This is a collaborative post.
Would you travel for food? According to recent research by Jules Verne, 72% of Brits prioritise fine dining and local cuisine above other reasons to travel. What’s more, 17% of us have travelled purely to eat a certain type of food. With so many restaurants to pick from, however, you may be feeling a little lost when it comes to working out exactly how to choose a restaurant.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. The location of the restaurant
Partial to a glass of vino or two with dinner? Do yourself a favour and make sure your chosen restaurant is within walking distance (or a short taxi ride) from your hotel or accommodation.
When you’re paying to dine out, the last thing you want to do is add another £50 or so on top for travel expenses. Plus, knowing you haven’t got far to go to get back to your hotel is always a relief when you’re feeling drowsy after a big meal in a new place (not to mention those glasses of wine!)
2. The ambience of the place
You might be thinking of dining at the most beautiful restaurant in the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to enjoy a memorable meal. It always pays to consider what the restaurant atmosphere might be like in any restaurant you’re thinking of visiting.
If you tend to prefer conventional styles then a sleek, modern and futuristic space may be an assault on your senses; while traditional, quirky interiors may be a step too far for the ultra-minimalist.
When checking out restaurant reviews, pay attention to whether the restaurant offers live music and/or entertainment, how intimate the layout of the dining room table and chairs is, whether there is a dress code, and so on. That way, you can be sure you’ll feel comfortable in the environment you’re eating in.
3. The right cuisine
Even when a restaurant has 5-star ratings from every diner, this doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to fall in love with the food too. You’ll want to be confident you’re going to enjoy the type of cuisine served. If you’ve never been keen on spicy food, an Indian restaurant probably isn’t the best bet, even if everyone else is raving about it.
Try to catch a glimpse of the wine menu too. Do they offer a good variety and do they make recommendations based on your chosen cuisine?
A good way to tell whether you’re going to get an authentic experience is to see if the chef is from the cuisine’s originating country – or that they’re at least recognised as a specialist in the cuisine.
4. The value for money option
Although you may be itching to give fine dining a go, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should exceed your budget for it. While fine dining restaurants are often expensive, many restaurants offer exquisite cuisine at affordable prices. For example, some highly rated restaurants will offer cut-price lunch deals, enabling you to get more bang for your buck.
Allow yourself plenty of time to explore different reviews and menus in order to decide what’s going to work out best for your budget and taste.
When considering how to choose a restaurant, you should always give some thought to where the locals like to eat. Ask them where they’d recommend, or simply look to see which restaurants are packed with local people. This is always a good way to guarantee traditional, home-cooked food.
5. The faultless service
When you’re dining at a high-end restaurant, you’re going to expect exceptional service – and rightly so. Again, reviews are perfect for finding out what kind of service you can expect to receive from the restaurant of your choice.
What are your top tips on how to choose a restaurant? Share your tips with other readers below.
If you liked this post, you might want to check out these posts too:
- 7 Tips for an Unforgettable Food Travel Experience
- My Top Food Travel Moments, As Told by Photos
- Top Tips for Eating Out on Holiday
This is a collaborative post.
Before going anywhere new I always have a look at their website to check out their menu and see if they have any vegan options. Thank goodness more and more places seem to be adding plant-based dishes to their repertoire.
The plant-based food trend does seem to be on the rise and I can imagine you’re delighted about that 🙂 It’s not good to be limited in terms of choice when it comes to dining out.
Great tips! My own is to avoid eating too near a major tourist attraction. With a few exceptions, you’ll find you pay a premium for that view of the Cathedral…and the food won’t always be the best. Instead, find a side street nearby – and save looking at the view for when you are not eating and drinking!
That’s a fantastic tip Fiona! I will have to bear that in mind myself whenever I’m travelling.
These are all great tips Kacie! I usually choose a restaurant based on the cuisine and do further research from there 🙂
That’s always a good place to start!
So many things to think about when selecting a restaurant. We always have to look in advance to see whether my son will eat anything on the menu
That’s a good point – you do need to be pickier when you have kids with you.
These are some great tips for choosing a restaurant. The ambience definitely needs to be right.
Thanks Mel. I agree. It doesn’t matter how good the food is if you can’t relax and have a good time.
For me the right cuisine is the most important thing. My other half is vegetarian so we always have to look at the menu before we can go anywhere.
I can imagine. I think it’s great that more restaurants are offering a decent number of options when it comes to meat-free meals nowadays.
It’s true that sometimes you do need to go somewhere that has the best service – better service, the better experience 🙂 Rude staff are no good!
It’s so true. A bad experience can ruin my view of a restaurant, even if the food was perfect.
The number 1 rule for us is to always be within walking distance of the place we are staying. Or at least for us to know how to get home via taxi etc. Also, affordability is important as is the way you’re looked after. I don’t mind mistakes etc if the staff are friendly and approachable.
That’s a very useful tip. Price definitely comes into things too.
My wife and I love to discover new food and restaurants. We don’t have a lot of time to cook ourselves. I appreciate how you mentioned considering the location and ambiance of the place.
Thanks Sam! Glad you found my post useful 🙂