The McBoat: The incredible German McDonald’s where customers have food delivered waterside

Forget drive-thru… try a FLOAT-thru! The incredible canal-side ‘McBoat’, where customers can have food delivered to their mooring spot on a jetty

  • The ‘McBoat’, which opened in 2015, is by the Mittelkanal in Hamburg
  • Customers can paddle up to the jetty and order via the McDonald’s Germany app
  • The ‘McBoat’ drive-thru facility is open 24 hours a day in the spring and summer


Are you a fast-food lover who wants to push the boat out? Then try the ‘McBoat’.

It’s a McDonald’s in Hamburg on the banks of the Mittelkanal – a canal that feeds into the Elbe river – that has a unique take on the ‘drive-thru’ experience.

Customers on a boat or in a canoe can dock at the ‘McBoat’s jetty and make their order via the McDonald’s app, with restaurant staff delivering their food to them as they float on the water. 

The McBoat can be found on the banks of the Mittelkanal in Hamburg

The McBoat opened in 2015, and it's open 24 hours a day throughout the spring and summer

The McBoat opened in 2015, and it’s open 24 hours a day throughout the spring and summer 

The iconic Golden Arches signpost the jetty, which has a staircase leading up to the restaurant.

A kiosk with an intercom was previously in place on the McBoat dock, but it has since been usurped by the McDonald’s Germany mobile app.

The rest of the restaurant, which can be accessed from a street called ‘Eiffestrasse’, functions as a regular McDonald’s with a drive-thru – though in Germany it’s known as the ‘McDrive’. 

British YouTuber Tom Scott recently visited the McBoat, filming himself paddling up to the dock in a kayak

British YouTuber Tom Scott recently visited the McBoat, filming himself paddling up to the dock in a kayak 

One local, who was impressed by the novelty of McBoat, wrote on Instagram: ‘Our restaurant on Eiffestrasse in Hamburg has the only McBoat counter. Actually works like the McDrive. You moor your boat and can then place your order at an order column. It is delivered to the jetty and then eaten in the boat, if you like. Class!’

British YouTuber Tom Scott recently visited the McBoat – which opened in 2015 – filming himself paddling up to the dock in a kayak and following the instructions, as written on a large sign, to use the app. 

In his YouTube video of the experience, he says: ‘When I heard that the world’s only float-through McDonald’s was on a little canal on the Elbe River in Germany, I thought that was probably worth a visit.’

The restaurant can be accessed from a street called 'Eiffestrasse'

The restaurant can be accessed from a street called ‘Eiffestrasse’ 

McDonald’s manager Adrian Dudziak tells Scott: ‘People are so happy to see this, because they read this or saw this on Instagram, and they come especially for this.’

For those hoping to visit the McBoat for a Big Mac, it’s open 24 hours a day throughout the spring and summer but closes completely come wintertime.

The McBoat isn’t the first time the McDonald’s corporation has dipped its toe into the world of water-bound eateries. 

Pictured is the inside of McBoat, which is a one-off for the McDonald's corporation

Pictured is the inside of McBoat, which is a one-off for the McDonald’s corporation

Back in the 1980s, the ‘McBarge’ was unveiled at the Expo ’86 World’s Fair in Vancouver, Canada, which revolved around the theme: ‘Transportation and Communication: World in Motion – World in Touch.’

The McBarge, which was also known as the Friendship 500, functioned as a floating restaurant at the event, but it was left empty after the Expo came to an end.

In 1991 the McBarge was moved to Canada’s Burrard Inlet, where it has been anchored for the past three decades. 

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