Finding the best food to try while traveling brings me so much joy, and I consider the research part of the fun while planning for a vacation. The very first thing I do after knowing I’m going out of town is to start thinking about where and when I can eat on the trip – even if I’ve been to a certain city before. It can be intimidating sometimes, but I’ll walk through every single strategy I use for this *very* important research. Of course, “best”, is relative, and adjusted for personal preferences, and these will work best for traveling in the United States locally.
If you are short on time, I always recommend using Google Maps to save everything. Then, you are able to add just a few spots that you find from googling articles. Even if you don’t go everywhere on your list, it’s saved for future trips or friends!
Google Maps
I love all of the features Google Maps has to offer for traveling. I like to create “Saved Maps” for different places and bookmark what stands out to me. Here is a super simple article on how to create custom maps and to save items – I have one for every major city that I’ve visited or may potentially visit.
To first find places, I’ll think about what meals or snacks will be needed and what part of town I’ll be in. For example, if I was staying in the Wicker Park area of Chicago and wanted coffee and a pastry when I woke up, I’d search “coffee” and change my maps to be the general area of Wicker Park.
In my opinion, it’s best to try a few different search terms. The searches for “breakfast”, “bakery”, or “croissant” would also work to be narrow or widen our search. I do this ALL the time – I’m talking at least every other day! Especially living in NYC, I’ll find new places daily on the maps that I’ll save for later.
Look Up Recent Articles
If you’re visiting a larger city, chances are that Thrillist and Eater have variety of posts to reference They are a food focused publication, with writers who research and provide very detailed food news. I’ve been happy with most of what I’ve read there, and it’s at least a good place to start. If I see anything interesting, I’ll add it right away to my saved Google Maps list!
Also, I highly recommend checking out local magazines who will have great background on local spots. For example, I love Cleveland Magazine for some of the food recommendations like “Dining Guide: Cleveland’s Best Black-Owned Restaurants”. I always see a new place pop up that is added to my list, and it’s nice to read through the eyes of a local.
Tiktok
The Tiktok algorithm will never cease to amaze me. I don’t even need to type anything in the search bar- most of the time when I open the app, my next dinner spot or bakery in NYC will pop right up. I follow a handful of “foodie” influencers, and a few of my favorites are the below.
theshayspence – travel and food writer, lover of snacks, and has great taste. I love seeing everything he eats while traveling, and he always provides great details!
Sistersnacking – one of my favorite NYC/CT foodies, I’ve gone to many places because of their videos and have never been disappointed
cravecle – Cleveland always seems to have something new, and I can rely on cravecle to keep me up to date.
Karissaeats – more of an international traveler, karissa tries ALL of the best food while singing on a cruise ship! I love the variety and different types of foods she eats.
Facebook Groups
Even though it seems like less people are using Facebook these days, the do love the niche groups. When it comes to food, many areas have food discovery pages that are always showcasing constant updates! It is nice to know what new, local places are available to try, or in an area of town you’re not familiar with. In my hometown of Grand Rapids, there is a great page called EatGR that I still read to this day to see if anything interesting pops up.
Youtube
If you’re like me, your Youtube homepage is filled with food, food, and more food! If not, the Insider and Munchies (by Vice) channels are an ever growing place to start. Aside from being a food discovery platform, it’s great to learn more about the cultures of different foods and the people who make them. The Pizza Show and Street Food Icons will always be comfort videos for me, and act as video essays along with food discovery topics.
I don’t use Instagram as much as other social media, but similar to Tiktok, I like to follow a handful of creators. I’ve found that small businesses are more likely on Instagram versus Tiktok since it’s so much easier to update and post. One of my favorite local places I follow right now is Ready Set Coffee, and I am always drooling over their special drinks on their story.
Some may not consider this a social media site, but once you know how to search or find the right communities, so much information can be found available. I’ve seen people write out entire paragraphs of itineraries to plan someone’s trip – all you have to do is look!
I would start at the destination, and from there search for specific food. For example, if I was traveling to Chicago and wanted to try breweries, I would go to r/Chicago and search “breweries”. Immediately 10+ posts pop up, and people will always have comments on places if they really like or or really dislike it. From there, I of course go back and add places to my Google Maps.
Family, Friends, Asking Someone While Traveling
Lastly, this is the easiest way to learn about other places – word of mouth. If your mom’s coworker was raving about a donut shop in Portland, then is must be somewhat decent. It can be easy to miss, but don’t forget to ask friends or family who have recently traveled to your future destination or have lived there before. It says a lot of people who recommend a place since it is top of mind and memorable.
I hope this helps to expand your food search and find the best places to eat at while traveling! This list is mainly focused towards areas in the United States as other countries have different preferred search engines. Once I figure out a similar strategy for international travel, I’ll be sure to write about it.
Most importantly, I have two tips – 1) don’t stress too much about finding the perfect place and enjoy wherever you are and 2) don’t forget to make a reservation if needed! Exploring and trying so many new things will always be special and a privilege to be able to do.
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