Rick Steves' Advice For Foodies On A Trip To Europe: Seek Out This Type Of Menu

One of the greatest boons of visiting another country is the food you get to enjoy. However, if you are popping into eateries surrounding the sights, you are likely missing the meals that will have you talking about them for months on end when you return from your adventure. When in Rome, you want to eat like the Romans do, not like all the other tourists who are visiting the city. That is why guidebook author Rick Steves says you should skip the places with the big laminated menus available in multiple languages, and instead seek out places with a smaller, handwritten menu or one printed with a date.

Why does this matter? It means the chef is cooking with local produce that is in season. In an interview with Travel & Leisure, Steves uses French onion soup as an example. He notes that when people visit Paris, this is a dish on their bucket list, but he says that it's actually a specialty dish served in the cooler months. This is also true when you go to Milan, Italy. Cassoeula, which is a casserole featuring pork, uses a lot of cabbage to create a hearty and delicious dish. But cabbage is a crop that is best in the winter, so you don't want to see it on menus all year long.

Rick Steves also suggests skipping the restaurants that are considered "famous." For example, everyone wants to visit Il Vero Alfredo when visiting Rome. This restaurant, which put fettuccine Alfredo and creamy chicken Alfredo pasta on the radar for every Italian-loving foodie, has hosted the likes of Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, and Ronald Reagan. This means it might be difficult to get a reservation when you are competing with celebrities and locals for a table. 

Steves notes that if you are willing to walk a few streets over from these famous restaurants that have rent prices that match their notoriety, you can generally find incredible local fare without the wait and the price tag. This means if you are hoping to experience paella in Spain, pierogies in Poland, and fish and chips at some of the best shops in the United Kingdom, don't go to a predictable location. Find one off the beaten path where the locals may frequent it, but tourists are less likely to discover.