McDonald’s

Very small McDonald’s in Union Station. The line ups are usually huge and block the concourse area, but service is generally very quick, so you don’t end up waiting too long in line.

Just another McDonald’s franchise restaurant, but located very conveniently in Union Station (GO and Via Rail train terminal, not in any fare paid zone). It’s good for grabbing a bite before commuting on GO, taking a longer trip on Via, or just walking out to downtown or Metro Toronto Convention Centre, etc.
As you can imagine for a train station, the volume of customers is high. They do managed to handle this torrent of people and the response time is average (not terrible but not immediate).
Getting seating indoors is not easy; there are some benches near waiting areas but none specifically for restaurants. But you’re likely to run off somewhere anyway, since this is Union Station after all.

Quick and easy — wait in line, place your order and leave. This McDonalds is located in Union Station and is an ideal location for a quick bite on the run. Service is fast and friendly, and although the lineups are long they always move fast.

Decent McDonalds. The only highlight is that it’s located in Union Station. Come here if you’re hungry for a burger and fries. Nothing special so just fork over your change, wait 5 mins, chow down and climb on your bus or train! There’s normally a line but service is very fast. It’s located near the Jugo Juice.

My new McD’s rating system:
Initial starting point: 1 star
Fast service: +1
Has McCafe: +1
I think 3 stars is as high as a McD’s can rate.
So this McD’s is in Union station. They are super fast (I was getting free coffee) as there were 10 people in line and I only waited like 2 – 3 minutes. There’s no tables or anything, just a little window.
Verdict: I like their coffee… that’s it.

This McDonald’s is worth reviewing for two reasons.
1) they are open late (i think until midnight) = awesome, and
2) they are super fast = awesome.
Whenever i’m usually walking through the GO section of Union Stn during the day i’m usually more tempted by the nearby Cinnabon or Subway or Jugo Juice. But I’ll play that off to the time of day. Because if i work a late shift and it’s after 10pm, it’s Mickey D’s that i’m wanting! I can get there at 10:30 on a wednesday (yes tonight) and there is a line up. This place is jumpin’. But do not be discouraged! There are so many people working at this tiny location and they are SO fast. I usually just order a large fries, or sometimes an apple pie, and i can get in and outta there in under two minutes.
Tonight there were 4 of us that popped in for a little snack before our transit ride home. We all got different things, just fries, a junior chicken sandwich, strawberry milkshake. We all got our food hot and fast! My milkshake friend did say that it was very sweet and she didn’t even want to finish it. But i think that’s standard McDonald taste.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s always packed but the service is faster than most other McD’s.
The only reason I’m even reviewing McD’s is so I can add it to my (soon-​to-​be-​made) Top 5 Burger List.
I say this with no sarcasm nor irony: the (double) Big Mac is my gold standard for a burger. For less than $ 5 you get a greasy, salty, meaty and filling burger topped with barely tastable processed cheese. Does it matter what the Big Mac may really be made of? Not particularly because it tastes so good! And, there’s likely one already waiting for you to order so you never need to wait. Wherever you go in the world the Big Mac (freakishly) tastes exactly the same — how’s that for quality control?! Now truth be told, out of all the fast food chains, I actually prefer the burgers from Harvey’s the most, but since it’s almost next to impossible to find one, the Big Mac still gets my vote because it’s always there for me — no matter the city or the street, there’s always a McD’s within walking distance.
Now ask yourself this: with all the gourmet burger joints sprouting around town that charge you $ 10, $ 15, $ 20, even $ 100 (and look what happened to M: brgr, yeah that’s right), do they taste twice, 3 times, 4 times, or even 20 times better? Hardly ever. If you charge more than a Big Mac and you don’t taste better than a Big Mac, then you sir, are not worth eating.

If there’s one thing this location gets, it’s the concept of fast food. «Food» may be a relative term here — it is McDonalds — but the speed is genuine.
Quality of the meal is slightly above average compared to other locations I’ve visited — probably a function of the high customer turnover here, everything is as freshly prepared as it’s going to get. The staff is usually very efficient at taking and filling orders, as well as correcting the odd error.
My biggest complaints are that the cash registers are too close together to allow any kind of waiting area while you wait for your (again, fast) meal. Also, the condiments station is a pain to get to if it’s busy and you happen to be served on the right hand side of the restaurant. The lack of any kind of line control system — ropes, whatever — means that people form a bit of an amorphous blob at the entrance /​exit, often impeding foot traffic going past.
Complaints aside, if I need to grab something quick on my way to the train, odds are I’ll wind up here.