The 10 Very Worst Things You Can Order In A Restaurant
Every restaurant has its own specialties, things that it does really well and (if it's lucky) is known for. And while it's fairly obvious that there are some things you shouldn't order from specific restaurants — a lobster roll at a dive bar or a cheeseburger at a Chinese restaurant, for example — there are some things that you should never order from any restaurant, ever, for numerous reasons.
Tap Water
It may be a little more expensive to opt for bottled water, but water left sitting out at room temperature for too long can be a bacterial breeding ground. And if the water you're being served is coming directly from the tap, you never know how clean those taps (and pipes) are.
Click here for The Daily Meal's National Tap Water Taste Test.
Free Bar Snacks
Think about how many people have also had their hand in that container of peanuts. And then think about how few of them probably washed their hands recently, even after using the restroom.
Dubious-Sounding Specials
While some chefs go out of their way to make sure that specials highlight the freshest seasonal ingredients, purchased at the market that very morning, many see the specials board as a way to use up past-their-prime ingredients. If there's a special that sounds like a random hodgepodge, or sauce-covered bits of meat, stay away.
Wagyu/ Kobe Burgers
Real wagyu and kobe beef are rare and expensive delicacies, extremely marbled and usually served in very small portions at exorbitant prices. To grind it up like any old piece of beef isn't just sacrilege, it's dumb, and nobody does it. Ten times out of 10, if a restaurant claims that its burger is made with wagyu or kobe beef, it is flat-out lying to you. Don't order it, on principle.
Bread
While a free piece of bread or two is a nice way to get something into your stomach at the beginning of the meal, having to pay for it (even if it's artisan bread) is pointless. Just be hungry for 15 more minutes; you'll survive. You also probably want to skip the free bread if you can avoid it; many chefs admit to reusing bread from table to table in order to avoid waste.
Chicken Breast
A chicken breast is a chicken breast, and is rarely anything other than boring. Many restaurants add them to the menu just to have something to appease picky eaters, and not only will it most likely end up being nothing special, it can transmit foodborne illness if not cooked all the way through.
Veggie Burgers (Unless They’re House-Made)
The vast majority of veggie burgers served at restaurants are of the same (or lower) quality of what you'll find in the supermarket, and tend to be frozen and defrosted in the microwave. They also often cost the same (if not more) than beef burgers, making them a rip-off. The only time you should order a veggie burger is when you know for a fact that it's made in-house.
Fettucine Alfredo
Fettucine Alfredo is oftentimes the unhealthiest dish on the menu, and it's never especially good. Overcooked pasta in a sauce loaded with heavy cream, it's usually a gloopy mess, and simply isn't worth the calories or money.
Lemons, Limes, and Other Drink Garnishes
We hate to break it to you, but those lemon wedges that you get with your water, iced tea, and Diet Cokes are rarely washed, usually cut by gloveless bartenders, and then sit out all day in that little tub with the other garnishes. So they're certainly not sanitary: a study published in the Journal of Environmental Health tested lemons from 21 restaurants and found that nearly three-quarters of them were contaminated with bacteria. If you absolutely need lemon, just squeeze it into your drink and then throw it away instead of dropping in the whole thing.
Sprouts
Sprouts are one of those foods that really has no reason for existence. Not only do they add nothing from a flavor or texture standpoint, they also tend to be full of bacteria. They grow in a warm and moist environment and are also very difficult to clean thoroughly, making them one of the leading causes of foodborne illness, and are regularly pinpointed as the culprit behind E. coli and salmonella outbreaks.