Trying local delicacies in a foreign city can be one of the best things about a trip abroad. It's a chance to taste something new and to enjoy an authentic experience amongst the exciting tourist activities you will be doing. However, it's hard to know which restaurants, cafes and bars to head to if you want the best food in town. Even if you plan on sticking to what you know and love, choosing a place to eat on your European city break can be difficult. So, here are a few ways you can track down some tasty morsels to fuel your sightseeing.
The original and still the best review site, TripAdvisor has something to say about everything, not just the best restaurants in town. A little research before you travel will help you find a few places to check out whilst you're away and you can make the decision of whether you want to eat there when the time comes. It's worth taking the odd negative review with a pinch of salt as everyone has a bad experience once in a while. However, TripAdvisor's average star rating is usually a great indicator of some tasty grub.
There are some great mobile apps out there that can help you not only find a great place to eat but choose from the different options on your shortlist. LocalEats features a database of individual eateries around your chosen city, so you won't end up eating in a chain restaurant that you could have simply visited at home. Urbanspoon was recently bought by Zomato, a website which currently only focusses on Brisbane. However, the Urbanspoon app can still be downloaded for Android, Apple and Windows devices. On both, simply enter the city you are in or choose to search within a certain radius, select your preferred cuisine and you'll be greeted by plenty of delicious options. You can even book a table straight from the app.
One of the best people to ask when you are looking for a great restaurant is the person behind the desk of your hotel. Most of the time they will be local to the area and will have a few spots that they can personally recommend. Also, they probably get asked questions like this all the time and so they may even have a readymade list in their head of places to try.
When you are scanning the streets on your European city break, looking for that perfect spot to satisfy your hunger, busyness could be the key indicator of somewhere that is worth trying out. After all, a restaurant full of happy people and with a queue out the door is hardly going to be serving up any old slop. Even if you don't eat there right away (due to that queue coming out of the door) you can keep it in mind for another time during your trip. This tip tends to work even better if you happen to notice that the people eating there are locals. The best places are always enjoyed by tourists and residents in equal measure.
There's no reason why finding the best restaurants in a foreign city needs to be an exact science. And sometimes the best travel experiences happen when we least expect them. So, if technology isn't doing it for you and you've checked out the spots suggested by the locals, try exploring and seeing what you come across. Take a stroll away from the main tourist areas, where prices tend to be higher, and see where that charming side street will take you. If in doubt, follow your nose and you're sure to uncover some great hidden gems.
We can put together a tailor-made package for any time of holiday you would like. From rail trips to multi-centre city breaks, we can create your ideal itinerary featuring everything you want to do. Also, if you are wondering which local dishes to try, take a look at our blog posts that highlight some great traditional food in Croatia, France, Greece, Sweden, Italy and Switzerland.
