Rick Steves Recommends Avoiding European Restaurants With This Specific Sign Out Front

Eating well is one of the best things you can do while traveling — in fact, food tourism has exploded in popularity and become a major reason many people plan trips in the first place. It's exhilarating to discover secret, off-menu cocktails or extraordinary meals in underrated spots even your foodie friends have never heard of. When traveling through European cities, as travel expert Rick Steves often does, eateries are easy to find. The big question, though, is always how to tell if you're in an authentic restaurant. Steves' one universal rule for avoiding tourist traps and mediocre food: Steer clear of restaurants with "no frozen food" signs. According to a video on Steves' official YouTube channel, these "no frozen food" signs — often large, permanent placards, in English — supposedly highlight fresh ingredients. In theory, that should be appealing. But Steves says such signs are usually accompanied by Cheesecake Factory-length menus in three or more languages that never change — all red flags, and an indication that "no frozen food" is just a gimmick to attract tourists. 

Instead, Steves recommends walking a few blocks off the beaten path to a lower-rent spot and looking for places with handwritten signs — an indication that their menu changes frequently because it's fresh and seasonal — along with tables filled with locals who seem to be living their best lives. "I love to eat with a sharp, smart, local clientele instead of a noisy bunch of tourists," Steves says. Part of travel "magic" is allowing yourself to stumble into something new, without a guidebook or social media. Often, your gut instinct (and actual gut!) will lead to incredible discoveries. If nothing else, straying away from tourist hotspots may help you find your most memorable meal in Europe. 

Rick Steves has been exploring the world since his teenage days on the hippie trail, but admits he didn't always eat well on the road. Today, it's one of his favorite parts of travel. He considers eating well to be a vital part of the experience, though he doesn't need to go to a Michelin-starred restaurant to enjoy a good meal. "If you're on a budget, you're inclined to go to a mediocre restaurant because the prices are better and then you order recklessly," he says in his YouTube video. "In Europe, it's really important to focus on good ingredients. Europeans love top-quality ingredients, and as a budget traveler for years, I would not be aware of that.

Many travelers on Reddit claim they feel healthier and endure fewer GI issues in Europe, thanks to seasonal eating and fewer preservatives. Steves concurs. "Americans don't realize, what we're missing until we go to Europe and we see what tasty fruit eaten seasonally and eaten locally is," he says. "I love the idea that a smart eater can go to a good restaurant and look at the menu and know what month it is and where they are." 

Even if you're on a tight budget, you can avoid tourist traps and enjoy fresh, seasonal fare while on the road. Try making a delicious and memorable meal from grocery store or farmer's market finds– bread, cheese, seasonal fruit or vegetables, and local wine. "I think a lot of times you just want a picnic," Steves says, noting he often does the same when he's in pricey Scandinavian countries. "You can eat in the park, or you can eat in your hotel room for $6 or $8. Nothing wrong with that."