How to find the best restaurants when travelling

Disclaimer: I created my 10 best practices based on my food culture and hospitality career experience. The aim of the post is to help you explore the diverse food scene with greater confidence and find the best restaurants when travelling. Please note that these guidelines are general and may not apply to every circumstance.

My Top 10 Best Practices on:
How to find the best restaurants when travelling

1. Prefer: Local Seasonality

One of my key tips to find the best restaurants when travelling

If you want to have a food orgasm, you shouldn’t expect to have strawberries in January or white asparagus in November. We all know that England imports all sorts of food from all over the world; this is also connected to the melting-pot origins of its population. However, you should eat as much as possible locally and in season.
Bear in mind that, with limited raw ingredient production, you can still consider Europe’s seasonality rather than have food travel from the opposite hemisphere.

2. Try: International Cuisines

You can find any cuisine worldwide, and sometimes you encounter the perfect international restaurant, so it isn’t only about eating as locally and seasonally as possible. Sometimes, it is also about expanding your culinary limits and exploring more. If you are at the planning stage, one of the top tips to find the best international restaurant when travelling is to look online for “Best (cuisine) restaurant in (location) and read a couple of authoritative websites.

For example, in London (and other major cities), I suggest you read CN Traveller, TimeOut, and Secret (location). Browse the first couple of pages, read at least a few websites, and cross-check with Google reviews. Another indicator is checking what people comment on the official social media account.

If you have arrived at your destination and don’t want to look online, let’s say you fancy Chinese food and are in London, I will probably head to Chinatown and look where Asian people are heading. Even if they are tourists, they might know someone who lives locally and has valuable suggestions. Remember, long queues don’t always mean quality.

3. Avoid: Touristic Areas

Can help you find the best restaurants when travelling

Restaurants located in the most popular corners of town are not always traps, but they might still have inflated prices compared to less crowded areas, which is also due to the higher rents they have to pay. Keep in mind that restaurants located here, in general (of course, there are exceptions), work on quantity over quality in ingredients and also on the number of covers per day.

What does it mean? Generally, they don’t expect to see people returning, as they know their main target is tourists. In other words, service might not be the greatest because they are not interested in building relationships with guests and making them regulars. Having so many customers also implies fast kitchen service, which might compromise food quality.

However, speaking of exceptions, Toba is one of them. It is a delicious Thai restaurant located in the heart of Piccadilly. You can read my full review here.

4. Not negotiable: Cleanliness

It is straightforward: check the exterior, look at the staff’s grooming (nails, hair style, and cleanliness), and the menu’s appearance (stained or clean). When seated, check if the table and cutlery are clean, and observe the waiter’s worktop (messy or spotless).

Let me tell you, nowadays, the bathroom is becoming the new business card for restaurants. The cleanliness level you find there will tell you a lot about the place.
Some restaurants have their kitchens in basements or hidden from guests, but if you see any chefs around, their grooming will also tell you a lot.

I have to tell you that London has a serious rodent problem, and it’s not uncommon to see mice. If a restaurant does its due diligence with pest control, you should be safe.

If you are visiting London, one thing you can do besides checking online reviews and seeing if anything is mentioned about the cleanliness/dirtiness level is to check the business’s food hygiene rating here by entering the restaurant name. Some businesses exhibit their rating; others don’t.  Usually, businesses are inspected within the first months after opening, and unless they haven’t been reported, they might not have another visit for 5 years.

5. Feel: Worth it

This is a very personal feeling. Look at the clientele to help you find the best restaurant when travelling; if you see locals, you are most likely in the right place. How can you tell if they are not tourists? London, being such a beautiful multicultural city, might feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but what people are wearing can tell you a lot. For instance, tourists usually carry maps, cameras, and backpacks, and their expressions are serene, as if they were on holiday.

If you are in central London and you see businesswomen/men, that, to me, is a sign that the service is excellent, as they want to impress their clients, but they will probably have a higher bill. If you see that the place is full of young people, it might be more hype than anything else. Those are not set rules; it might simply imply that the target clientele is of that demographic. Trust your gut feeling.

6. Watch: Ambience

Social media platforms are nowadays the place where we look for answers. There is nothing wrong with that, but pretty food presentation and interior decoration are not synonymous with quality. Social media has also shaped how designers plan restaurants, as being “Instagrammable” is becoming a new need. Not everyone has the budget to spend on social media and ambience. Don’t exclude a restaurant just because of its look. It could be a great sign that you found a hidden gem, especially if it has been open for decades, when social media was not yet part of our lives.

7. Choose: Independent restaurants

A large chain has a bigger budget; therefore, it can afford to be in the city’s most popular areas, whereas an independent restaurant will struggle to open there. When looking for a more cosy restaurant, you will most likely avoid touristy places. In my experience, a family-owned restaurant offers a more personal and warm service. They will take the time to speak with you and get to know you, making you feel special and unique, whereas at a large chain, you are more of a number.

8. Check: Reviews

Read the reviews, but remember, they’re just one piece of the puzzle. Don’t let them dictate your decision. They could be biased, fake, or unrealistic. If you’re in London (I’m not sure about other countries), consider checking OpenTable for verified feedback. Only those who’ve dined at the restaurant can leave a review, so you can trust it’s not just a disgruntled former staff member venting (yes, that happens too)!

When I’m evaluating a restaurant, I always start with the most recent reviews and check the average score. I pay special attention to the worst reviews and when they were written to understand any potential issues. If there are only a few negative reviews compared to the total, I’m more likely to give it a try. I recommend choosing restaurants with at least 4 stars and a good number of reviews. If it’s a new place, I’ll look for blogs or other online sources for the latest information. Remember, the more sources you consult, the more confident you can be in your decision.

9. Read: Food Blogs

As I mentioned above, food blogs are also a great resource to help you find the best restaurants when travelling. Take the time to scan the About Me page if you want to find a knowledgeable blogger. In addition, local foodie websites are a valuable resource that have already written about the restaurant and can give you a better idea. This gives you more knowledge and a better understanding of the local food scene. I feel that short-form content like reels requires minimal effort to produce, so people can easily create videos without being as honest, whereas a blog post takes at least a couple of hours to write, and writers are more mindful about what they write.

10. Ask: Local People

Definitely, if you wish to eat like a local

Don’t be shy, it’s easy to ask your hotel concierge or the apartment host. I always ask them in advance, so I also have the time to book. You will be surprised, but you can ask a random stranger if you feel comfortable. I did it myself, so don’t worry, it isn’t uncommon. If you are buying something in a shop, why not ask about their favourite restaurant, cafe, bakery, etc, in town? In a worst-case scenario, they won’t remember the name, but they can still point it out on Google Maps.

Conclusion on how to find the best restaurants when travelling

I’m tired of seeing the hype for restaurants that lack ethics, attention to ingredients, and focus only on marketing. Even local people sometimes struggle to keep up with the latest news. Restaurants open and close so often that what was great yesterday might not be great today. Marketing is taking over quality in many ways; people follow people, and in the end, you don’t know whether it is a trend or really worth it.
As a final suggestion, trust your gut. There were occasions when I stood up and left before ordering because I didn’t appreciate how I was approached or didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the level of cleanliness. IT’S OK TO LEAVE!

This concludes my blog post about how to find the best restaurants when travelling.
If you have more suggestions or want to share your experiences with me, I would love to read your comments below!