The Best Food & Restaurant Sites for Travellers
Food is one of the best ways to understand a place. Reservation apps get you into popular restaurants, guides point you to the places worth the trip, and home-dining platforms let you eat a meal cooked by a local host. Vegetarian and vegan travellers have dedicated finders for every city.
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How do I find the best restaurants when travelling?
Start with local food writers and guides rather than global review sites alone. The Michelin Guide lists starred restaurants and its Bib Gourmand picks for excellent value, Eater publishes city maps of the best places to eat right now, and Taste Atlas shows the traditional dishes of every region and where to try them. Yelp and Google Maps reviews are most useful in North America and big cities. In many countries, the busiest local spot at lunchtime is a better guide than any app.
Which apps are best for restaurant reservations?
OpenTable covers tens of thousands of restaurants worldwide and Resy handles many of the most in-demand restaurants in the US. In Europe, TheFork (LaFourchette) offers bookings with discounts of up to half off food at some restaurants, especially in France, Spain and Italy. Book popular restaurants as soon as reservations open, which can be 30 to 60 days ahead.
How can I eat with locals?
Home-dining platforms let you share a meal cooked by a local host. Eatwith offers dinners, cooking classes and supper clubs in more than 100 countries, and Traveling Spoon arranges private home meals and market tours with vetted hosts. They're a brilliant way to learn about a cuisine and meet people, especially when travelling solo.
Finding vegetarian and vegan food abroad
HappyCow maps vegan and vegetarian restaurants and health food stores in almost every city in the world, with reviews from other plant-based travellers. Learn how to say "no meat, no fish" in the local language, as vegetarian dishes in many cuisines still use fish or meat stock.
Tips for eating well on a budget
- Eat your main meal at lunch, when set menus are much cheaper.
- Shop at food markets and street food stalls with long queues.
- Avoid restaurants with photo menus next to major sights.
- Join a food tour on your first day to learn what and where to eat.