The revamp, part of the chain's 'I'm lovin' it campaign, comes about five months after the global offensive broke.
Four restaurants in busy residential and commercial districts - Taikoo Shing, Admiralty, Tsuen Wan, and Lok Fu - were chosen as they serve as prototypes of four different market types that exist in the city.
The chain has also co-opted local movie star Karena Lam as its 'chief happiness officer'.
In place of plastic, the renovated branches sport natural materials such as white marble and wood, plus soft lighting. The aim is to provide a new home-like cafe environment amid the rapid expansion of cafe-styled rivals such as Starbucks and Pacific Coffee.
Carolyn Leung, a director of McDonald's communications department, said the company had also provided new dishes, but dropped its rice dishes, which the chain described as a short-term promotion.
Following on initiatives in the US, where McDonald's faces criticism for contributing to obesity, the chain has introduced healthy options, including salads and breads such as focaccia and ciabatta.
"The new menus represent McDonald's global initiative in offering customers a balanced and quality meal of great value. These new food items are what our customers have told us that they would like to have through customer research," Leung said.
On top of the revamp, the chain is refreshing its McCafe outlets as it prepares to launch more McCafes in the city. The new-look McCafes are offering a larger selection of coffee and gourmet food. Leung said the change demonstrated that McDonald's was in tune with shifts in eating habits of Hong Kong people.
In-store service and staff uniforms have also been upgraded, along with the introduction of hand-held ordering terminals to shorten ordering and serving time, especially at peak hours.