By James Rodger
British tourists and UK holidaymakers have been warned over entering “tourist trap” restaurants. British holidaymakers in European Union holiday hotspots like Spain, Greece, and Portugal, have been warned over the pitfalls of visiting “tourist traps”. Constantina Demos told Delicious: “When I travel I have a dining bucket list. I鈥檓 a woman on a mission… to ensure each meal I eat is authentic and delicious. I鈥檝e fallen victim to choosing convenience (and a hungry stomach) over effort and stumbled into the first restaurant I came across without doing due diligence. “I鈥檓 left unsatisfied by an average meal that I鈥檝e paid way too much for. But throughout my travels, I鈥檝e curated a mental list of red flags that indicate a restaurant is a tourist trap.” READ MORE Rachel Reeves set to cut cash ISA allowance from 拢20,000 on July 15 Tell-tale signs a restaurant is a tourist trap include hosts outside trying to entice customers, as well as swathes of empty tables – especially at peak times. Food writer Jay Rayner told The Guardian previously: “It鈥檚 time for detective work. It all starts with the menu, whether viewed online or in the window. Begin with the basics, by which I mean the typeface. Dismiss anywhere that uses comic sans or the like. “If they have so little taste in typography, what hope is there when it comes to the food? Equally, be suspicious of somewhere that uses a grandiose italic. Aside from the fact that they鈥檙e so bloody hard to read, it鈥檚 also a clear signifier: it says 鈥渨e take food Seriously鈥 with a capital S. Is that your idea of fun? “No? Move on. A menu should be physically readable.” One reader replied: “I wouldn’t dream of ‘researching’ the restaurants before going on holiday. I always think it’s part of the fun, discovering different places to eat, some good, some not so good. “I also find that the holiday atmosphere makes me enjoy most food I end up eating (short of it nearly killing me with food poisoning etc.)” A second said: “I look on Tripadvisor. Then search for the place I’m going and look for whatever restaurant gets the lowest rating for: staff not bowing on reviewer entering, food being too spicy, egg and chips not being on menu, too noisy, no Stella on draught, waiter speaking native language within earshot etc. I tend to find names such as “MidlandsCouple” and “UKfoodlover” to be particularly reliable in this kind of research. “Then I go to that restaurant.”