It's hilarious seeing reviews for obvious tourist traps that say, "The food here was so authentic."

In reality, we've all fallen for the scheme where the restaurant promises "real, local food," but they provide an overpriced, bland version of the real deal.

I've made every mistake in the book when it comes to eating at the wrong places, but my decision making has steadily improved to the point where I'm now consistently choosing the best local restaurants in each city.

Here are my top tips to ensure you never regret a restaurant choice again.

Rely on Locals

Locals are the surest way to pick the right place.

The best-case scenario is if you're friends with a local and they personally take you to their favorite spot themselves. But, you don't always have that access, nor do you need to. If you know anyone who used to live in the city, just ask! They'll know best.

Even walking up to a local and asking their thoughts can go a long way. I like asking people at the gym because they're almost guaranteed to not be a traveler.

However, I would take the suggestions from a hostel or hotel owner with a grain of salt. It's possible they'll just recommend their friends's restaurants, or worse, a quintessential tourist trap.

Some of them give great recs though, so just do your own research after asking!

Avoid Menus with Photos

What???

But the photos make the food look so good!

That's the problem. Locals don't need photos–they know what the food looks like. So if the menu has photos, they're just marketing to tourists, it's bound to be more expensive, and likely lower quailty.

Ignore your impulse to find the photo of the food that looks most delicious and seek a place that doesn't try to advertise. That's the real authentic experience.

Avoid the Salespeople

If there's someone beckoning you into the restaurant, that's an immediate red flag.

I don't care how nice they are to you, no local needs to be sold on why to enter a certain restaurant, meaning everyone in there is a tourist.

Think about where you'd eat out in your hometown. You typically know exactly where to go, and no salesperson could convince you otherwise.

The same rules apply while traveling, but because it's a new environment, we fall into the trap far more often than we would if we were more comfortable in the city.

Avoid Places on the Main Drag

Almost every city has a main street that's lined with restaurants.

But every local will tell you that their favorite spot is always a block or two away, and you'd never know it because all the restaurants on the main drag look so delicious.

Before you bite the bullet on the main street, explore one street over and you'll be rewarded with food that's much cheaper and tastier.

Seek the places where no one speaks English

If they're not speaking English, they're probably a local!

It might be a little less comfortable to confidently walk into one of these restaurants because of the language barrier, but I promise it's not that difficult to order food, even when they don't speak a word of English.

Take the menu, Google Translate it, then point at what you want. It's that simple.

You'll be rewarded with an authentic experience, one where the restaurant is typically extra friendly because they don't receive foreigners that often.

My favorite places are the ones where 4-6 middle-aged local men are all sitting around a table smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. Those are unquestionably local spots.

More Expensive ≠ More Authentic

Think about it.

How many times do you eat at a really nice restaurant at home? Once a month? Even less?

Chances are, you have a spot you frequent once a week that's pretty cheap, insanely delicious, and never gets old. It's likely that you would suggest that spot to anyone who visited your city for an "authentic" experience.

Likewise, the more expensive places that still serve "local food" are not actually where the locals go.

Conclusion

When it comes to picking the right restaurant, most of these tips fall under one golden rule.

Ignore your impulses.

Your impulse is to go to the place where they're inviting you in, they have photos of the tasty food, and they're speaking to you in English.

But you should really seek the hole in the wall where there might be a language barrier, there's no one convincing you to walk in, and the menu doesn't have photos of the food.

The real reward comes when you get food that's twice as good, half as expensive, and far more memorable than if you followed your instincts.

Next time you're on the road, don't fall for the tricks of the hospitality industry :)