Location: Puerto Montt, corner of Varas and Gallardo
Cost of a Big Mac value meal: 2,650 Chilean pesos (about $5.00)
Comparative cost to local food: Not a terrible value, unlike the McDonald's in Ecuador and Peru. In those countries, you could get a three course set lunch for approximately a third of the cost of a Big Mac meal. In Chile, similar set lunches cost at least 2,500 pesos at hole-in-the-wall eateries, and double that in restaurants that have toilet paper in the bathroom.
Special menu items: We were disappointed by the lack of local items on the Ecuadorian and Peruvian menus, but the Puerto Montt McDonald's did not let us down. Avocado was available on nearly every item, and the McFlurries used South American sweets like Morochas. The most Chilean item, though, was the pollo italiano (McChicken italiano). In Chile, italiano means getting your food topped with tomatoes, avocados and more mayonnaise than any human should consume in one sitting. It's very popular, especially on completos (hot dogs). I haven't tried a completo italiano yet, but probably will after this McDonald's meal works through my system in a couple of weeks.
Taste test: We both ordered the double quarter pounder with cheese meal. The french fries seemed lighter and less greasy than American McD fries, while the burgers were greasier and strangely saltier than any McDonald's burgers we've had before. Pan-frying the buns so that they were crispy on the inside was a nice touch, though. Overall, the taste ranked slightly lower than our Ecuador and Peru experiences.
Popularity: The restaurant was roughly half full at 3:00pm.
Other comments: While the previous two McDonald's were a little more upscale versus their typical American counterparts, this one was more similar to what you would normally find off an interstate exit.
Italiano -- oh my gracious, I think I I will pass, I am grateful you get to do the tasting so I don't have to -- I need one of Lucie's emoticons here! Love ya
ReplyDeleteWere you sure the hamburger was beef? Probably. Well you deserve a break today at McD's. It is nice to know that old man McDonald (it that the one who had a farm?) has reached that far south of the border to provide you with a good ole American meal. I found a McD's in the interior of China in a very small town.
ReplyDeleteLater guys
Lee
Hey, we´ll take one for the team if we have to. We both felt so gluttonous eating double quarter pounders with cheese. We were so hungry. Obviously, we did not eat any dinner last night!
ReplyDeleteDo you find the food in Chile saltier as a general rule? I think Lee might have a point about the hamburger perhaps not being "real" beef. And, if I were you I would not attempt to eat a hot dog as it might be a bad mixture of offal. Eat healthy to keep your healthy glow!
ReplyDeleteBTW - shouldn't you be tasting Big Macs, Jeffrey, in order to give a more consistent comparison analysis? Just saying...
I haven't found the food here to be saltier than anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteChile is actually supposed to have good beef. Its reputation isn't as good as Argentinian beef, but good nonetheless. If you remember from the Ecuador post, Ecuadorian McD's use Chilean meat.
I haven't been consistent - I had a quarter pounder in Ecuador, Big Mac in Peru, and double quarter pounder in Chile. On days like yesterday, I'm just ordering what the stomach is demanding, regardless of what's best for this website.
Lucie - are you trying to tell us that double quarter pounders with cheese aren't healthy? Say it ain't so!
ReplyDeleteWhat I will say is enjoy your splurges once in a while. ;-) That's healthy, non? I would take a quarter pounder (double quarter pounder is too much for me) anytime over oysters or any type of mollusks. If I had to consume even a tiny bit of that soft, chewy invertebrate I would disgorge it in a heart beat for sure!
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, do you like American style hamburgers better or Chile style better? Do they have alpaca selex? What's Chile's Mc Donalds' special item?
ReplyDeleteLove,
Your 8 year old brother you visit only once and a while - not enough!:p
Liam, the hamburgers at McD's in Chile and the U.S. are very similar. However, when we're not at McDonald's, I like American hamburgers WAY better. The special item was the McChicken italiano. They did not serve alpaca.
ReplyDelete