Trick I learned for finding good local eats without Yelp

I got stuck in a new city for work last month and was tired of overpriced tourist spots recommended by apps. So I asked a bartender at a random dive bar where he actually eats on his day off. He pointed me to a tiny pho place in a strip mall that didn't even have a sign online. Bowl was $8 and the broth tasted like it was cooking for 18 hours. I tried the same trick in 3 other cities since then and it hasn't failed once. Anybody else got a weird hack for dodging bad restaurant recommendations?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_williams19d ago

ok but actually that bartender trick works better if you hit up the older guy working the morning shift at a diner counter, not a night bartender. night bartenders usually send you to the place their buddy owns or some greasy spoon that's open at 2am. morning diner guys? they've been in town longer, they're not trying to impress anyone, and they'll tell you where the real hole-in-wall with the 20-year-old family running it is. like i asked this guy at a counter in memphis where he'd go for ribs and he sent me to this spot that looked like a garage, best dry rub i've ever had. just my two cents.

amy69219d ago

Yeah @elizabeth_williams is right, I asked a night bartender in Austin once and ended up at his cousin's overpriced taco truck.