I'm an American who ate at a French McDonald's for the first time, and it wasn't as glamorous as 'Emily in Paris' suggests (2024)

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Before I took a recent trip to Paris, I caught up on the third season of "Emily in Paris" and watched the main characters eat inside a "chic" French McDonald's.

In the first episode, the main character, Emily, and her on-again-off-again love interest, Gabriel, go to McDonald's after she's pitched the idea of promoting the chain's newest product, the McBaguette.

In the series, McDonald's restaurants in France are shown as more glamorous than in the United States.

"This is so chic!" Emily says when they visit the restaurant.

"It's McDonald's, but it's adapted to the French culture," Gabriel tells her.

I recently traveled to Paris for the first time and decided to try eating at a French McDonald's while I was there. I was excited to see if my own experience would be as chic as Emily's.

I visited a McDonald's in Paris' historic Latin Quarter and tried a few menu items I can't get back home in New York, including the McBaguette.

The outside of the restaurant did have some chic characteristics, thanks to its large paned windows and green awning. It was also nestled among a strip of classic Parisian buildings, which didn't make the restaurant stick out as much as some of the out-there McDonald's restaurants we have in the United States.

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The inside of the restaurant looked pretty similar to McDonald's restaurants in New York City, except for a few touches.

Above the register were large, fashionable red lights, and the overall design was modern and sleek.

Large screens built into a wooden wall displayed the chain's newest offerings.

I saw a few products I didn't recognize, like the McQuesadilla, which consists of melted cheese, peppers, fried onions, lettuce, and a spicy sauce inside a toasted tortilla.

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After ordering my food at the counter, I watched a screen displaying numbers for orders that were ready to be picked up.

I also noticed that this McDonald's location had a salad bar, where an employee was preparing fresh vegetables. I've definitely never seen this at a McDonald's location in the United States.

After my order was called, I walked upstairs to the dining room.

The steel-banister staircase was surrounded by murals and paintings of what I presumed to be Paris. Still, the restaurant wasn't nearly as glamorous as the bright and airy building where Emily and Gabriel ate.

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The dining room was busy, but I managed to snag a high-top seat by the staircase.

It was a rainy evening in Paris, which could have been why more people chose to eat indoors rather than at a nearby park or walk outside with it.

While I was comfortable, I wouldn't describe my eating experience as "chic" — it was pretty dark inside and everyone was bundled up in coats, not colorful designer outfits like Emily's. I couldn't help but laugh thinking about Emily actuallyeating here — I doubt she'd see it as luxurious.

I decided to try two sandwiches, two sides, and a dessert from the French McDonald's.

My order came to a total of €20.80, or $21.89, including tax.

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The McDonald's I visited offered a limited-time-only "Emily in Paris" meal, which included the McBaguette, fries, a drink, and two macarons.

The meal cost €10.90, or $11.47, which I thought was a pretty fair deal compared to the price of similar meals in the US. For example, a Big Mac combo meal costs $13.69 at my local McDonald's in New York.

The McBaguette is a major storyline in "Emily in Paris," with multiple characters professing their love for the sandwich. French McDonald's restaurants first launched the McBaguette in 2012 for a limited time only, and the sandwich has returned to McDonald's menus in France for short periods of time over the years. Most recently, the McBaguette was brought back in December 2022 for a collaboration with Netflix as part of an official "Emily in Paris" meal.

I was interested to see if the real-life sandwich would live up to the hype.

The McBaguette came with two beef patties, lettuce, Swiss cheese, and a smear of mustard on a small baguette-like roll.

I've never tried anything like this in the United States.

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On the outside, the baguette was a little too crispy and hard to bite into, but it was perfectly soft on the inside.

The flavor reminded me a little of a Big Mac, thanks to the thick layers of bread, meat, and lettuce. I was expecting the lettuce to taste fresher compared to McDonald's lettuce I've eaten back home, as I read that McDonald's food in France is "locally sourced and very high quality," according to NPR. However, I thought the lettuce tasted about the same.

The cheese was a really nice addition though and, in my opinion, it had far more flavor than the standard American cheese slices I'm used to eating on a McDonald's sandwich.

Overall, I thought the sandwich was pretty good, but definitely not worth booking a plane trip for.

The fries were good, but they were similar to fries I can get back home in the US.

They were perfectly salted and crispy.

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They came with a choice of ketchup or creamy deluxe sauce.

Unlike in the US, there weren't a ton of sauces to choose from. I decided to try out the special sauce to see what it was like.

The creamy deluxe sauce tasted identical to plain mayonnaise to me.

It's typical in France, Belgium, and other European countries for people to eat fries with mayonnaise. I thought the mayonnaise was just OK, but it could have had more flavor. I guess I'll have to stick with my personal-favorite dipping sauce: ranch.

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The meal also came with two macarons, one was chocolate-brownie flavored and one was cherry flavored.

The macarons came packaged in a cute McCafe box, and looked pretty similar to much more gourmet macarons I ate throughout my trip.

I thought the chocolate macaron was a little too chewy and hard to eat.

I thought the "brownie" flavor was also lacking.

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However, the cherry-flavored macaron was perfectly light and flavorful.

Honestly, for McDonald's macarons, I was impressed.

I also tried another signature sandwich from the French McDonald's: the CBO, or Chicken Bacon Onions.

The sandwich was large and came with a bacon-topped bun, crispy chicken patty, lettuce, bacon, creamy mustard sauce, grilled onions, and white cheddar cheese. The sandwich alone cost €6.60, or $6.95.

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The chicken patty was really flavorful, but I thought it looked and tasted more like a large chicken nugget compared to the chicken fillets I usually get in sandwiches at home.

The bacon tasted crispy and fresh, but it wasn't overcooked — it still had some chew to it, which I prefer.

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The bun was super flavorful thanks to a smattering of bacon bits.

There was a generous but not overpowering layer of mayonnaise holding all the ingredients together.

Overall, I was impressed by the CBO and could have easily finished the whole thing if I hadn't already tried so many other menu items. I would absolutely love for this item to make its way over to the US.

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This McDonald's also offered potato wedges as an alternative to fries, and I really enjoyed them.

I thought they had a delicious zesty seasoning that gave them a lot of flavor. They were fluffy and better than the fries, in my opinion. I would love to see this particular menu item come stateside.

The next time I'm in Paris, I might go back to McDonald's just for the CBO, but I won't expect the experience to be as glamorous as it's portrayed in "Emily in Paris."

While I enjoyed many of the menu items I tried, I wouldn't describe the experience as chic or luxurious. Gabriel might think that McDonald's has adapted to fit in with French culture, but I'd take a classic Parisian outdoor café any day ... and then stop for a CBO and macaron on my walk home.