In Pursuit of Greatness
If there is one thing I am obsessed with when travelling, it’s finding incredible food that is equal parts authentic, delicious, and reasonably priced. I also want to ensure that my meals support local communities whenever possible, not just tourist traps.
I often get asked how I manage to pick great places to eat wherever I am in the world, especially since I rarely end up disappointed (or sick—famous last words!).
The truth is, it’s not luck.
Over the years, I’ve honed a few simple strategies that dramatically increase the chances of finding a memorable dining experience. And because I believe great food should be shared, I’m here to share my secrets!
Now, you’ll see I use the caveat ‘pretty much always’. Let’s be real—no method is foolproof. Sometimes, you’ll try something and not love it. But that’s just part of the adventure! But by staying curious, open-minded, and willing to step outside your comfort zone, you’ll maximise your chances of discovering something truly special.
Here are my top 10 tips to help you eat well, wherever you are in the world…
1. Check Reviews…But Consider Their Validity
Checking TripAdvisor and reading Google reviews are one of the main ways I’m able to distinguish which restaurants I’m going to visit and which I’m not. Typically I look for the highest possible review rating, (4.5 out of 5 being the bare minimum). I am also more interested in the quality of the food than the service if I am being perfectly honest. I’d rather have incredible food with no smile than mediocre food with one!
Filtering reviews and looking at the most recent reviews is also key. Sometimes older, more favourable reviews get bumped up, hiding the fact that perhaps a place has gone downhill recently and is suddenly becoming lower rated.
Also, I always look at who is leaving the review. Is it someone who clearly travels a lot (you can check reviewer’s other reviews) and has ordered something authentic? Getting a glimpse into the sort of people who have eaten and reviewed the spot before you can determine whether this place is worth visiting or a tourist trap.
I also ignore aggressively negative reviews that make baseless claims without evidence or explanation. Sometimes, you can just tell that the reviewer was having a bad day and decided to take it out on the restaurant.
It’s worth noting that in some countries leaving reviews online isn’t really a thing, which is why the rest of these tips exist!
2. Use Your Eyes
There is a lot to be said for first impressions when you first approach a restaurant or street food stall. You can pretty much immediately tell if a place is going to be decent when their food preparation area is clean, carefully managed, and tidy.
How are their ingredients stored? Do they have clean hands/wear gloves? This is all basic stuff that you would look for no matter where you were eating, whether it’s in your local McDonalds in the UK or a hut selling jerk chicken on a beach in the Caribbean.
I’d also like to add that most places rely on your custom for their livelihood and aren’t ever actively trying to make their patrons sick, ya know? So be try to be mindful but not paranoid.
3. Who Is Eating With You?
Take a look around and notice who you are going to be eating alongside. Is it a massive tour group eating a plate of chips, or is it a local family sharing their plates and looking like they’ve been sitting there for hours?
It matters.
4. Empty Tables Don’t Always Mean Bad Food
In the west, we tend to judge restaurants by how busy they are based on headcount and how few tables of their tables are empty. This does make sense sometimes, but it’s no longer a factor I fixate on when it comes to choosing a place to eat.
The more countries I visit the more I realise that dining cultures are vastly different depending on where you are. There are often many factors that could reflect why a restaurant is (seemingly) empty.
In some locations, there are simply more places to eat than there are potential customers. This simply means there is more choice, and more tables than there are people. Not necessarily that they aren’t ‘good’ to eat at.
Similarly, you have to factor in that eating times depending on where you are. A restaurant may be quiet when you want breakfast or dinner, because in some countries people eat later or earlier. While it may be super quiet when you’re hungry coming from a western mindset, the same place will be bustling well into the night.
“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonald’s? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head?” — Anthony Bourdain
5. Location, location, location!
Are you looking for a place to dine in the central plaza, near a major attraction or crowded tourist zone? If the answer is yes, it’s highly likely that you won’t experience an authentic meal or, at the very least, you will be made to overpay for it.
It’s just a fact that central tourist areas tend to be overtaken by eateries that are geared up to international tastes (and budgets!). Often the remedy to this is venturing further along, down a few side streets. Tourist numbers tend to peter out and it’s more probable that you’re then met with a cute little taverna where the locals hang out.
The pricing will probably be significantly lower, too.
6. Don’t Be Bullied Into Sitting Down
We’ve all been there. You’re minding your own business, strolling through an Old Town or city centre somewhere when suddenly you find yourself dodging restaurant touts, gaslighting you into thinking that their restaurant is the finest in the country.
Confidence is quiet. If they need to drag customers in, you have to sort of question, why? Don’t just settle for their desperate pleas and move along.
7. Less Is More On The Menu
Overwhelmingly, I have noticed that the more extensive the menu, the less authentic and decent the food is likely to be. Something about it just doesn’t add up for me. You can’t expect a restaurant to stock all the ingredients simultaneously, and have them be fresh and ready to be cooked, when the menu demands hundreds of different ingredients for hundreds of different dishes, now does it?
This logic applies in reverse. Fewer menu items means the restaurant or food stall knows how to make their single dish well and has perfected it to the point where they know they don’t need to offer anything more. Imagine the level of confidence in your cooking, knowing that people will come to sit at your table despite you only offering one kind of soup or sandwich etc.?
That is exactly the kind of place I want to eat at!
8. No English Menu? Jackpot.
If you have just sat down somewhere and there isn’t an English menu available, know that you’re probably in the right place. This means that they haven’t had the need to translate their menu and thus, more likely, mainly only cater to locals. You asked to eat authentically, so take this as a win!
And don’t be put off by picture menus either, as I know some people don’t like them. This is a cultural thing more often than not, and you know as they say, a picture tells a thousand words. Sometimes it’s just easier for restaurants to use photos to bridge language barriers. Plus, you can almost try before you buy and see exactly what you’ll be getting with a picture menu too!
9. Ask Around
When in doubt, ask around! You’re not expected to know where to eat as a tourist, so make the most of that sweet naivety and ask for some help and recommendations.
Whether it’s someone in a hostel, hotel or your apartment host, I’d always ask: “Where do YOU like to eat around here?”
Nine times out of ten, people are receptive and thrilled to see you take an interest in their culture and cuisine.
I have not yet failed with this method of hunting down a dinner spot. I’ve even asked random passers by in the street too!
10. Blind Faith
You’re not always going to like it, but the truth is, sometimes you just have to go for it and put yourself out there blindly, hoping that your next meal at this little hole in the wall will be fantastic. Just go for it! You only live once.
Depending on where you are, there may not be many restaurant options nearby and heck, sometimes the restaurant you pass by doesn’t register on Google Maps, let alone have any reviews to read (this is something I found to be true across much of Southeast Asia). The only solution at this point is to throw caution to the wind and put your faith in the people who are ready and willing to cook their cultural cuisine for you.
The more you put yourself out there and experience different restaurants and dishes, the more you’ll find it easy to go with the flow and find hidden gems anywhere you go.
Trust Your Gut And Get Out There!
I hope these tips inspire you to be bolder and take more chances when it comes to eating abroad. There are no hard and fast rules—what works in one country may not in another—but that’s part of the fun. Stay curious, trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid to venture beyond your comfort zone.
The more you explore, the more confident you’ll become in finding incredible meals anywhere in the world. So get out there, eat well, and let every meal be an adventure!
Until next time,
Lica xoxo
