I’m the kind of food blogger and traveler who doesn’t despise McDonald’s per se. There are situations and circumstances when Mickey D’s is the place to eat at. Such a situation is when you are in Tromsø, Norway, just to try the northernmost McDonald’s in the world.
Long story short: been there, done that.
But even the long story isn’t much longer. To tell you the truth, it’s just another McDonald’s restaurant. You couldn’t really tell you’re in their northernmost branch apart from a few signs, once in the restaurant.
The same environment and atmosphere, the same golden arch visible from far on the street, the same menu. Not even a reindeer burger or anything special. The ambiance isn’t any different from any other McDonald’s either – they do what they do anywhere else: serve burgers and fries.
If you’re hungry, even in the middle of the night – the northernmost McDonald’s is open until 4am on weekends and 1am on weekdays – you can come here and get the same food that you get anywhere in the world. You won’t be disappointed if fast food burgers are the “cuisine” you’re looking for. But if you have such a good taste that you visit Tromsø, I hope you’re at least a little bit more picky when it comes to food, too. Please at least try something more local.
There are plenty of restaurants in the city, even right next to McDonald’s Tromsø, that serve more sophisticated and/or more local food than the franchise that’s famous for serving the exact same menu from the South Pole all the way up to the North. I mean, in Tromsø we’re basically close to the latter, but really, don’t be afraid to try local food here; you won’t be disappointed.
The Annoying and Genius Marketing
McDonald’s clearly does something good when it comes to marketing. You can also see this here in their northernmost branch.
Even though it’s just another fast food restaurant, there is a billboard right at the entrance, a golden arch shining through the northern part of Europe. That billboard became famous just for the sake of taking a picture. People literally line up here to take a selfie with a Mickey D’s ad. No wonder eight times as many people are searching for the northernmost McDonald’s as do for the northernmost Burger King. Even though that one is also in Tromsø – and even farther north.
By the way, go and read my article about how Burger King shot itself in the foot in Tromsø regarding their northernmost branch.
But there is a flip side to this. When you enter this famous Mickey D’s, expect a lot of international tourists lined up right at the entrance, all trying to take a pic with this ad. It’s kind of annoying to get through this crowd just to enter the restaurant, and it reminds me of how clever marketing can definitely influence people.
Really? That’s why you’ve come so far north to the capital of the Northern Lights, to take a selfie with a McDonald’s arch?
Where is This McDonald’s Located?
The northernmost McDonald’s is located right in the heart of Tromsø. Check this interactive map to find it, and I’ll leave it up to you what you decide to order here. But there is local food at the Christmas market during the holiday season and also near the harbor all year round.
