and more, I’m like, “Hm. When I’m in Copenhagen, I want to go eat Mexican food, because I’ve heard they have amazing tacos at this one spot.”
LA: Or it’s like I went to Mexico City and had great Japanese food.
KK: Yeah. Yeah. Or in Japan, they have amazing pizza.
LA: What would be some of your tips to travelers who are maybe showing up in a place that they don’t know and maybe they haven’t actually planned that much, which I know you’ll disapprove of? But how should they go about trying to tap into the dining scene there and find some things that might be exciting or interesting and also affordable?
KK: Definitely. I would say the, my biggest pro tip when you land in a city that you’ve never been to before is to walk around, also to take public transportation. I think when you’re landing in a city and hopping from taxi cab to Uber to taxi cab and only going to the spots with the really long lines or that are packed outside, you might not discover that really exciting underbelly of a city’s dining scene.
But also, ask around, whether it’s, you know, someone at the hotel or you sit next to your first day at lunch, some locals. Ask them, “Where do you love dining around here?”
LA: I love asking the bartender.
KK: Yes. Asking even your server at a restaurant, you know, like, “I really trust your opinion. Where should I go for lunch tomorrow?” And I think especially people who work in the restaurant industry or hotels as well know what’s going on. They’re, you know, they’re insiders in the scene. So I think asking people on the ground is really the best way to discover those places that you might not discover on the internet.
LA: Yeah. I love asking, if I’m in a restaurant and I’m trying to figure out where to go for a drink, after asking the server. And they’ll always be like, “Oh, there’s this really cool place that we all go to once we finish our shift.” And it-
KK: Yeah.
LA: It’s always great. Always.
KK: Absolutely. And I’m not saying that the places with lines are not worth going to, you know? I think when it comes to bakeries, when it comes to, you know, some of these lunch spots, whether it’s a falafel spot, or, you know, a dumpling spot, sometimes places with lines are because they are world renowned and incredible.
LA: And you’ve only got two people working there, right?
KK: Yes.
LA: Like, it’s… Sometimes, a line is because it’s delicious and it’s small.
KK: Yeah. So I think that’s really, I would agree with you, the best approach, asking people on the ground what excites them, where you should go, and kind of just being open-minded. I think, yeah, the same thing. Paris is a great example. You don’t just go there to eat French food. While, yes, they have the best French food in the world, if your bartender or server’s telling you, “Ooh, I really love this spot for Moroccan. You have to take the metro for 40 minutes to get there,” get on that metro and go there. It is probably going to be some of the best food you’ve ever had and is always worth the trip.
