I ordered the same meal at a McDonald's in Moscow and New York City, and the Russian location was a step up from the American one

More than 30,000 people waited in line in the cold for hours to be the first to eat at the American fast-food chain. Many of them, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2007, had never tasted burgers and fries before.

Now, there are at least 650 McDonald's throughout Russia and the fast-food chain is thriving in the country.

Russia's first McDonald's is in central Moscow at Pushkin Square, right off famous Tverskaya Street and steps from the metro.

It also seemed very clean. I didn't see any garbage on the floor or half-eaten food sitting on empty tables.

At 2,500 square meters, or about 26,909 square feet, Moscow's first McDonald's was one of the largest ever built when it opened in 1990.

Many of the customers appeared to be young people and teens.

I did see illustrated items like coffee, tea, smoothies, McFlurries, and donuts.

I don't read or speak any Russian.

I was secretly hoping to see some menu items made with stereotypical Russian foods, like a caviar burger or vodka-spiked McFlurries.

Instead, I was surprised to see a "Tastes of Italy" section that I've never seen in the US, which included a Tuscan panini, an "Italian Pie" that resembled a Hot Pocket, and something called a Mojito Italiano. McDonald's in Russia doesn't sell alcohol as it does in some countries like France, Germany, and South Korea.

In addition to the classic Filet-O-Fish sandwich, the menu included fried shrimp, a shrimp roll, and a fish roll.

When I got back to the US, I popped into a McDonald's across the street from my office in New York City and saw that it offered only the Filet-O-Fish, no shrimp or fish rolls.

With fries and a Coke, of course.

At the McDonald's across the street from my office in New York, the same meal cost $9.79.

I went to look for the pick-up spot.

I walked up to the counter and saw that my order was ready before my number was even displayed — less than a minute after I'd paid for it.

I was impressed by the speed and efficiency of the whole process, as I'm used to a more hectic scene in American McDonald's locations. The contrast was even more clear after I visited the McDonald's by my office, where there are no ordering kiosks and an employee had to direct the customers to the next available cashier.

The first thing I ate was a French fry, which was piping hot and perfectly salty.

But upon biting into it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was hot, flavorful, and more fresh-tasting than a typical Big Mac. At McDonald's locations in the US, I enjoy the fries, but I usually find the burgers to be a bit tasteless.

The Russian Big Mac seemed to have the same ingredients as its American counterpart — two beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, and the signature Big Mac sauce — but it just tasted better.

In Russia, you connect to WiFi by requesting a code, which is texted to your phone and which you then have to enter to use the network.

In many US McDonald's locations I've been to, especially the larger ones, you often have to move aside discarded trays with food remains and wipe up smears of Ketchup before sitting down at a table.

But in Moscow, I saw an employee come over and clear away a man's tray mere seconds after he'd finished eating.

I didn't take a photo in the bathrooms, but I will say that, too, they were noticeably clean and didn't require a code to enter like in some American locations do.

It was a hot day, and many people were buying ice cream. The café also sells coffee drinks and baked goods.

It, too, was clean and well-maintained.

From this McDonald's, it's about a 30-minute walk or a 15-minute metro ride to Red Square.

But in Moscow, the food, the ordering process, and the space in general were all at a higher level than I'm used to at American McDonald's. In short, I would definitely eat there again.