McDonald’s is McDonald’s, but Sri Lankan franchises can vary widely. As franchises go, McDonald’s is pretty reliable. They also have a range of Sri Lankan stuff, like McRice and the McSpicy and Seeni Sambol Bun.
The Food
The main McDonald’s food is pretty standard. Not especially healthy and we wouldn’t call them great burgers, but if you love Big Macs you love Big Macs. And they make Big Macs.
McDonald’s, as mentioned, is McDonald’s and you either love it or you don’t. What makes the Sri Lankan franchise different is that it’s run pretty competently (not default as you might expect) and it’s quite clean.
Another difference is that they serve localized fare like the McRice (which we like) and the new Seeni Sambol bun (Rs. 150), which is what we tried this time around.
The Seeni Sambol is on the breakfast menu (before 10:30 AM). It’s already quite popular and it is interesting. Basically a bun and egg with seeni sambol inside. The McDonald’s seeni sambol is a bit more like a katta sambol with sugar, honestly, since the onion isn’t especially noticeable. The spiciness is a nice addition to breakfast. We hear that it’s already outselling the traditional breakfast options.
Besides that new offering, the McSpicy (chicken) is pretty good and they now have wings and wraps. McDonald’s fries remain excellent.
The Location
McD Colpetty is a landmark on the Galle Road (past Durdan’s) and a prime location for families and couples to hang out. There’s a big playpen. Sometimes there’s kids parties which can be annoying or awesome, depending on your perspective on life. Also plenty of parking downstairs, a drive-thru and pretty awesome 3D TVs next door at Abans. We highly recommend watching the K-Pop music videos.
Service
The staff are well-trained and quite fast. Unlike in the abroad, McDonald’s is a pretty good and relatively aspirational job in Sri Lanka and they get good people.
Location
As a food, McDonald’s is pretty processed and nothing special, but as an experience it still has a real place in the global psyche. Sometimes you just want McDonald’s. In that case the Colpetty outlet serves the usual McD fare with a few Sri Lankan twists.
