A McDonald's on an industrial estate in Wales has been branded as the 'best in the world' by a top chef. Gareth Ward, who heads up the award-winning two Michelin-star restaurant Ynyshir, says the fast food joint is one of his favourite places to eat and claims it's on 'another level' compared to other Maccies joints.
Speaking to WalesOnline, Gareth 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 McDonald's in the world. Welshpool McDonald's that's what it's all about."
And he's not alone in giving the restaurant - located at the Enterprise Park in Welshpool, Powys - high praise, as its online reviews paint a similar picture.
Reviews on Google and Tripadvisor state: "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".
WalesOnline reporter, Anna Lewis, decided to try it for herself to see if it lived up to its grand reputation. And she too hails it as the best McDonald's she's ever had.
The remote branch only opened last May, and comes with a drive-thru option, self-serving kiosks, 26 parking spaces and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Upon approaching the restaurant, it was clear the cars stacked up at lunchtime were after one thing.
Alice said: "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 - lunchtime 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, I 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 the Mcdonald's restaurant at Enterprise Park, Unit 1 Buttington Cross, Welshpool SY21 8SL.
