Whether you’re going somewhere you’ve never been before or straying back to the old haunts or even relaxing at home over spring break, you might want to try some food you’ve never had before. But how? How do you know what’s good around you, and how do you know if it’s in your price range? And what if it’s not all what you were expecting? And what do you do if you’re in a different country and you don’t know what to do with your utensils and whether you’re supposed to tip at the end?
Never fear, for this article will answer all those questions and more. Just look for the heading that most accurately describes your plans for spring break and read away to find out how you can get the best culinary experience out of your spring break!
Going Somewhere New
If you’re going somewhere new for spring break, finding good food can be overwhelming. However, it doesn’t have to be. First, make sure you know what your priorities are for the trip. If you’re trying to hit certain landmarks or see certain things, you might be better off checking out the Google Maps “nearby” feature. It allows you to peruse the area around the sites and organize the results based on location or price, which can make it easy to find food that is both convenient and within budget. Once you’ve found something that looks interesting in the area, you can click on the restaurant; most will have links to a website where you can check out the menu and look at pictures.
You can also search “best places to eat in” the name of your city, and often travel blogs as well as sites like TripAdvisor and Travelocity will have recommendations. Again, it’s always best to follow any links to check out the websites of the restaurants, because those lists are not always up to date or within budget for many travelers. When I’m planning trips, I rarely plan to eat somewhere that I can’t find a menu for online. My one exception is food markets; they almost always have lots of snacks to sample and buy, so that’s usually one of my go-to places for food in new places.
Going Somewhere Familiar
If you’re going somewhere you’ve been before, it’s a little easier to find food that you know will suit your needs. Though you might already have places that you know like, adding something new to your list is definitely a fun way to change up your trip.
In this case, I would generally search by cuisine or type of experience rather than location. If you’re looking for a casual Vietnamese restaurant, you can search that in Google Maps as well and it should pull up a handful of results. Sites like Eater might also have options for you depending on where you’re going. It also might be exciting to pick an area that you know you like and wander around there to look for restaurants. If you’re looking to be inspired, some restaurants will have menus outside so that people can see the cuisine without going inside, and if you’re not shy, you can always go inside and ask to see a menu before you commit to sitting down before a meal.
Staying Home
If you’re staying home for spring break, this could be a great chance to experience something new in your area! Just like if you’re going somewhere familiar, you can always pick an area you like and wander around to find a new place to eat, but you can also cook something at home with friends or family. There are thousands of recipes online, and you can search by cuisine or skill level. Supercook is also a website (and an app) that allows you to plug in the food that you already have at home and it will give you a recipe you can make without any extra grocery trips.
No matter what you’re doing over spring break, there’s a way to eat well! Enjoy your spring break, and bon appetit!
Grace Nealy 
Jason Karch 
Ella Curcuruto