A delectable meal can make a fun vacation or trip even better or salvage a not-so-great time away from home. The only problem is that sometimes, it’s hard to know which places serve good food if you aren’t familiar with the area.
Rather than let your hunger call the shots on what you eat while traveling, learn how to find excellent dining options that show you and your taste buds the best of what an area offers. Use these tips to find out where and how to look for awesome restaurants.
Look for Regional Dining Options
If you’re traveling to the Deep South or Midwest, it’s the perfect opportunity to seek out restaurants that serve local cuisine. You get to try new dishes and flavors you may not have back home. And, you may discover a delightful dish that becomes your new favorite.
What’s the best way to find regional dining options? Think of where you’re staying while traveling and the cuisine you want. For example, you can use your smartphone to search for “southern restaurant on King Street” or “best Old Town Alexandria restaurant that serves southern food.”
Check Out Local Publications and Posts From Local Food Bloggers
While searching the internet for local cuisine, see if local publications have food or restaurant recommendations. Not only may you find great places to try, but you could also discover specials or discounts you may not have known about otherwise.
Local food bloggers may have useful tips and insights into the best restaurants in the area where you’re staying. Even better, they can give you the scoop on which restaurants to avoid!
Ask the Locals
The internet isn’t the only way to find must-try restaurants while traveling. While using a rideshare service or taking a cab, ask the driver for recommendations on where to eat. While driving around, they may have noticed up-and-coming or interesting spots to try. You can also ask the hotel concierge or your Airbnb host.
Book a Culinary Walking Tour
Rather than book a tour guide to show you the local sites and places of interest, why not book one to show you the best can’t-miss local cuisine? Culinary walking tours let you sample great local dishes, and you can learn more about the dish’s origins. Best of all, you can still have chances to explore more of the area by walking to different restaurants.
Culinary walking tours are excellent if you travel to another country where you don’t speak the language or know proper eating etiquette. Your guide can order for you, tell you what’s in the dishes, and help you avoid committing a culinary faux pas.
During your tour, ask your tour guide questions about places that look interesting but aren’t on the schedule. You can note the ones that sound or look interesting and try them yourself when you have time.
Look for Lines
Back home, you likely avoid block-long lines at restaurants. While traveling, try to resist that inclination and instead let it fuel your curiosity and craving for good dining options. If you spot a restaurant with an especially long line, it could mean the food’s worth waiting for.
Rather than join everyone else in line, do some research first. Find out the best time to go to beat the crowd, and see if the restaurant takes reservations.
Don’t let your growling stomach decide where you eat on your next trip. Doing so could mean settling for an unsatisfying, unimaginative, or boring meal. Instead, use the above tips to find the bests dishes in a new town.
