As a travel nurse and someone who adores leisurely travel, eating amazing food has become a high priority for me. Being away on travel contracts in unfamiliar cities can get lonely and finding great restaurants to enjoy with my new friends fills my free time with joy! My husband and I also have very different culinary tastes, so I used to struggle to find restaurants that we both would be happy with. Over the past year, I’ve discovered some great practices that help me find phenomenal restaurants with awesome vibes. Keep reading for tips to find great restaurants when you visit a new city.
Ask The Locals
If you’re traveling for leisure, ask the locals for food suggestions! Hotel concierges, lobby bartenders, or even guests you meet in the elevator could have fantastic recommendations for you! If you are already at a restaurant that you enjoy, ask the server for suggestions on future locations. The trick is to leave your schedule open; if you make reservations for every night of your trip, you won’t have any wiggle room when you hear about an amazing restaurant from a local!
If you’re a travel nurse, I’ve found that staff nurses appreciate you wanting to learn more about their city. They’re usually eager to share their favorite restaurants and recommendations on where to visit near the hospital, and they’re often curious about where you’re living. I like to piggyback onto my coworkers’ brunch plans after long nightshifts and have discovered some incredible food and mimosas in the process! (Okay, it might involve inviting myself sometimes, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?)
Utilize The Internet! It’s your friend!
The Food Network – This site allows you to search by location and is a thorough resource if you’re headed to a big city. You can sort by barbeque, tacos, cocktail bars, best restaurants to impress a guest, and more! The Food Network’s website makes it easy to scope out new territory without sorting through endless restaurant reviews.
OpenTable – This is a go-to website when I’m planning a trip! The site uses your location to find restaurants nearby that are open, and you can see reservation openings without even clicking on the restaurant. After you find a restaurant that piques your interest, you can make a reservation without ever leaving the website. We have used OpenTable for countless reservations, but I have only recently started using it to find restaurants when I’m hungry. OpenTable is easy to navigate and has never let me down on recommendations!
TripAdvisor – Pros: Lots of reviews, details about hours/menus/addresses, and makes it easier to decide if a specific restaurant is right for you. Cons: I don’t particularly like their rating system. Restaurants at the top are affected by popularity, not always the quality of reviews. I use this resource to research a restaurant that I’ve already heard about or found!
Try Searching Social Media
Everyone has seen gorgeous photos of carefully arranged plates posted by Instagram’s food royalty. Every major city has multiple (sometimes many!) foodies with colorful Instagram recommendations. If you’re looking for somewhere picturesque or aiming for a specific vibe, Instagram may help steer you in the right direction. If you end up loving the restaurant, make sure that you leave a positive comment on the food influencer’s post to support their efforts!
Ultimately, the easiest way to find great restaurants is to get out and explore! Find the places that seem busy or have long lines. This shows their popularity and means there is something to see! You may need some extra time on your hands to wait in a long line, but these hidden gems are often worth the wait.
What incredible restaurants have you visited? Have you utilized any of the resources in this post? Are you a foodie with fabulous suggestions? Comment YOUR tips below!
To read about my tips for traveling on a budget, click here.
1 Comment
Really enjoyed reading this Mckenna!