Thousands of people lined up for hours to get a taste of the West when McDonald's first opened on Pushkinskaya Square in 1990.
McDonald's closed its doors in Russia in March after the invasion ofUkraine.
The venue was so symbolic that when a Russian investor reopened it, people lined up again.
"Tasty and that's it" is what Mcdonald's is called. Russia's sudden isolation underscored the place that had represented its openness to the west.
I made this last meal in Russia just a few hours before I left the country.
There was a lot of people in the place on Friday. I always place my order on a greasy screen. The menu was mostly the same, with the exception of the Happy Meal, Big Mac and McFlurry.
I have vivid childhood memories of Mcdonald's food, even though I am not a regular at the restaurant. The cheeseburger was my go-to fast food item when I was a kid and I wanted to recreate my standard order.
The bun and cheese are the same as the original version, but the meat patty is a little less salty, making it less exciting to eat. The absence of the pickle slice was something I liked.
There was a white and orange paper sheet around the cheeseburger. The packaging of all products is now plain white or white with a pop of color and the product's name. Thanks a lot for no logos.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the replacement for the filet-o-Fish. The fish burger is still called the fish burger, even though it no longer has the McDonald's name. Everything is the same, except for the white sauce.
The box the fish burger comes in looks a bit awkward, with its plain text and a band of colour, as if it was a prop for kids playing at their make-believe restaurant.
The fries were a bit sad and less salty than I anticipated. I don't know if that was the case or if it was just the box they were served in.
The cup of Coke I had was the same color as mine. They used to have regular Coke, but now only had Diet Coke. It was still Coca Cola. As Coca-Cola pulls out of Russia, the chain seems to be using up their stock before changing brands.
Chicken nuggets are a comfort food from childhood.
Going to Mcdonald's was a concession made to unappreciative children by my family. There was an exception for the Chicken McNuggets.
The chicken is tender, the nuggets are crisp, and they have the same strange shape as always.
The barbecue and sweet-and-sour sauces were the ones I chose to pair them with. Someone covered up the golden arches logo with a marker pen while I noticed a black dot on the package.
This was not good. Smaller cups are what the ice cream is now in.
The strawberry sauce was pooled at the bottom of the ice cream and it was partially melted. I watched people lounge in the sun on the busy Pushkin square.
Is my opinion correct? The new Russian McDonald's is similar to the old one. As if nothing had happened.
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