How does this sound vs. your travel food experiences?
Note: I shared this as part of my Wall Street Journal subscription, so everyone should be able to read it.
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I think that’s pretty accurate. I do still rely a lot on Google maps, but mostly because I tend to only be somewhere a short time which makes finding the local places more difficult than if I’m there for a week or so. some rules of thumb: if there is someone out front trying to convince you to enter, keep walking. if the patrons are speaking English more than the local language, keep walking. if the menu is translated into a half dozen languages, keep walking.
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We love our housesitting experience not only because we can travel to different places & see different cultures, meet new people and take care of pets - we also love exploring local restaurants and food markets. We were actually housesitting in Madrid this summer and before our trip we prepared a long list of places worth to try (thank you Google & YouTube). Food was good but some of our favourite meals were at random cafes that we ducked into because they were close & happened to be open, like the best gorgonzola cheesecake we found just wandering around. Or the little tapas bar located 2 min away from our apartment had the best selection & great vermuth (with amazing service)and the bakery next to that bar had the best ever millefeuille. I was also amazed of the food quality and varieties in supermarkets there and I have the same feeling now, we are in Cyprus atm. Some grocery shops selling a great selection of fresh prepared meze style of dishes, cooked meats, fresh baked goods and hands down, it is better than the meal we had in the local restaurant a few days ago (and that was still good!). We are for a month here and I’m happy to just eat this food till the end of our stay here and not bother with cooking at home! And I will always remember the basque cheesecake from our local village supermarket (in Northern Cyprus!!) - like OMG (my partner wants to move here because this is soooo good 
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We also ask the hosts for local recommendations and they are always happy to provide some. Or just random chat with locals - while in Madrid we visited an old local liquor store and we chatted to the guy who was from Venezuela, just because we noticed plenty of Venezuelan restaurants around we asked him for recommendations. He said NONE of those places are good haha 
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I don’t eat out much while sitting. When travelling I very much like going on adventures in local grocery stores, and in some countries I look for certain specialities to use on site and/ or bring home, like mentioned here:
What do you have to bring home from «country»?
I can totally relate to quickly being «a regular» if I find a nice place, and I tend to also listen to recommendations and/ or coming back for a specific favorite meal.
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I would always ask a local and check out the places where locals are eating. I wouldn’t go in a place that was empty.
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In the US I regularly ask my Uber or taxi driver where they eat lunch out. Not where they direct the tourists to go but where they themselves go.
Never had a bad recommendation from that.
In India I would look where the auto rickshaw drivers would go to get their tea or lunch, usually a stand, and usually cheap and tasty.
In Europe I like grocery stores (because I’m probably staying where I have a kitchen) or ask the barista making my morning espresso where they eat lunch.
I’m a fan of lunch being my big meal of the day, so I don’t normally end up in restaurants for an evening meal.
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When I have accepted sits in new locations, one of the first things I do is google places to eat breakfast and lunch—as I am not much of a dinner eater. And I have also (as mentioned in the article) asked the locals their recommendations of places to eat.
I recall a sit I had in Michigan and I asked a local if he could give me a recommendation of a place where I could get breakfast. He recommended a diner. I went to the diner he recommended and when I walked in, the atmosphere was inviting and friendly. I was pleasantly surprised that not only did they serve breakfast, but they also served lunch / dinner. I found their food to be quite flavorful and delicious with big portions. My favorites were their grilled chicken sandwich, grilled chicken salad and a spinach omelett. And also, they were open 24 hours. So, if I wanted a chicken salad at 10 a.m. or a spinach omelet at 2 p.m. they could accommodate my appetite.
Although I had never eaten at a diner prior, that diner became my go to place for meals and I am glad that (as mentioned in the article) I gave myself “the possibility of having a bad meal”.
But fortunately, the meals at that diner turned out great!
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At a recent sit in a small village, the homeowners. their friends and the lock keeper at the nearby lock on the river, all separately recommended we try the tacos from the van at the village club. They were very good indeed, and we would probably never have been there otherwise!
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