Cheap eats
Eat well for less in European cities
Tourists in Europe can easily spend fifty bucks a day just on food. After the cost of flights and a hotel that may not leave much for enjoying the holiday – seeing the sights, taking a tour or doing some shopping.
But it’s easy to find good, inexpensive places to eat, if you look around. A few simple rules will help.
- Head away from the tourist traps! In Venice, you can get a whole meal in Cannaregio for what a coffee would cost on Piazza San Marco. Even just a few streets can make a big difference; off the main drag, you’re more likely to find a good price. It won't work in England, but in France I look for truck stops - truck drivers are surprisingly well fed and the food won't cost a lot.
- Head for the business district. Wherever there are lots of office workers, you should be able to find a good value lunch. That may mean eating in a bar or sandwich joint instead of a restaurant – but many small restaurants also do a good trade, often with a relatively cheap set menu. In Barcelona or Paris, you'll pay between 9 and 13 euros for a set lunch in one of these places.
- Look for the market and buy yourselves a picnic instead of having a big lunch. Fresh fruit, ham, cheese and a good hunk of bread can cost little – and be fun to eat. You may find good fast food too; many markets do couscous, sauerkraut, sausages, and other local snacks. At the Mercado de la Boqueria in Barcelona you'll find freshly squeezed fruit juices on offer too. (A warning though - some of the specialised gourmet products available on these markets can cost just as much as eating out!)
- If you’re at the market but you don't fancy a picnic or eating
in the street, then you may still strike lucky. You’re likely to
find a few good restaurants near the market, cooking fresh produce. The
menu may be limited but the food is good, and often inexpensive. The stall
holders need to eat somewhere, after all – and they’re thrifty.
One of my favourites is the Piazza Vettovaglie in Pisa - away from the
main drag of the Cathedral and Field of Miracles (see number 1) this tiny
fruit and veg market is entirely surrounded by restaurants hiding away
in the Renaissance arcades.
- In the city, eating your main meal at lunchtime will allow you to take advantage of set lunch offers. Dinner is usually the most expensive meal of the day and often there’s no set price option. Of course you may decide you'd rather use your time for sight seeing instead...
- If you’re picking from a set menu make sure you don't wander off it. You can be stung if you’re not careful – a ten euro set meal can easily become thirty euros if you start picking and choosing. Make sure, too, that you don't economise on the set menu and then give the money back on extras – more drinks, coffee, extra bread. Know what’s included and stick to it – and make sure the waiter knows you’re on the set menu to start with.
- Ask the locals. This might not work in a real tourist trap, but in small towns local people will often know a good value bar or restaurant. If you’re chatting with locals – or other travellers – in the bar, ask them where they enjoyed eating.
- Follow the old guys. When you see two local pensioners at a table they’re probably not pushing the boat out – they tend to go for places they know will serve them a good meal at an affordable price.
- In some countries, such as Spain, hotel breakfasts are usually charged extra and are often poor value – just a couple of slices of toast and a cup of coffee. Instead, head for a bar and grab a croissant and coffee at half the price.
- Don't neglect local media. Many hostels and budget hotels have small and up to date guidebooks aimed at their clientele and it can be worth taking their tips on local food.
- Be adventurous with your tastes. While you can tour Europe on MacDonald's, or eat in a five star hotel every night, it’s more fun and cheaper to try local food. After all, if you wanted to eat the same stuff all the time, why would you be travelling at all?