The woman looks a whole lot like the woman I met in the Vatican Museum Café, but I don't think it is.

http://www.elliottandnancy.com/blog/vatican-city-and-mcdonalds

I have been in multiple restaurants in Italy that weren't catering to tourists but which offered English menus. In Sicily we had wandered into one place where only one employee spoke English, but the owner brought us an English menu - they only had one -
and asked us - through the employee - if we would take a look at it. They were seeing more English speaking customers, and they were in the process of having the English ones printed up to look like their regular menus.

I told them I thought that it was incredibly kind to offer menus in other languages.

Sorry folks but after reading all this, are you serious? Going to a McDonalds? Are you that attached to crappy corporate food? Italy's got so much, and it's not just pasta or pizza. You can go to a good bar at 7 pm and partake of the aperitivo, the best ones having an incredible array of dishes, all for the price of a drink. And learn some menu Italian--you'll be rewarded with smiles, and probably an after dinner or pranzo drink on the house. In Toscana and, indeed, in the central part of the country, it's perfectly ok to order an appetizer and a steak or pork chop, if you eat meat. You'll be home soon enough, and can go to the chain restaurant then.

McDonalds is like Walmart - everybody turns their noses up, but sooner or later, everyone goes there. I'll admit that I've visited a McDonalds in every country I've been in that had one. Sorry that's not culturally sensitive enough, but sometimes you just want something quick and familiar, and a clean restroom Apparently locals agree, or they wouldn't be so successful. I dont believe that every European eats every meal in the romanticized way we think they do.

Having grown up with US fast food culture, I like to see the differences in how that translates to other places, and I think that is as informative about contemporary life in those countries as any other experience would be.

I've told this story before, but once I was in a taxi in Germany, chatting with the native German cab driver. We drove by a McDonalds, and she asked me if we had them in the US, and were they as popular with children as they were in Germany.

OK, I admit I have stopped at a McD at several places in Europe. Sometimes you just don't have the time for a sit-down at lunch when you want to see as much of the sights as you can and you have a bus to catch giving you limited time. This does not take the place of having a nice meal at a real local restaurant, it just feeds you so you can continue on. I don't go out of my way to find a McD and if there is a local quick sandwich shop or similar I will try that instead.

Yes, some McDs in Italy serve pasta. Not a pasta salad, but real hot pasta like spaghetti with a tomato sauce. I was not impressed either by the taste, texture, price, or serving size when I had it when we stopped in Pisa when compared to pasta I had anywhere else in Italy. It seemed expensive for what you got and was very much over cooked even by American standards. (Maybe it was just a bad day for that location.) The Italian burger (1/4 pounder with mozzarella and marinara and basil) was tasty. And they did do a nice espresso at the dedicated coffee bar.

Well, well. Pasta at McDonald's in Rome. What a treat. Travelling is so broadening.

but sooner or later, everyone goes there

Only for the restrooms. I remember how excited I was to finally have a restroom option in Warsaw where I spent my earliest years (now, of course the city is littered with western style options and it's easy to find a nice restroom). I haven't eaten in McD's since high school (no lie). I did like it as a kid/young adult (who doesn't like greasy junk?), but I stopped eating meat altogether, so McD's is out for several reasons.

If anyone wants a fast-casual place to eat pasta that's pretty decent, I highly recommend Vapianos (they have no outlets in Italy though, probably because "why bother?"). You can easily make a great pesto pasta at home provided you can make pesto - there's nothing like fresh pesto.

If you want something quick to eat, go into a bar--lots of panini, etc. Faster than a McD'sl and better food. The tuna and artichoke ones are my favorite mid-morning snack. Call me a snob, but I don't find McD comforting or familiar. (I live in NYC part of the year and we have no WalMarts, lucky us.) And yeah I shop at the local hypermarket and hunt for bargains. We even buy peanut butter when we're homesick.

Funny topic but not in a good way.

I was in Piza summer of 2016. I believe both the pasta and the Italy burger were limited time offerings. I see neither even mentioned on the current menu.

I don't remember ever eating at McD in Europe, but if I had a small child with me and was going to several different countries, the comparisons might be an interesting cultural experience for the child!

I'm a marketing professor, so I like to stop in a McDonald's in every country I visit to take some photos of the menu and the decor to look for local customization. McD tends to introduce new ideas in Europe first (McCafé being a prime example).

It's also a good source for free wi-fi; other places may or may not have it, but a McD's sign almost always indicates there will be wi-fi available. And finally, if it's hot and I just HAVE to have a drink with ice, McD's is often the best bet.

Yes, Melissa, and in many countries McD is one of the few places you can use the bathroom without having to pay a fee. Or, if you buy anything at all, at least, they'll let you use it free. My hubby loves it for the WiFi access, too. He was ticked, last trip to Rome, though, when the McD near the Termini would not give him catsup, free. He said they wanted to charge him for the catsup. I'm not sure they would have charged him had he asked for catsup with his order. He didn't think about wanting catsup with his food until after he sat down with his meal and then went up to ask for it... I would never order fries at a McDonalds, anywhere, but I would like to try their Pesto Pasta. I wish I could get excited about drinking their espresso in the cute little ceramic doll cups (LOL), but I just can't. Oh, but their Cremolosa.... Mmm, but only one per trip-- super fattening!

This link mentions the Cremolosa drink
https://www.mcdonalds.it/products/offerta-mccafe/bevande/specialita-invernali

It's not unusual in Europe for McDonalds to charge extra for condiments. It was extra for mayo or ketchup with frites off the street in Belgium.

Yes, not only McD but every place I have eaten in Europe where they have condiments like ketchup they charge extra for it. Most charge 50 cents per package. Just like they charge you per drink, no unlimited refills.

I will be in Rome for 7 days in May with my 18 year old son. Although he is open to eating new things, he is a teenage growing (6') boy and I thought I might have to grin and bear McDs for him BUT, I did a lot of research and found several restaurants that serve American food! Due to the university and such, there are some places to cater to the American young person. There is a place called Homebaked that is American owned and they advertise that there is "no Italian food on the menu." So, if you need a burger fix, pancakes, etc. stop by a place like that and at least get homemade food. There is also Coney Island street food, Toast & Co. burger lab, and legend American pub. So while I am enjoying ALL the Roman food, if my son gets home food sick, he has options OTHER THAN McDs!

Yep, that's it, McReynolds-- the green one! Yum.

Good to know, Kathy and Mark. I don't eat fries or anything that requires condiments when in Europe, but I'll tell my hubby. That will make him feel better. LOL. He thought maybe the worker was irritated with him for not ordering anything, not realizing he had ordered just prior to returning to the counter.

I don't crave American food in Rome. I LOVE Italian food. Just fun to stop in a McD now and then to see what they're like in other parts of the world. Oh, and I must have another Pistacchio Nocciola Cremolosa. Gosh, I'll be arriving in Amsterdam two weeks from today! My cute little Black Book of Rome: The Timeless Guide to the Eternal City arrived in my mail today. I'm glad it got here before I left. It includes 9 fold-out maps. I must look and see whether Sant'ivo is on it. I noticed that Rick Steves' Pocket Guide to Rome is the only travel guide I have to Rome that shows Sant'Ivo on it! I thought I had lost it yesterday, as it had become detached from the book, but, luckily I found it. It's an awesome map of the churches. Now I will check this new guide... No, it DOESN'T! Rick Steves' still has the best map. Too bad I didn't know that last trip. We spent a long time looking for Sant'Ivo. Now if something is hard for us to find, we joke, "It's like looking for Sant'Ivo in Rome." But now I have Rick's map to take along. Which other travel guides have great church maps of Rome? I now have the guide to the 50 principal churches of Rome to take along, and it has them plotted out nicely, but it's a book, not a map. McD headquarters sent me a nice map to all the McCafes in Italy. It might be Giulio Cesare McC that we ate at near the Vatican, instead of Borgio Pio. I'll know when I walk in. I'm going to try to develop the espresso habit to save on both time and money, this trip. Café Americano costs more and you don't get that much more, and I don't like it. When in Rome... (even if it's espresso at McD). HAHA.

But frites are not "American" food. They're practically a national treasure in Belgium. To. Die. For. They were also routinely served as a side dish with dinners in Amsterdam, and with croque monsieur sammies in Paris.. So, there may very well be travelers from Belgium or another country craving a taste of home while in Rome. :O)

Café Americano costs more and you don't get that much more

Caffe Americano is espresso with added water. What you get for your extra money is a little more water.

Order a caffe doppio. This does 2 things: it gets you twice as much actual coffee (not a watered-down single shot, as Nigel points out is what you get with a caffe americano), and the barista won't have to ask you if you mean "espresso", which many will ask in order to verify what the customer wants when a non-Italian orders a "caffe".

Thanks, Kathy. I'll have to try them!

Thanks, Nigel. I should have known! Appreciate the tip.

Thanks, Eric. Great to know! I will be informed this next trip, thanks to you guys!

Travel all the way to Rome and then eat pasta in McDonalds!!!

Even with young children they've never shown the slightest interest in McDonalds in Italy because there's so much better food that appeals to them.