These are the cues that can signal you should seek a in force meal elsewhere .
For those who travel to eat, meals while away from home are precious. A marquee meal can be the most memorable highlight of a trip, and when you only get so many per day with no do-overs, there is literally no room for mediocre food. And even harder to stomach is when it’s expensive, inauthentic, or — even worse, in a world with such diverse cuisine — boring. In other words, a tourist trap restaurant.
What is a tourist trap restaurant?
agree toa studyby online passport photo service providerPhotoAiD , the top three measure that make a place a holidaymaker maw are above - mean pricing , amenities tailor for tourer , and a lack of ethnic authenticity . But these trait are n’t always directly manifest , so we necessitate a various panel of culinary research - driven travel tourism pros and chefs to total more perspective .
From a packaging point of view , Taryn Scher(“The Sparkle Boss ” ) of TK PR considers a tourist trap “ a smear that has a lot of buzz but does n’t really have the nip to back it up . ” Sadly , this can also include famous institutions .
“ There are long - standing restaurants that exist on buzz , merely for the rice beer of ‘ You have to go to X if you ’re jaw Z. ’ Some of these are even place you might desire tosayyou visited , even if the food is second - rate , ” she sound out . ground on 15 years of exemplify destinations such asGreenville , South Carolina , andThe World Equestrian Centerin Ocala , Florida , she ’s line up that , while there are exceptions , “ these are n’t really the place for serious food lover who travel for intellectual nourishment . ”
Executive pastry dough chefClaudia MartinezandTop ChefcontestantHector Santiago — both James Beard semifinalist — feel thatintentis what defines a tourer cakehole .
“ To me , it ’s a position that makes what they assume a traveler would desire … like pizza how they think an American would want it rather than making a toothsome version of pizza pie that has their spin on it , ” Santiago explained . As a Puerto Rican aboriginal , he finds this peculiarly grating because “ I want people to try the authentic culinary art , ” he read . “ To me , one of the best parts of travel is immerse yourself somewhere to live like a local . ”
Martinez sack any eatery that ’s “ not locally own and does n’t embody the city ’s culinary natural endowment as a whole , but rather , focus on turning tables for profits and promoting sub - par food . ” This translate into higher prices with down in the mouth quality , she says , with a focussing on the big return for the owners instead of the best experience for diners .
All of this is part of why nearly 70 % of travelers surveyed by PhotoAiD said a visit to a tourer bunker diminished their overall enjoyment of a tripper — and is why you should keep these six red flags in brain .
1. A Whole Lot Of ‘Come Hither’
All six experts HuffPost spoke to name this as their No . 1 admonition : beware a garish , overeager welcome , take up with décor . Scher cautions that “ melodic theme - y muscae volitantes that are excessively kitschy , or any beach bar that ’s covered in $ 1 bills are probably tourer traps . ”
“ And most are generally jolly gimcrack , ” she append .
Okan Kizilbayir , chef de culinary art at The Ritz - Carlton , Amelia Island , agrees with the latter . He enjoin of his house country , “ In Turkey , alternatively of glistening and flashy ingress , there are hosts with a bill of fare in their hand and they ’ll incessantly talk to you to get you in the eatery and say you that they ’ll give you a big discount . ”
And after go through 30 land in seven years doing culinary research , Jared Hucks , chef - owner ofThe Aldenin Atlanta , agrees that employees blatantly judge to tempt travelers is the smart red flag out there . But also , “ I avoid any placesonthe ‘ bunk path ’ with card with multiple languages posted in front of the restaurant , ” he said .
Santiago roundly sum up , “ I walk the other fashion when I see someone standing outside soliciting traveller as they pass out menus in 100 dissimilar languages . ”
bad yet is if said multilingual computer menu is charge plate - coated and has pictures of the intellectual nourishment , according to Italian nativePiero Premoli , executive chef and collaborator of Pricci in Atlanta . Whenever he returns to his mother country for the culinary cryptic dives that inform his monthly regional bill of fare dinner series , he steers clear of those and checkered tablecloths .
2. Location, Location
It ’s hard to dissent the toilet facility of proximity , peculiarly when you ’ve been walking around all 24-hour interval and your venter ’s growl . But being tight to major attractions usually comes with adult bunch and high rents that “ hyperlocal spot would n’t be able to give unless they ’re feed tens of thousands of visitant a week , ” Scher said . And as Martinez points out , “ larger - scale , over 200 - seat operations , ordinarily in downtowns ” are significative of corporate ownership , with the merchandising and budget to design a holidaymaker trap .
“ I want to verify my money is being spend on the great unwashed who act hard to put out their local cuisine — not aggregated - market place corp or tourist traps that buy food that ’s already made , ” she enjoin , which is why she actively seeks eating place off the master roads .
3. Size Matters
Another example of how bigger is n’t always better is when it comes to menu size . One of Kizilbayir ’s peeves is “ Too many items on the bill of fare ! And too many different styles or regions . ” If a restaurant is hear to be everything to everyone , it ’s unlikely to be cooking seasonally or to the destination . That ’s why Santiago said , “ I also stay away from places that to a fault refine their menus by throwing everything on a plate . You ca n’t get everything from an arena on one plate ! ”
A elephantine menu also increases the likelihood that it ’s go to be pretty uninventive or “ generic , Anywhere , USA , ” as Scher put it , with basic items like burgers . Or it might contain foods that are American despite having other associations — for case , Premoli guide out chicken Parm , fettucine alfredo , and spaghetti and meatball .
And within that large menu , “ find out out for undue fry starter , ” Premoli said , coming back to Martinez ’s item about premade food . A computer menu rich with deep - fried selections means the eating house has prioritized food that ’s glacial , cheap , ready and easy to prepare . “ Also watch for repetitive [ ingredient ] pairings and big frozen nutrient trucks parked there in the morning , ” he adds , both of which signalize the above .
4. Predictable Desserts And Drinks
Everyone has their one favorite dessert — a good ol’ standby that you could consider on . But as a pastry chef , Martinez get it on how to recognize tourist trap by their after - repast sweets . “ classical cheesecake , liquified lava patty , central lime hydrate Proto-Indo European … these are n’t usually made in - mansion , ” she shared . shabu cream is also usually brought in by a restaurant supplier unless otherwise posit .
Too - perfect slit bar and pies are also sign of mass production . “ If there are desserts on display or on the menu with pictures , or outside signage of the sweet , specially in a eating place that seat over 200 mass , it usually means they ’re supplied by commercial-grade bakers , ” she uncover . And if desserts lack description and are decorated the same way ( “ Think welt cream star piping with great deal garnish , strawberry sliced like a rosiness , pulverized sugar on everything , ” she say ) , it ’s unlikely they have a pastry chef on staff baking their goods .
Scher gauge by useable potable . “ Look at the vino list , the cocktails , beers … that ’ll say you a plenty about a restaurant ! Ask yourself , How Target wine gangway is the list?”Instead , look for local beer to indicate regional tie - ins and inventive cocktail to show attention to and investing in professional craftsmanship . But if there ’s nothing more than your major beer brands and “ your typical appletinis and cosmos , ” she articulate , you might want to rethink using up a holiday meal there .
5. Spectacle And Superlatives
On the other side of the monotony spectrum are the spots that are irresistibly photogenic . Anything too sparkly is suspect , harmonise to Santiago and Kizilbayir , who quickly droop Insta - touch when “ people have a cue to take image and the eating place is showcasing more merchandise than what they should sell , which is dear solid food . ”
Additionally , he spear what he call “ stunned tableside shows , ” not to be bedevil with genteel tableside presentation . He defines these appearance as food served with “ lowbrow or loutish style to get attention . ”
“ They do n’t handle about the food ; they just want people to take depiction or telecasting and post them on societal media for attention ” — and to make money off this new form of tourer trap , he enounce .
This sort of falsification and manufacture hype is exactly why Martinez is suspicious of what she calls “ showy or Instagram - forward restaurants ” when she travels , as well as anyone that uses to a fault effusive praise in their societal coverage . primal turnoffs for her let in the words “ the in effect ” or “ awful , ” while Scher allege she ’s “ hesitant to believe any restaurant ’s internet site or selling that claims they are No . 1 for anything in their city but do n’t say where they earned that nod . ”
“ Anyone can claim to have the best anything if they require to , so verify you appear into that achievement before just believe it , ” she say .
6. Your Would-Be Fellow Diners
We mentioned that if a menu feels a shade too familiar , you might just be in a tourist yap . Well , same goes for the business . That ’s why Kizilbayir keep his aloofness from restaurants that specialize in serve well group go .
“ It ’s the roofy of life : Tourists come to the city . They show the historical places , museums , gardens . They begin to get athirst . Then , the turn guide need a busload of tourists to a place that looks attractive , ” he said . But , he argued , “ you’re able to not fork over safe quality intellectual nourishment for that many the great unwashed at the same sentence , so as a restaurateur , you have to cut corners . You make the food or beverage look ‘ declamatory . ’ You bestow dessert with sparkly candles , play loud ‘ democratic music , ’ have servers let the cat out of the bag in weird outfit or chapeau . ”
“ tourer leave these spot with bad intellectual nourishment in their stomachs , but the term of enlistment guide gets a cut of the gain . It ’s an well-fixed turn , ” he admitted .
But that ’s why , during his travelling , Hucks try out restaurant devoid of tourists like himself . “ If you ’re in a state or part that speaks a different nomenclature than your own ( in this case , English ) , avoid place where you learn a bunch of non - aboriginal chatter , ” he said .
Santiago also avoids restaurants with too many other fellow tourer . “ When I ’m consume at a tapas restaurant in Spain , I want to hear the board next to me utter Spanish , ” he say . “ I look for where the local are . ”
He confessed : “ As a restaurant owner , I have a love - hate relationship with things like Google review , but I do find they are helpful for finding where the locals go . Are the reviews written in the local language ? If I ’m going to Portugal , reviews that are all in English are a flushed signal flag . I attend at what people are wear in pictures . In Europe , you tog up to go out to dinner . Seeing pictures of people in shorts and T - shirt at a ‘ fancy ’ restaurant in Madrid get me know it ’s not where the locals are going . ”
As Premoli neatly sums up , “ The primary giveaway for a eating house ’s genuineness is the [ local ] clientele!”This clause earlier appeared onHuffPost .
