Want to find the best local eats overseas? Use this simple trick

Marvelling at my good fortune, I soak up oil from a quartered calzone in a diner that dates back to the 1950s. It lacks the tourist-trap staples – the cutesy red and white checkered tablecloth and the overly enthusiastic server. But what it offers is far better – delicious, affordable food and a room buzzing with locals.

Want to find the best local secrets? Google is your friend … just not Google in English.Credit: Greg Straight

So, how did I find this gem? I can’t take the credit. My fiance, Mak, had the idea of Googling “best restaurants near me” in Italian. We had done so in Florence when figuring out visa issues, to which no English online material had the answers. It worked then, so he thought, why wouldn’t it work with this?

After punching in “i migliori ristoranti economici vicino a me”, Google spits out local blogs with the real recommendations. We are swimming in a sea of passionate Italian reviews, the kind where people practically fight over whose nonna makes the best food. It gets tense at times.

One blog, Salen Tiamo (translating to “let’s go”), has an entire post dedicated to the best cheap eats in Lecce. They gush about €7 ($11) spritzes and endless plates of complimentary food, a description that is impossible to resist. Of course, some translation is needed, but Chrome has great built-in translation software. One click of a button brings clarity.

Armed with an address, we walk by the old town, its cobblestone streets and blackboards scribbled with daily specials attracting tourists. We venture into the not-so-quiet, well-maintained local streets, where families and friends pile into bars for aperitivo.

Googling in the local language can provide a slice of the local life.Credit: iStock

Bamboo Bar welcomes us with warm smiles and swift seating. There are no menus, just a friendly server inquiring about our drink preferences. Naturally, I say, “due spritzes, per favore”, holding up two fingers like a peace sign.

He returns with our spritzes, followed by a tray of sandwiches, calzones, little balls of bocconcini, salami, olives, and more. The food keeps coming. The best part is it costs us €14 ($22).

This Google hack becomes my travel secret weapon. From tiny wine bars serving local vintages grown metres from the table in Locorotondo to a hidden contemporary pizza haven in Rome that becomes our favourite eatery, this simple trick unlocks a dining experience everywhere we go.

There are rumours a VPN can yield similar results. Google personalises search results based on your IP address. However, I find the results it provides are based on English-speaking websites, like TimeOut. Googling in the local language seems to bypass that default.

So, next time you find yourself drowning in a sea of tourist menus, remember this tip. You might just discover your new favourite place to eat.