With experience, I developed a sixth sense to find the right restaurant while traveling. Or rather avoid finding myself in a filthy, tourist ghetto. For this, you don't need a travel guide. All it takes is a little sense of observation and a little gumption. Are you hungry? So let's attack right away! So here is the list of 10 things that can make you think that the restaurant you are about to enter may be a tourist trap.
A restaurant that offers pizzas, local dishes, seafood, burgers, sushi… All available in sixty different dishes, it's frankly fishy. How can the chef succeed in so many different dishes, without compromising on quality?
These restaurants should therefore be avoided. Do you want to eat pizza? Go to a restaurant that only serves pizza.
Would you like to eat a local dish? Go to a restaurant that only offers local cuisine, with 6 or 7 different dishes on the menu.
Is the restaurant located in a very touristy area?
Is the restaurant located in a tourist area? For example, on the seafront, in THE restaurant street or next to a popular monument. Generally (but there are exceptions of course) the restaurant will not be good. Why would the restaurateur strive to offer quality food when his situation ensures maximum occupancy?
The solution? Get a little away from the tourist area. Sometimes, by walking a few meters in an adjacent street you find real gems. So, don't hesitate to walk a little to avoid getting scammed.
Do restaurant staff accost people on the street?
“ Come to my restaurant. Good food. Cheap food. Good view.“. We've all heard this, especially abroad.
In addition to being very unpleasant, this type of solicitation on the sidewalk is far from being a sign of good quality in the restaurant. A good restaurant doesn't need to beg people to come eat there. A good restaurant builds its reputation year after year with word of mouth, guides, review sites like Tripadvisor. Which brings us to the next 2 tips…
Are the customers mostly locals?
Take a look inside the restaurant. Do the existing customers seem to be locals? Not always easy to detect, I grant you, but if you are a little observant and have spent a few days in the country, you will easily be able to spot it.
Why this advice? If the restaurant is full with locals, it is because it has succeeded in retaining a loyal clientele all year round. And not just for the tourist season. Not all of these clients can be extras or friends of the boss. If they are there, it is because they appreciate the food and the setting.
Another similar clue: does the restaurant appear to be open all year round or just for the tourist season?
Is the restaurant empty?
Let's be clear: a full restaurant is not a sign of quality either. But it can be reassuring to see that a few people have already taken their seats inside. Especially if lunch or dinner time is already well underway…
Especially since this allows you to put the following advice into practice…
Does the food look appetizing?
Because if there are already people at the table, you will be able to subjectively judge the quality of the dishes served:
- Do the dishes appear good and well stocked?
- Do the people eating seem to be enjoying themselves?
It's a nice touch from the owner to allow his foreign customers to understand what they're going to eat. However, you have the assurance that such a restaurant is exclusively intended for passing customers. So, tourists. And since it is rare that we want to retain tourists, it is also rare that the food is of quality.
Are the prices really (too) attractive?
Compare prices a little for similar dishes in different restaurants. If the prices are really too low in one of them, it is not necessarily that the owner is cutting back on his margins… Very often, it is in the quality of the products that the difference is found. Or variation, on the quantity served. So, if you like to eat well and you have a good fat stomach, go your way!
There would be many other tips: clean out the restaurant's trash, ask locals in the street, observe the state of the kitchens, etc.
And you, what are the things that decide whether or not to enter a restaurant while traveling or in your country?
