Getting suckered into a tourist trap restaurants is the worst. It’s a waste of money and it takes away a major meal that could have been dined at somewhere actually authentic and enjoyable. Here are 9 tips to avoid tourist traps:
Before even flying to your destination, research the potential restaurants and food to eat ahead of time. Read reviews from locals, read menus online, take note of recommendations from chef/traveler food shows, research food magazine, search food blogs, and on and on. Use your judgment and preferences to determine which places are best for your taste and food travel style.
Ask the concierge for recommendations. Luxury hotels have a concierge staff who will happily recommend local restaurants according to your preferences. Once you book your room, you can even email them ahead of time in case restaurant reservations are necessary.
Stay away from restaurants located right next to major attractions. Those will most likely be tourist traps looking to lure foreign travelers into spending more than necessary on mediocre food.
If there is a host or hostess standing outside of the restaurant calling out to people walking by that their restaurant is delicious and authentic, then it is most likely not delicious and not authentic. Great restaurants do not need a pushy person trying to trap diners into their establishment.
Look inside the restaurant and observe the crowd. If there are mostly tourists and foreigners, that means locals probably do not think it’s a good restaurant. Also, if the restaurant is empty – that’s a bad sign that no one wants to dine there (and that the food in the kitchen may be old or stale).
Every country or major destination has its local time to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Typically in Europe is it a couple of hours later than in America. If you are grabbing dinner at 6pm in Europe and there’s a crowd, they are most likely fellow travelers getting suckered into a tourist trap with you.
Avoid chain restaurants, especially those of a mid-level to lower quality. On one hand, these places are okay for a mid-day snack, but for a proper meal, they will likely disappoint.
Study the menu. Are there too many languages catering to too many tourists? Is it too thick and offering way too many choices to have a specialty? Is it generic, laminated, and full of photos? If the answer is “yes”, this is a likely tourist trap.
If you book a package tour or hire a tour guide to take you to the major attractions, this will probably include a tourist trap restaurant in which the company or person earns a commission.
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