Searching for Restaurants

You've spent hours, days, months, maybe even years reviewing information for your upcoming trip and now you want to nail down that quintessential dining experience. What is your next step? Well that depends on what kind of traveler you are. If your a seat of the pants, take it as it may come, free as a bird wanderer, then don't worry about it and disregard the rest of this post. However, if you are an obsessive planner or have an important event you want to celebrate, then these steps are for you.

1) Find a location

I like to use a combination search and verify strategy to determine, which restaurant would be perfect for the night or event I am planning. I first create my itinerary for the day and then try to figure out where exactly I will be around meal time. Will I be out and about near a specific museum, just coming into a city, or relaxing at my hotel? These all factor into where I may be looking to eat. Will I be celebrating an important event or just looking for a quick bite? If I'm celebrating, then the location might not be as important as the experience or quality of the food (sometimes it might be even more important, i.e., Eiffel Tower). These are all considerations you will have to make before you begin locating dining options.

Once I determine where I will be (or if I even care about location), I start with TripAdvisor. I enter in the location/city and bring up the listing for all dining (restaurants in the area). I then use their data entry controls to further specify what type of experience I would like (French cuisine, romantic, etc...). Once the defining information has been entered, I use the map (on the right of the screen) to zoom in on a specific area. The recommendations on the left will automatically update to correlate with the area in view. I read reviews and try to find my top choices.

2) Look for the website or online materials

Once I have identified a restaurant of interest, I check if they have a website available to determine their location, what is on their menu, and their level of presentation. If they do not have a website, I try to locate other reviews or online materials that may identify costs and quality of the establishment. At this point if nothing is available, I make the decision as to whether to chance it without further material or to pass onto another option.

3) Reserve online

If you were able to find a website online for a restaurant you really want to try, check if they take electronic reservations. If they do not have an electronic reservation system, try to locate a contact email and send a written request for a reservation. The worst that can happen is that they will rebuff you and say no. Make sure that if you are dealing with a restaurant in a country where English is not the majority language you make the request in the native tongue and then put your request in English beneath it. This will show them a level of courtesy, while letting them know their language is not your native tongue. I like to use Yahoo's Babelfish to convert my requests.

Another option is to use online tools to make or request a reservation. I have used TopTable, Book A Table, and The Fork (for France), for my own reservations. In some cases, these tools even provide a coupon or discount for the establishment, saving you some money. Keep in mind that a little bit of research can go a long way. Before going directly to the online tools and making a reservation, read the full reviews available on TripAdvisor, Yelp, Zagat, Urban Spoon, or Dine.