McDonalds/Other big Corporates or Supermacs?

Grandeeod

Don't indulge in any of it that often, but over the ould Christmas period I did. While its all generally crap that tastes bloody great, I have to say that I thought Supermacs was far better. In a funny kind of way, it was more wholesome. I remember the days when you wouldn't find a Supermacs east of the Shannon and I even remember the first time I visted a Supermacs in Galway over 25 years ago. Even then it tasted better than the big global chains.

So, is Supermacs, the homegrown effort, better than the big guys of similar fast food?

baltika2017

snackbox

XsApollo

Supermacs is the best of the bunch,
Chicken sandwich is pretty good.

The_Valeyard

The local chipper.

MilesMorales1

Supermacs is sometimes much nicer than Burger King/KFC/McDonalds combined, sometimes its just awful. Horrible cold chicken and soggy chips.


But then mcdonalds and what not are much closer and more numerous than Supermacs.

Bandage

Traditional Italian style family run chipper for me.

Agricola

I don't often be in a Supermacs but when I do, I have generally thought that it was better than the other big chains. McDonalds food is like it was made to a specific set of regulations in the US, shipped to Ireland and heated up in a microwave before being served to you. Supermacs food is like it was made to a specific set of regulations in Ireland and cooked 10 minutes before you arrived. That's high praise!

cml387

For chips, the standard Italian chipper can't be beaten.

But burgers seem better at McDonalds.

Placid_Casual

Supermacs' chips are the worst.

sideswipe

XsApollo wrote: »

Supermacs is the best of the bunch,
Chicken sangwich is pretty good.

Fyp

MilesMorales1

Placid_Casual wrote: »

Supermacs' chips are the worst.

Ah no, KFC chips are the worst.

Mountainsandh

Supermac's all the way.
You can get proper fish and chips in a plate, or an Irish breakfast.
In our local one you have the usual burger/chips counter, a Subs counter that also does mixed salads, Papa John's pizzas, and a coffee counter.

All in all excellent range of choice as we don't always want the same thing in my family. Plus everything is always fresh.

KERSPLAT!

Big tick culchies love Supermacs, I'm a fan myself.

Wheeliebin30

Bandage wrote: »

Traditional Italian style family run chipper for me.

What I find strange is when I was in Italy I didn't see one "chipper"

Can someone explain?

baltika2017

me don't want no bigmac
me don't want no bigmac

eh eh eh

Grandeeod

Bandage wrote: »

Traditional Italian style family run chipper for me.

If its a good one fair enough, but jaysus a lot of them have gone to absolute **** IMO.

Shenshen

You can't get nice chips in any of them. I'll stick to my local chippy when I can't be bothered to make them myself.

CINCLANTFLT

Agricola wrote: »

I don't often be in a Supermacs but when I do, I have generally thought that it was better than the other big chains. McDonalds food is like it was made to a specific set of regulations in the US, shipped to Ireland and heated up in a microwave before being served to you. Supermacs food is like it was made to a specific set of regulations in Ireland and cooked 10 minutes before you arrived. That's high praise!

Mickie D's ship their burgers from the US.... right.... actually 1 in 5 hamburgers sold in McDonald’s across Europe is of Irish origin!
http://www.mcdonalds.ie/iehome/food/food_quality/about_our_food/our_beef.html

That said, if given a choice, I'll pick SuperMacs!

Galwayguy35

The food isn't bad in Supermacs, even get to see a few lads take a shot for the title on the odd Saturday night as well while waiting for the food to arrive.

Rothko

I rather go to any local chipper over somewhere like McDonalds etc.

sideswipe

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

What I find strange is when I was in Italy I didn't see one "chipper"

Can someone explain?

They came to Ireland from the same region of Italy (hence the quintessential chipper names) some came from restaurant backgrounds but there was little demand for Mediterranean food here many years ago, so they supplied what the market demanded and deep fat fried the **** out of everything- the rest is history.

I've always loved mcdonalds the best. I can't eat most of their food now but I still love a fudge sundae with extra fudge
mmmm fudge
Their chips are ok. Chipper chips with s&v the best though

Grandeeod

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

The food isn't bad in Supermacs, even get to see a few lads take a shot for the title on the odd Saturday night as well while waiting for the food to arrive.

Thats a Galway right of passage. All those years ago I found it very entertaining as I chomped on a Mightymac and chips! And I was a tourist.

Rumpy Pumpy

Supermacs is fairly decent if you're looking for chipper food. They've started to throw as much salt into their food as any of the other chains in the past few years, but the 5oz burger with a garlic and cheese chips is nice as a treat.

The idealised image of the portly mama peeling and chipping in the local Italian chipper is long gone. They had to compete on price with the Chinese and fast food chains. So they all buy their burgers, chips, sausages etc from the same nationwide distributor. Any difference in quality is down to perception, maybe the heat of the friers.

Four Phucs Ache

Bic Mac meal with 6 nuggets and 2 tubs of sweet N sour please.
Coke.
Can I have extra sauce on the big mac?.
Thanks.
Yes, I will go large.

Conall Cernach

The Roma in Dundalk is the best chipper in the country by a mile.

EIREDriver

Was in Supermacs in Galway after a night out recently. Grand food. Better than Mcdonalds I'd say. Both are fairly pricey though for what you're getting.

Was living in Glasnevin last year and got a Macaris a few evenings. (Few from the one beside Autobahn and few from one beside the small Tesco on way into Finglas.) Chips were always undercooked and soggy. Really over rated (all reviews online raved about the place).

enricoh

Got that new fresh burger in supermacs recently n i was well impressed. The never frozen one the rugby lad that does be on the telly flogging . Highly recommended - Bob appetit!

metaoblivia

So when I visit Ireland this summer, should I give Supermacs a try?

Rumpy Pumpy

enricoh wrote: »

Got that new fresh burger in supermacs recently n i was well impressed. The never frozen one the rugby lad that does be on the telly flogging . Highly recommended - Bob appetit!

That's the 5oz. It's a decent burger.

MilesMorales1

metaoblivia wrote: »

So when I visit Ireland this summer, should I give Supermacs a try?

Might as well. Wouldn't wreck myself for it.

Surreptitious

Lennox's.

Grandeeod

enricoh wrote: »

Got that new fresh burger in supermacs recently n i was well impressed. The never frozen one the rugby lad that does be on the telly flogging . Highly recommended - Bob appetit!

Thats the one I had recently. Thats the reason I started the feckin thread! There's a Chicken version too if Im not mistaken.

Rumpy Pumpy

Surreptitious wrote: »

Lennox's.

I'm down in Cork with work a fair bit these days. I tried the original Lennox's. The one that Corkonians always wax lyrical about. Wouldn't rate it at all. A very average chipper. It's the Dino's of Cork.

KC's was lovely though.

Noveight

McDonalds chicken burgers are woeful stuff, Supermacs are fine cuisine by comparison.

Surreptitious

Rumpy Pumpy wrote: »

I'm down in Cork with work a fair bit these days. I tried the original Lennox's. The one that Corkonians always wax lyrical about. Wouldn't rate it at all. A very average chipper. It's the Dino's of Cork.

KC's was lovely though.

I don't wax about it but I like their food. Their kebabs are unreal.

Arghus

Score draw.

I think Supermacs tastes better for certain things - some of their burgers, particularly chicken, are great and they also do curry chips - which is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Wonderful. Some people love their snackbox, but not for me, thanks - too many bones and whatnot. I want something that doesn't look like it was ever alive in the first place.

I think in general McDonalds tastes a bit more processed and blandy, but sometimes I get a craving that only a Big Mac will cure. And even though their chips are clearly utterly terrible for you I can't help but stuff my face with them whenever they land in front of me - usually an entire serving in one handful, shoved into the gob in one go, as my eyes roll back in my head with pure ecstasy.

byte

Four Lanterns are where it's at!

I do like Supermacs over McDonalds though. I'd prefer Burger King to McDonald's too. In fact, I'd just about put McDonald's at the bottom of the ladder.

Zaph

People from the west have this unnatural obsession for Supermacs. I work with a guy from Mayo and the way he goes on about it you'd swear they had three Michelin stars. Personally I think it's awful muck, although it's a long time since I was in one and I will admit that the branch in Heuston Station mightn't be the best to use as a yardstick for the whole chain.

darkpagandeath

Beef in ouster sauce. Oh and chicken and mushroom soup.

prinzeugen

McDonald's is bad but SuperMacs is vile.

In my 15 years in Ireland I have only been in SuperMacs twice.

Thought I would give them another go during the summer in Kilkenny.. "Fresh" my hole.

Was like a used beermat in a bun with cheese. You could cobble Temple Bar with the bun as well it was that hard..

Never again.

jimmycrackcorm

Supermacs are way overpriced and unimpressive for burger and chips. MacD's dont have fish and chips, or do BK.

dd972

Neither, Rockets all the way.

Capt'n Midnight

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

What I find strange is when I was in Italy I didn't see one "chipper"

Can someone explain?

Legend has it they all came from one small village in Northern Italy. And yes they adapted to local tastes very fast, "we can do potatoes"


Now I want chips like dead fingers, big thick white ones with very thin skin that can be sloughed off, the antithesis of "freedom fries"

Potential Underachiever

Supermacs, far more variety, the chicken burgers are very tasty, admittedly the chips aren't the best, they're far too spuddy but you can't have it all, McD's is what I like to call garbage food.

My local Italian Chippy have chips to die for, you just can't beat it tbh, I think it's the way they cut them, they put a nice sharp edge on them so they crisp nicely, lash on the salt, vinegar and heinz red, half a pan of bread and away you go.

uch

I work up near Hueston Station, and when you are hanging to death there's nothing like the Breakfast they do to cure all your ails, you just have to put up with all the Junkies looking for 50 cent to get to Limerick, wish I could get to Limerick for 50 cent, best city in Ireland, and I'm a Dub

rossie1977

The big American chains are not great but there are chains in the states like five guys and Whataburger which blow away McDonald's or BK

Hulk Hands

Bandage wrote: »

Traditional Italian style family run chipper for me.

Supermacs is still a family run chipper of sorts to be fair. Just got so successful they had to hire a few others! Whatever people think of the food/value, they do always try to buy locally and the amount of money they give back into local charitable projects or sports is massive. A good Irish success story

Hulk Hands

rossie1977 wrote: »

The big American chains are not great but there are chains in the states like five guys and Whataburger which blow away McDonald's or BK

One of these in Ireland now. It's nice but you can feed the family in McDonalds for what a burger and fries will cost in Five Guys. Not really a fair comparison

B.A._Baracus

I have to admit I do like a fast food place. But they all have their good points and bad points.

I think Supermac's chicken is way better than KFC. But Supermacs burgers aren't that great compared to McDonalds. Problem with McDonalds is that it doesn't fill you etc. Just pick and choose what you like.

Surreptitious

I had a lovely festive feast burger in Maccy D's last month. The bun was decent bread, it was huge and the burger was very meaty, loads of lettuce as well and good sauces. (I couldn't finish it) A must have for the burger lover. I think it's cos hardly anyone orders them so they are made fresh whilst if you order a Big Mac they have been lying under the lights for yonks. The specialty burgers are the way to go folks.