The golden arches of McDonald's are familiar all around the world. But not every location that the fast food giant opened has lasted the distance – including some of the most amazing and surprising spots. Here, we look at 21 incredible McDonald's outposts where hungry diners could once get their fix of burgers and fries. 

Click or scroll through our gallery to see amazing McDonald's locations that are sadly no more, counting down to the most incredible of them all.

Our ranking is based on the popularity, iconic status and unusual architecture of each McDonald's restaurant, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.