What to Expect from a European Restaurant
Sit down (for about 2 hours) and I’ll tell you
Eating at a European restaurant is a different experience than you get back home (Unless “home” for you is Europe). There are different foods to try, and different customs when you sit down at the table.
Here are some things I noticed as an American frequenting European restaurants.
Tipping is different
Unlike American restaurants where waiters and waitresses rely on tips for income, most Europeans pay their servers a living wage. Many tip by rounding up to the nearest currency mark and just not accepting change (coins). Others may tip 10% or more if the service is good. If you’re not sure how to tip appropriately, take a cue from what your host does.
I try to leave a decent tip when I eat abroad. If I don’t know the language I know I am making them work a bit harder to get my order right. Also, in tourist areas, servers may expect tips. I don’t want to be that American that turns out to be disappointingly stingy.
Opinions may interfere with your order
In America, many servers may recommend items (usually more expensive ones). I’ve rarely had this experience in European restaurants (unless I ask). However, some servers will downright refuse to take an order if they believe it is over the top or doesn’t make sense. For instance, I tried to order polenta and bread once in Romania. The server just shook her head and told me, “That’s two starches.”
I also tried to explain a Coke float once. The server clarified about four times that I did want the ice cream. In a Coke. She wasn’t sure that she believed me though and brought it out in a glass and a dish. She stood and watched me to see what would happen. When I added the ice cream to the Coke she looked at me in wonder and said, “You really drink that?” For the rest of that summer, this waitress proudly asked other Americans if they would like a Coke float.
No ice
In the South, iced tea is king. And across America, we tend to like our cold drinks over ice (even in winter). However, Europeans don’t really do ice. In fact, many Romanians say that cold drinks give them a sore throat. In the winter, they turn off the drink refrigerators so colas stay at room temp and aren’t too cold. Now, when I go home, I can feel my throat start feeling funny when I drink iced drinks all day long because I am no longer used to them. Power of suggestion?
No free water, either
I never drank colas in the States, but here, almost every time I go to a restaurant I order one. I tried to figure out why that was, but I realized in Texas, I always chose free ice water. Here, no one offers water on tap and if I’m paying for it, I like for my drink to have some flavor. Lemonade is still fresh-squeezed in Europe and is always a winning choice. And mineral water is a common choice.
You’re here to relax
In the States, you might start getting a few cross-eyed glances from the wait staff if you stay too long. However, in Europe, the point of going to a restaurant is to linger. In fact, you will be lingering for 1–2 hours whether you want to or not! The point of going to a restaurant is to sit back, relax, and enjoy a meal with family or friends. It is not a “quick stop” on the way from point A to point B.
Lunch is the big meal of the day
Lunch is the biggest meal of the day where I live. You can order a daily menu, which consists of soup as the first course, meat and a side, a salad, and sometimes dessert. It’s both cheap and good. Many eat something light like a sandwich or cereal for dinner.
You may not get what you think you are getting
Some menus are translated into English. Still, the expectation may not be the same as the result. For instance, I ordered spaghetti with meat sauce (expecting the usual spaghetti sauce I’m used to). It turned out to be a sour cream sauce with ground meat. I only ordered that once. Also, once I ordered a “Frappe.” I was like “Finally, a coffee drink with ice!” They brought out a steaming milk-coffee in a glass. I explained I had ordered a frappe. She says with no emotion. “It’s a hot frappe.” There was no use in arguing.
I thought “Mexican vegetables” might be something excitingly Tex-Mexish and spicy. Instead, it was like the vegetables you get in Mexican rice but without the rice. Steamed peas, carrots, and corn.
And some menus are not helped by Google Translate. “Guts soup” and a salad with “moldy cheese” were a hard pass for me.
Ask a native what is good.
Part of the joy of visiting a new country is trying the cuisine. It is fun to explore the menu and try new things. In Romania, some of my favorite foods are ciorba de perisoare (meatball soup), sarmale (cabbage rolls), and mamaliga cu branza si smantana (polenta with cheese and sour cream). However, if you are not feeling adventurous, chicken and mashed potatoes are on almost any menu.
Eat it all. Your mom is watching.
Waste is not approved of in some countries. In Romania, they even get a bit hurt if you don’t finish all your food in a restaurant. One time they insisted I take my leftovers to go. And all-you-can-eat is pretty much not heard of. My husband came to the States and taking him to an all-you-can-eat buffet blew his mind. “You mean I can get anything for a flat fee?”
Here in Romania, they tried to recreate an all-you-can-eat. However, the host told us that whatever we put on our plate, we had to eat it all. If anything was left, we had to pay extra. I don’t think he was joking.
Make sure you have cash on hand.
When I first arrived in Europe 10 years ago, so many places were cash only. And if you went to a restaurant, you made sure you had cash or things could get awkward. However, now, it is more common to be able to pay with a credit card. But if I am on my way to a new restaurant, I still have cash on me just in case.
So, those are a few of the things that surprised me when I was fresh from America and tried out restaurants in Europe. Have you traveled cross-culturally? Let me know what differences or similarities you found interesting as a traveler abroad.
Happy travels! ❤
Here are some great tips for airplane travel from a fellow Globetrotter: