(McDonald's in Portugal while moving from one place to another - 2 of 2)
This McDonald's which seems to be called the McDonald's - Seixal is on the A2 motorway slightly south of the evocative Ponte 25 de Abril and at the first turnpike-like service area south of Lisbon. That implies that there are options for fuel, fast food, shopping for sundries, restrooms, parking for you to stretch your legs and figure out where you're going, and places to charge an electric vehicle. They are also more "civilized" than some other modernized countries and provide many recycling options in these service areas.
The McDonald's in Seixal looks much more like the typical stand-alone McDonald's one sees in an American shopping mall or suburb. Inside, the store was clean, the seating was varied, and, via a number you are given, the order is brought to your table. Again, I had a Big Mac meal - medium size - for about what I paid for the same at the Parque das Nacoes location in Lisbon. The employee at the register was polite as I hobbled in my attempts to speak their language, but, hey, it worked. Europeans have really tuned in to those ordering touch screens in the lobby, maybe even more so than Americans, and ordering at the counter doesn't seem to be the norm, thought it is definitely available. I used the touch screen and then paid at the counter.
You can't argue with a Big Mac meal because, even though it is caloric and fatty, it also has protein as well as some vitamins and fiber so you can fill your personal tank with something familiar and inexpensive to keep you going. You might as well also fill your vehicle's tank in the service area if you need to do so.
I will give 4 stars for the 4 words:
McDonald's sul de Lisboa!
This paralleled any of the better experiences you may have had at one of the cleaner and nicer McDonald's in suburban America, except that it's on the side of one of this small European country's major north-south highways. read more