Rick Steves Weeds Out Touristy Restaurants In Europe By Avoiding These 3 Words

What's a visit to Europe without a taste of its real local flavors? Among other destinations, the city of Lisbon awaits food lovers with incredible dining. Yet some restaurants are traps set up to lure unknowing visitors. One simple way to identify them involves three seemingly innocent words: "No Frozen Food." In a 2025 talk uploaded on his YouTube channel, travel expert Rick Steves advises caution towards restaurants that prominently display this expression in English. From Italian trattorias and French bouchons to Mediterranean tavernas, local restaurants in Europe are known to cook with fresh ingredients, so they need not advertise such claims.

In addition to this, Steves warns tourists on his website, "Don't dine anywhere with a menu printed in five languages." Even though multilingual menus may offer convenience for you as a visitor, they're mostly found in touristy restaurants whose focus is more about quick turnover, potentially selling dishes for prices that may not match the quality.

Several travelers and locals on forums like Reddit have shared other telltale signs, such as menus with pictures, restaurants that stay open all day (instead of only during traditional lunch and dinner times), and waiters positioned outside to usher people in. Some Redditors in r/ParisTravelGuide mentioned fake flowers around the restaurant as another warning sign. "If the outside of the restaurant is covered in fake flowers it's a tourist trap and food will be average," wrote one.

Experienced travelers know that eating at the same place as the locals is one major way to avoid splurging on food in Europe. So, what you want to do is look out for smaller eateries filled with locals. Steves confirms on his website, "You'll enrich your trip by wandering the back streets, away from the main tourist area." Here, the staff doesn't bother themselves with aggressive or gimmicky marketing.

Foodies on Reddit say that hand-written menus are another indicator that a place is local and authentic. As a Portuguese Redditor shared in r/mildlyinteresting: "A lot of small family restaurants (tascas) keep the menu written by hand on either a piece of paper or some blackboard at the entrance of the place. ... I never know what its on the menu since its always what they bought that morning from the market, and its always great food with a menu for less than 7€." 

That said, a place with a printed menu doesn't mean a place isn't authentic, so make sure to watch out for other warning signs that a spot is a tourist trap, such as a lengthy menu. While tourist-oriented restaurants often try to appeal to everyone by having dozens of dishes ranging from pizza and pasta to burgers and other international cuisine, local establishments would rather focus on a handful of regional, seasonal, and carefully prepared meals. All in all, it's essential to stay observant and blend in with the locals' style if you want to enjoy your trip to Europe without overspending. For more helpful tips, see what Rick Steves recommends for travelers who want to make the most of their European trips.