McDonald’s, the world’s favorite fast food restaurant, has just launched a new spinoff cafe, CosMc’s, serving up fun beverages and bites. The test location in Bolingbrook is the first to be launched out of many. 

Over winter break, I made the drive to find the answer to everyone’s question: is it any good? From my experience, it was a fun place to try out, but definitely not worth the time it takes. 

CosMc’s is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday. I left for CosMc’s at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon, and it was about a 30-minute, highway-heavy drive to the parking lot in which the drive-thru line started. Being in such high demand right now, the traffic was out of control. 

I was queued behind at least 40 cars. It took two and a half hours to make it up to the ordering station, and another 30 minutes after to receive the food. If you plan to make the journey, I would suggest bringing a friend or something to do in the car, because otherwise I would’ve gone crazy. 

I ordered an assortment of things from the menu, totaling about $43. For my drinks, I got the Sour Cherry Energy Burst and the Tropical Spiceade. For my food, I ordered the Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich, Pretzel Bites, Mixed Bag McPops, and a Strawberry & Cookie McFlurry.

The interesting thing about CosMc’s is its focus on health. If you visit their website, most of the new drinks offer the ability to add various “shots,” like a Vitamin C shot, an Energy shot, or a Pre-workout shot. You also can add boba to most drinks. While it’s clear that they’re trying to expand their customer field, it doesn’t seem necessary.

Taking the first sip of my Sour Cherry Energy Burst was shocking. It was extremely sour and very artificial. I definitely had higher expectations for this one, given that you can add one of their health shots. It was labeled as one of their “signature galactic boosts,” which also made it surprising how sugary it was since it seemed like CosMc’s was taking a different direction from the reputation of McDonald’s. After a few more sips, the sour surprise calmed down, but it tasted like something you could get at a local 7/11. The boba added an interesting flavor combination and texture, which I enjoyed.

The Tropical Spiceade was much better. It was very refreshing and had an interesting spice to it, like mentioned in the name. Its flavor is comparable to the Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit refresher, and many other items on the menu may have been able to compete with some Starbucks beverages. However, it was still very sugary, and I was more interested in a glass of water after sitting in a three-hour line. 

One thing you should be wary of when placing your order at CosMc’s is to speak very clearly. I thought I ordered the Creamy Avocado sandwich but ended up receiving the Spicy Queso sandwich. The only access a customer has to the building is through the drive-thru line since the cafe offers no dining area. The drive-thru line closed at 5:30 p.m. that day to handle the capacity of cars, so if there’s a mixup about your order, it likely won’t be able to be fixed. Even though the sandwich was not what I wanted, it wasn’t terrible and didn’t feel heavy or greasy, which I worried it might. 

The Pretzel Bites and McPop’s are part of their “Bites” section of the menu. The bites were simple but tasty, and I ordered them with the new Hot Mustard sauce. The sauce tasted very similar to the normal honey mustard offered at McDonald’s. The McPops were my favorite part of the haul. I ordered the mixed bag, which included one cookie butter-filled pop, one hazelnut pop, and one apple cinnamon pop. These were delicious little bites, and totally worth the price. If CosMc’s expands and isn’t as far of a drive, I would look for these all the time. 

The last thing I ordered was the Strawberry & Cookie McFlurry. The soft serve base was the traditional McDonald’s ice cream, but it was topped with freeze-dried strawberries and a salty shortbread cookie which made a great pairing. 

Overall, I would recommend going to CosMc’s as a fun experience with your friends or family, but not as a frequent spot to eat. The long wait and average food don’t stick out in my mind, but it’s fun to try, and getting to say you went to the first CosMc’s ever is pretty cool!