How to find the best places to eat when you travel

One of the best parts of traveling is the food. It’s one of the times that you don’t have to limit yourself or watch calories (assuming you don’t travel every day of your life). But, when you travel, you are in a new place, and it’s very hard to know where to go for the best places to eat. You also don’t know what to have for cultural dishes or what things there even are. Just imagine your local neighborhood, how many great places are there and how many not so great? How long did it take you to find all those hidden gems? When you travel you are starting from scratch. Here are a few tips on how to find the best places without having to suffer the worst.

Locals

The people that are going to know the area better than anyone are the locals. Though finding the right locals is important. Think about if you are home and just ask people you know what the best restaurant is or what local delicacy you shouldn’t miss. I would say the majority of them are clueless and might tell you taco bell. If you find a good place, ask others that eat there. Odds are they are more of a foodie than the guy working at the hotel desk.

Local food blogs

These are a great place to find the right places to try. People that are like you that love food. See where they have gone and what they recommended. There are even some that have YouTube channels where you can get up close and personal with where you should go to eat and what to try.

Guides and apps

You can check out curated guides and apps for restaurants. You might miss a lot of the hole in the wall places this way, but it’s generally a safe bet if you don’t have time to find the right place. Just make sure you check the reviews carefully if you can. As we all know, not all reviews are real.

Food clubs

There are often meetup groups for food in a local area. They are often good for finding places to eat as well as foodie friends that can refer you to others, or even take you. Right next to enjoying food, a foodie loves showing off other places that they have found.

Lines

If you see a place with a line, odds are there is a reason. It’s not a guarantee, but the food and price will generally be good. Play the odds and try it. You can also ask people in the line as to why they are there. It will tell you a lot more. They might also be a good source of other places.

Avoid tourist spots

Though tourist spots don’t mean bad food, they don’t mean good either. They generally mean the safe middle of the line food. We always find it amazing really, that people that travel to a new country, stay in a Marriot or some generic hotel, eat in generic places, and eat the things they eat back home. Why travel in the first place? The best tourist places are generally where there are not a lot of other tourists. Experience a place as it is real, not what is presented on a postcard.

You need a crash course when you travel to new locations. The tips we have provided will get you started on that course. Research is your friend, as painful as it might be. If you are a foodie, sometimes the research is half the fun. So eat, explore, mingle, and enjoy.