If you were born in NYC, you probably know all the best local restaurants in NYC. So, finding the best restaurants wouldn’t be a problem.
And it’s the same for every local of every city in the world.
But for someone visiting a place for the first time, finding the best diners can be a daunting task. On the one hand, there's the challenge of knowing where to find any sort of restaurant at all. And on the other hand, there's the challenge of finding restaurants that serve the kinds of cuisines you desire to have.
In this post, we’re going to teach you a few tips that can help you find tasty restaurants near you anytime you find yourself in an unfamiliar environment.
How to find tasty restaurants near me
1. Ask YelpWith Yelp, you can find the best restaurants for lunch, breakfast, dinner, and even specific types of foods.
For example, you could use Yelp to find the best coffee spot in London.
To use Yelp to find the best restaurants near you, you simply input the type of dinner you're looking for into the search bar. For instance, let's say you're looking for a restaurants in NYC with a live band; you simply search for "Restaurant with live band." Yelp will synchronize your current location, along with your search, and display to you diners that fall into the search category.
The best restaurants on Yelp are usually the ones with 100+ reviews and 4-5 star ratings. So, be sure to pay attention to the ratings.
2. Use NiceLocalNiceLocal is a local online search tool that lists important information about local businesses near you. Amongst the businesses listed on NiceLocal are restaurants, medical centers, beauty centers, fitness clubs, fashion shops, and other services.
With NiceLocal, users can find information regarding any restaurant in their area. This includes info like local addresses, live photos, contact details, ratings, and reviews. You can just search restaurants in London that way you can easily able to get the exact top rated information.
The way NiceLocal works is quite similar to Yelp in that you search based on your desired restaurant theme. But unlike Yelp, NiceLocal offers some interesting features that make it easier to find the best of anything you’re looking for.
For instance, businesses (restaurants) listed on NiceLocal are not uploaded by the business owners but rather by a group of professionals working at NiceLocal – professionals who share a passion for informing and updating people to go to trusted restaurants. As such, only the cream of the crop in every area is selected and curated on the site.
3. Ask for recommendationsIs there a crime in asking? Don’t think so. Therefore, anytime you feel stuck on something, do not hesitate to ask.
Although I’m quite confident either of NiceLocal or Yelp is robust enough to provide you with information on the best restaurants near you, if you still feel the need to keep searching, then you could do worse than asking someone around.
It could be on Facebook groups, Instagram comment sections, or Twitter threads. But in most cases, it’s always best to just talk to a local.
4. Stalk the Instagram accounts of the foodie in the areaWhether before you go to an area or while you’re there, you can quickly do an Instagram search of the term “location+food” to find a list of accounts in that area that talk about food-related subjects.
For example, let’s say you’re headed to Italy; you can search for "#Italygelato." This will show you a host of accounts discussing gelato and the best places in town to get it.
Perhaps you don’t find sufficient information on the posts you find; you can quickly slide into the DM of any of the posters to ask for recommendations.
5. Google itEven now, Google still works like magic. Simply by typing some relevant keywords into the Google search bar, anyone can find information about tasty restaurants near them.
For instance, if you’re looking for the best restaurants in Barcelona, Spain, you only need to input the phrase “best restaurants in Barcelona,” to see a host of diners in the area.
What makes Google’s recommendations even more impressive is the fact you can contact the businesses directly from the results page.
Tapping on the business named “Nest Restaurant Hackney,” here is what I got:
That’s a brief description of the restaurant, as well as the number of reviews and current ratings.
If I scroll down a little further, I have this:
Now we can see actual reviews from real people, contact addresses of restaurants, and most importantly, a contact phone number.
6. Ask strategically at public spotsVisiting a new place means stopping at gas stations, train stations, airports, hotel halls, shops, centers, amongst other places.
While you're at these places, don't just limit the conversation to business or regular talks; ask the people what their favorite restaurants are and why.
From these small talks, you can find quality information about the best restaurants near you.
7. Read local publications from food bloggersAlthough not all cities have them, most modern cities of the world now have folks who dedicate their lives to reviewing, listing, and discussing the best diners in their areas in major publications.
You can find these sorts of bloggers on Twitter, Instagram, or even in local magazines. They simply pick out the best spots in the area, talk about them, and leave you to check it out for yourself.
If you’re looking for the best restaurants in an area, this treasure trove of posts from local food bloggers can be a great place to look.
Conclusion
Finding a good spot to eat and dine is not only good for your taste buds, but also for your health. Wherever you go, always ensure you don’t settle for wishy-washy diners.
Always find the best restaurants near you.
This article was written in cooperation with nicelocal.com