We visited the largest McDonald's in the US and ate pizza, pasta, and a Belgian waffle -- here's what it's like

Rebecca Harrington

ORLANDO — Florida is home to some of the most magical places on Earth: Disney World, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter… and a McDonald’s that serves everything from omelets to custom-made pizza.

Welcome to the “World’s Largest Entertainment McDonald’s and PlayPlace.”

Mcdonald'sRebecca Harrington/Business InsiderThe largest McDonald’s in the US.

I had heard rumours about a McDonald’s down in Florida that’s like none other. So on my latest trip to the state, I knew I had to visit.

I convinced my mum Kathy, an avid chef and Food Network junkie, and my cousin Rachel, lover of all food, to take a detour from our family vacation to Harry Potter Land so we could visit the grandest of all McDonald’s.

Here’s what it was like:

'Welcome to Epic McD,' the front door beckons.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

An indoor pergola towers over the tables by the entrance, which were all full around 4:30 p.m. on a Tuesday.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

A huge counter features stools where you can sit and watch workers prepare food.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The location's biggest draw is its menu of customisable pastas, sandwiches, and pizzas. Here were some on display.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

We watched a cook sautée a pasta order in the kitchen.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There are a ton of ingredients you can choose to add to your pasta, including veggies, chicken, and bacon. Sauces options include marinara, Alfredo, and pesto.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There's even a real pizza oven!

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Giant kiosks implore you to 'order here,' on electronic touch screens.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The pizza ordering reminded me a bit of Pizza Hut's build-your-own pizza system online. You have your choice of sauces, cheeses (mozzarella or a cheddar blend), meat (chicken, bacon, sausage, or Canadian bacon), and other toppings.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Our order was complete: a cheeseburger meal, pasta, pizza, a Belgian waffle, and three drinks for just under $A47.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The card machine wasn't working at the robo-register, so we had to go to the human cashier to pay.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There was only one person in front of me in line at the cashier, so it didn't take too much longer, and I was able to use Samsung Pay.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

It can't be said enough -- the place is huge. Even the cashier area had a ton of open space.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There's even room for a fish tank.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Some of the custom dessert orders weren't available at the electronic checkout machine, so you have to talk to a human to satisfy your sweet tooth. The dessert bar looked impressive, though there was no one working at it at the time.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There are McDonald's mainstay dessert options, like shakes and sundaes.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

But you can also create your own deluxe sundae. The cakes looked magnificent.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Floridians acted like it was just a regular McDonald's. I suppose to them, it is.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Mum couldn't figure out how to work the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine, so Rach showed her how.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There were so, so many seats, and we noticed how clean the entire building was.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The decor seemed influenced by both futuristic space-age and retro persuasions.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The process of getting our food was pretty confusing. One worker told me I was supposed to wait for my food at the counter while another worker told me they would bring it to us at our table.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The control (regular McDonald's items you can get anywhere) arrived first, 11 minutes after we placed our order.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

My cousin, unswayed by the plethora of custom items available, insisted on getting a double cheeseburger and fries. They tasted just like they do at the tens of thousands of McDonald's around the world.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider
Me grabbing for a bite of her burger. Mmm, dependability.

Source: Business Insider

And 16 minutes after we placed our order, employees delivered our custom items to our table. Note the real porcelain plates -- we're dining in high style now!

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

First up: the famous pizza. We opted for a small cheese with light sauce, mushrooms, and green peppers. The mushrooms tasted canned, which, as my mother noted, 'shouldn't be allowed to exist.'

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The crust was satisfyingly crunchy, and they did indeed go light on the sauce. I appreciated the high cheese-to-crust ratio, and while it wasn't 'good' by snobby New York pizza standards, I did eat four slices. Take that as a complicit endorsement.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The pasta was plated nicely, and I enjoyed it at first (I was very hungry). But a few bites in, I began to dissect what was really going on. The tortellini tasted like the frozen kind you buy at the grocery store, and mum observed the pesto tasted and looked like it was made with dried basil. The bread on the side (which appeared to be plain pizza crust) was a nice touch.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

For our dessert/breakfast item: a glorious Belgian waffle with strawberries and 'regular' whipped cream. The exterior petals were satisfyingly crunchy, while the inside was soft and gooey. It was mum's favourite by far.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider
They also offered create-your-own omelets, which would have been a nice choice if it was breakfast time.

Something we found odd was how quickly the food got cold. They prepared it mere feet away (it was custom after all), and delivered it to our table with plastic covers to keep it warm, but there were cold pockets in every dish after the very first bite.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

The trash cans opened automatically, like garbage robots gobbling up our refuse.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Very full, we went to explore the 'entertainment' portion upstairs. There was a massive playhouse, complete with what my mum called a 'human gerbil wheel.'

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There were a few little kids playing, and I longed to be a child small enough to fit in those tiny tunnels again.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

There were also dozens of arcade games.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

A few families were making use of these, too.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

I could see why they called this an 'entertainment' McDonald's.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Note the prize wall in the back.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

You buy arcade tokens from an electronic ordering system.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

I really liked this sign. It was so new and hip looking.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Yelp reviewers raved about the bathroom, and I couldn't figure out why. They looked like normal (though spacious) restrooms.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Source: Yelp

'Ew, they feel like toilet paper,' mum mused about the paper towels in the bathroom.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Yelp reviewers were particularly enamoured with the automatic seat covers. 'Why?' mum asked. 'They have those in the Bentonville, Arkansas airport.'

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Source: Yelp

The Hamburgler, my favourite chain character, is featured with Ronald McDonald in a fun pop art mural.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Mac Tonight Moon Man, a character who first appeared in McDonald's commercials in the '80s, watches over even more seating upstairs.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Source: YouTube

Though this McDonald's was 19,000 square feet, it's technically not the biggest one in the world. That title goes to the location at the Olympic Village in London.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Source: Orlando Sentinel

I didn't see any cars use the drive thru when I was there, but it also looked pretty big, with two lanes.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Overall, I had much higher expectations for this customisable McDonald's. The food wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped it'd be. So long, Epic McD, crusher of my fast food dreams.

Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Business Insider Emails & Alerts

Site highlights each day to your inbox.

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.