I'm an American who ate at a French McDonald's for the first time, and it wasn't as glamorous as 'Emily in Paris' suggests

In the first episode, the main character, Emily, and her on-again-off-again love interest, Gabriel, go to McDonald's after she's pitched the idea of promoting the chain's newest product, the McBaguette.

In the series, McDonald's restaurants in France are shown as more glamorous than in the United States.

"This is so chic!" Emily says when they visit the restaurant.

"It's McDonald's, but it's adapted to the French culture," Gabriel tells her.

I recently traveled to Paris for the first time and decided to try eating at a French McDonald's while I was there. I was excited to see if my own experience would be as chic as Emily's.

The outside of the restaurant did have some chic characteristics, thanks to its large paned windows and green awning. It was also nestled among a strip of classic Parisian buildings, which didn't make the restaurant stick out as much as some of the out-there McDonald's restaurants we have in the United States.

Above the register were large, fashionable red lights, and the overall design was modern and sleek.

I saw a few products I didn't recognize, like the McQuesadilla, which consists of melted cheese, peppers, fried onions, lettuce, and a spicy sauce inside a toasted tortilla.

I also noticed that this McDonald's location had a salad bar, where an employee was preparing fresh vegetables. I've definitely never seen this at a McDonald's location in the United States.

The steel-banister staircase was surrounded by murals and paintings of what I presumed to be Paris. Still, the restaurant wasn't nearly as glamorous as the bright and airy building where Emily and Gabriel ate.

It was a rainy evening in Paris, which could have been why more people chose to eat indoors rather than at a nearby park or walk outside with it.

While I was comfortable, I wouldn't describe my eating experience as "chic" — it was pretty dark inside and everyone was bundled up in coats, not colorful designer outfits like Emily's. I couldn't help but laugh thinking about Emily actually eating here — I doubt she'd see it as luxurious.

My order came to a total of €20.80, or $21.89, including tax.

The meal cost €10.90, or $11.47, which I thought was a pretty fair deal compared to the price of similar meals in the US. For example, a Big Mac combo meal costs $13.69 at my local McDonald's in New York.

The McBaguette is a major storyline in "Emily in Paris," with multiple characters professing their love for the sandwich. French McDonald's restaurants first launched the McBaguette in 2012 for a limited time only, and the sandwich has returned to McDonald's menus in France for short periods of time over the years. Most recently, the McBaguette was brought back in December 2022 for a collaboration with Netflix as part of an official "Emily in Paris" meal.

I was interested to see if the real-life sandwich would live up to the hype.

I've never tried anything like this in the United States.

The flavor reminded me a little of a Big Mac, thanks to the thick layers of bread, meat, and lettuce. I was expecting the lettuce to taste fresher compared to McDonald's lettuce I've eaten back home, as I read that McDonald's food in France is "locally sourced and very high quality," according to NPR. However, I thought the lettuce tasted about the same.

The cheese was a really nice addition though and, in my opinion, it had far more flavor than the standard American cheese slices I'm used to eating on a McDonald's sandwich.

Overall, I thought the sandwich was pretty good, but definitely not worth booking a plane trip for.

They were perfectly salted and crispy.

Unlike in the US, there weren't a ton of sauces to choose from. I decided to try out the special sauce to see what it was like.

It's typical in France, Belgium, and other European countries for people to eat fries with mayonnaise. I thought the mayonnaise was just OK, but it could have had more flavor. I guess I'll have to stick with my personal-favorite dipping sauce: ranch.

The macarons came packaged in a cute McCafe box, and looked pretty similar to much more gourmet macarons I ate throughout my trip.

I thought the "brownie" flavor was also lacking.

Honestly, for McDonald's macarons, I was impressed.

The sandwich was large and came with a bacon-topped bun, crispy chicken patty, lettuce, bacon, creamy mustard sauce, grilled onions, and white cheddar cheese. The sandwich alone cost €6.60, or $6.95.

The bacon tasted crispy and fresh, but it wasn't overcooked — it still had some chew to it, which I prefer.

There was a generous but not overpowering layer of mayonnaise holding all the ingredients together.

Overall, I was impressed by the CBO and could have easily finished the whole thing if I hadn't already tried so many other menu items. I would absolutely love for this item to make its way over to the US.

I thought they had a delicious zesty seasoning that gave them a lot of flavor. They were fluffy and better than the fries, in my opinion. I would love to see this particular menu item come stateside.

While I enjoyed many of the menu items I tried, I wouldn't describe the experience as chic or luxurious. Gabriel might think that McDonald's has adapted to fit in with French culture, but I'd take a classic Parisian outdoor café any day ... and then stop for a CBO and macaron on my walk home.