Yes, Sarah, there is a Kosher McDonald's (McDonald's)

Name: TheChocolateLady

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	McDonald's
Date:	29/01/06 (1840 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No worries for Religious Jews - even on Passover . Real, REAL all - beef burgers .

Disadvantages: Take your pick of any of the 'cons' listed on the rest of the reviews here .

In the Judean Hills, just outside of Jerusalem there is a small shopping mall that houses the world's first Kosher McDonald's. (Update: There's now another Kosher McDonald's in the new Ben Gurion Airport - see below - as well as one somewhere in Argentina.)

But its not only just a Kosher McDonald's - its probably the McDonald's with the world's best view as well! As the sun sets at the end of the day, one can sit at huge picture windows that face Jerusalem and watch the city begin to twinkle as the lights flick on. In the daytime, these same hills, with their scattered patches of forest mingled with the homes that nestle amongst them are no less a delight to behold.

One would think that this amazing view would be better reserved for a more posh, up-market restaurant - but no, the down-to-earth McDonald's shares this beautiful spot with a Kosher Kentucky Fried Chicken! If the world's leaders would only learn to live in harmony like these two competitors, surely we would have achieved world peace long ago!

That said, one wonders if there is any point in discussing the details of the food, service, decor or menu. But what review of any restaurant would be complete without it, right? I will add that the prices aren't "down-home" however. To feed myself and three kids (one hungry teenager among them) costs about $25. If that doesn't sound steep to you, remember that the average wage in Israel is about 1/4 of that of the average American.

Food:
-----
Of course, you won't find cheese on any of the burgers at this branch, and you won't be able to order the ice cream sundae for dessert. Other than that, I've yet to find anything that makes this branch any different than any other McDonald's. McDonald's food is McDonald's food is McDonald's food! And reviews of the food here abound - so take your pick. But also remember that because of it being Kosher, the burgers here are 100% pure beef - by LAW. Personally, I think they taste very good.

The menu is (aside from the cheese, milkshakes and ice cream) basically bog-standard McD's food. You'll find Big Macs, Mac Royals, Double Mac Royals, McChicken (Krispy, these days), McFish (also Royal, these days), McNuggets, Happy Meals, their famous fries and more recently, salad shakers and breaded corn fingers.

What one will now notice, that until very recently aside from the dietary restrictions, there was nothing that seemed to make this (or any other) McDonald's particularly "Israeli". In other countries it seems there are always some items that are particular to that country. For instance, in France you can get wine with your Big Mac, in Germany its Beer.

Here in Israel the first attempt to 'personalize' the Israeli McDonald's was to add some special sauces for the burgers, and replace the frying plates with grills so the meat is now cooked over "coals". But a couple of months ago, McD's began introducing brand new, very Middle-Eastern touches to their menu - Shewarma (which is spiced lamb, roasted on a large, upright spit) in flat pita bread with Tehina sause and pickles, and Kebabs (little round cigar shaped things made of spiced ground beef and/or lamb) in flat (thick) pita with salad and Tehina. Well, now we're cooking!

(By the way, the McD's in the new Ben Gurion Airport is Kosher but its dairy only, and they only have a cafe and breakfast selections. Their most expensive item is a Giant MacBreakfast which includes scrambled eggs, potato wedges with sauce, a bagel, a salad shaker with dressing, butter, jam, cheese spread, orange juice and a hot drink for NIS35.90, which is about £4.50! Not cheap, by any fast-food standards, if you ask me, despite what seems like a nice large breakfast.)

Service:
--------
Getting the Israeli workforce to work like their international counter-parts in fast-food chains has certainly been an uphill climb. Taking this into account, I found that it only took about 6-8 months for the staff to come up to the average standard of friendliness and efficiency. Of course, there are glitches, but basically you'll get about the same service at this branch that you will at any other.

Decor:
------
Well, to mention the decor after my introduction would be a bit of a letdown, don't you think? Still, it would have been better if the lighting wasn't so harsh, so it wouldn't turn the windows into mirrors at night.

Special Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations:
--------------------------------- -----------
One of the best things about this branch is the fact that they stay open on Passover. This means that they have to get rid of all the bread and grain products, and change over to using Matzah instead. Rather than try to eat burgers on stiff boards of Matzah, they actually make their own Kosher for Passover rolls - which, to tell you the truth - actually taste better than the regular rolls! During Passover, however, you cannot get the breaded items like the fish or the chicken nuggets - which is a bit of a shame since these are the better of the items on the menu to begin with. However, for eight days, who cares, right?

Conclusion:
----------
For a treat for the family, we go to this particular McD's (and we only frequent this branch) very rarely - mostly because of the cost (a Double Mac Royal Meal costs NIS35.50 which is £4.34 at January 2006 rates), and secondly because of the calories (can't resist those fries and when they say "can I super size that for you?" - I usually can't resist). But if you want to see a fantastic view of the hills of Jerusalem, there are few if any other eating places that can offer you this. You could just buy yourself coke, and step outside and admire the view, and it would be well worth it - particularly at sunset.

For that alone, I will recommend this particular branch.

Thanks for Reading!

Davida Chazan © July, 2002 for Ciao, Revised January 2006 for DooYoo.

~~~~~
Technical Stuff:
If you want to see the Israeli web page, try http://www.mcdonalds.co.il/ and at the bottom of all the Hebrew you'll see the word "English" which will give you the history of McD's in Israel and contact information. (You might want to shut the damned music off, however.)
~~~~~

Summary: Some of the McD's in Jerusalem and the new airport in Israel are Kosher, and they're not bad at all.