When you think of where our country's top chefs like to go, McDonald's isn't one that usually pops into your mind, is it? Specifically the McDonald's in Welshpool. This particular cheap, fast food restaurant was an unusual entry from Gareth Ward, who heads up the UK's best restaurant, Ynyshir, when Wales Online spoke with him some weeks ago to ask about his favourite places to eat.
Now, his two other choices were more than understandable - Baravin in Aberystwyth and a local fish and chip shop called Caersws Fish Bar, whose experimental chippie dishes seem to be pushing the boat out, as described by Gareth.
But McDonald's shocked us as a firm favourite of his, with the chef of a two Michelin star, five AA rosette and multiple award-winning restaurant stating it could possibly claim to be the best Maccy D's in the world; Gareth even went so far as to say second best restaurant in Wales - after his award-winning Machynlleth restaurant and rooms, surely?
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Speaking to us about this McDonald's restaurant that has made such an impression on the renowned award-winning chef, he said: "Welshpool McDonald's. I'm telling you now, Welshpool McDonald's is on a different level. It's just got different [elements] to everyone else. [It's] just absolutely smashing it. Last time I had a crispy chicken and it definitely had [something like] truffle mayonnaise on it. I don't think it did, but it tasted like it did. Everybody I speak to says this is, by far, the best MacDonald's in the world. Welshpool McDonald's that's what it's all about."
Located in the Enterprise Park in Welshpool, Powys, this McDonald's, which only opened in May, 2021, has a drive-thru option, self-serving kiosks, 26 parking spaces, open 24 hours a day for seven days a week, and digital menu boards. You can even order straight from your mobile - and those are just the perks of the store. The food itself has been described as even more delicious than other McCafes people have been to, with succulent beef and piping hot chips.
And so, with other reviews on Google and Tripadvisor praising it with an equal amount of high regard - "The staff are polite, the service is quick and the food is fresh... This one is different.", "One of the best McDonald's I've used" and "Best Macdonald's I've been in. Fresh and juicy beef (wasn't expecting good meat at McDonald's), quick service, table service. We got greeted at the door" - it's safe to say the next thing we had to do was try it out for ourselves. To see if it lived up to expectation, of course.
Read on to see how Wales Online's own, Anna Lewis, found it...
McDonald's, in my book, is reserved for three specific occasions - the end of a night out, when you're hung over the next morning, or perhaps an early morning McMuffin en route to the airport. But when renowned head chef Gareth Ward, behind Wales' only two Michelin Star restaurant Ynyshir, named the remote branch near Welshpool one of his favourite places to eat, it was a no brainer to go seek it out.
"As anyone from Powys will tell you, we're not spoilt for choice when it comes to a choice of takeaway. And while nearby Newtown has boasted a McDonald's for years, the opening of Welshpool's Buttington Cross branch in May last year was a bit of a big deal. What has completely passed me by, however, is the huge reputation that Gareth says it's earned.
"When I arrived at the enterprise park just off the main road in and out of the town, there was no doubt what people were queuing for. With vehicles snaking both to the drive-thru and competing for car park spaces, it's clear that there's something about this McDonald's that people are willing to wait for. And while that might be purely down to location and timing - lunch time at the last bank holiday of the Christmas season in a place where your next fast food option is probably a good few miles away - Ronald McDonald has at least picked the right place.
"Despite the queues in the car park, and once inside up to the door of the restaurant itself, staff were well equipped to deal with the volume of people flooding in. After a short wait for a self-order machine me and my companions found ourselves with our food and at a table in no time. In search of the crispy chicken and hint of truffle mayonnaise that Gareth mentioned we took no chances and went for both the Crispy chicken burger meal and chicken Selects, plus what was once the 99p - now £1.19 - cheeseburger thrown in for good measure. And we were pleasantly surprised.
"As first appearances go it all looked pretty good to us, especially the McCrispy burger on a fluffy looking bun. Granted, the cheeseburger was nothing much to look at, and was a bit on the thin side but let's be honest, you get what you pay for. When it came to taste, however, it was all bang on - piping hot and salty chips, a crunchy coating on juicy chicken making it as crispy as Gareth described and with a good load of black pepper. There was plenty of mayonnaise on the McCrispy burger too, but sadly no truffle - either that or my palate wasn't refined enough to pick it up. And the cheeseburger was good too, with all the pickles and accoutrements you need.
"With it being so insanely busy there were a few hiccups with everything but I wasn't really surprised with so many orders flying out - one cappuccino seemed to be entirely hot milk with no coffee in it and my sweet chilli dip was substituted for a sweet and sour one, certainly not the end of the world. But the staff were super helpful and were happy to try and sort the coffee out straight away. In fact, the staff were one of the best parts of our visit - one woman with a permanent smile on her face whizzed around the place for the duration of our entire visit, changing bins, offering baby seats to families and seeing me off with a kindly 'thanks lovely' as we took our leave.
"So, is it the best McDonald's in the world? I'm definitely not qualified to be the judge of that, but I for one was impressed. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's probably the best McDonald's I've had - I'm not sure by how much as I imagine there's not a huge amount that sets them all apart, but the small touches went a long way. And if one of Wales' best chefs can grab a bite there after what I can only guess must be some pretty marathon shifts, I wouldn't blame him."
You can find this "impressive" McDonalds at Enterprise Park, Unit 1 Buttington Cross, Welshpool SY21 8SL.
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