Holidaying across Europe brings so many benefits, namely the opportunity to explore new cuisines and broaden the horizons for your tastebuds. Though this is not always the case for many tourists who occasionally opt for the familiar with fast food restaurants their first port of call in a desperate search for home comforts.

McDonalds, arguably the biggest and most familiar of the lot, sometimes finds itself a place on the itenary, especially if they’re tight on time and are hoping to grab something quick during a day filled to the brim with sightseeing, exploration and adventure. On a recent expedition, The Mirror’s Julie Delahaye ventured to Porto in Portugal, the home of what’s been dubbed ‘the world’s most beautiful Maccy Ds’.

In the hope of finding out whether it lived up to the hype, she paid McDonalds a visit, explaining: “After all, I was promised glitzy chandeliers, amazing Art Deco interiors, and a setting that wouldn’t be out of place in a film set.”

It is located in a former café and the fast food giant decided to keep most of its original features when it first opened its doors in the 1990s. Upon arriving at McDonald’s Imperial, she was welcomed by a gigantic statue of an eagle and a large brass sign emblazoned with the trademark name.

“Once inside, it was quite impressive to look at,” Julie admitted. “The shimmering chandeliers and the huge Art Deco artwork on the wall behind the counter are pretty eye-catching, and like most of the tourists around me, I quickly whipped out my phone to film some of the interiors.”

But all the glitz and glamour from the film set-esque eatery soon wore off. Whether it was limited amount of seating inside or the one too many mirrors that made the restaurant seem bigger than it actually was, it didn’t have the Ronald McDonald feel.

Julie explained: “I felt more like we were in a theme park as we had to join the throng trying to get to the kiosks to order their food. We were lucky enough to bag ourselves a table, but I did see a few people circling for a while.”

Food did arrive promptly, however, but this didn’t stop words like “jarring”, “bog standard” and “chaotic” being used to describe the experience. Due to the outlandish design of the McDonalds, you’d see people taking a lot of pictures and videos inside, instead of actually ordering and enjoying the food, which made it feel more like a tourist attraction.

Jule did note, however, that “one major perk of the whole experience” was the “gluten-free menu on offer in Porto” that enabled her to enjoy her first Big Mac since being diagnosed and “it was absolutely glorious”. You need to head to the counter for a member of staff to take the order as you can’t order it yourself at the kiosk.