Last year I decided to spend the winter time in Asia and in November 2018 I flew to Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. Local people almost don’t speak English. I had a limited budget, so I decided to eat in small local restaurants as in the photo below.
Before the trip, I didn’t try Vietnamese dishes. I thought it likes Thai or Indian cuisine (very spicy). It turned out that Vietnamese food is completely different — a lot of greenery, soups, seafood, everything is fresh and chili pepper you add yourself.
First time
On the island, it was easy to find the first nearest local restaurant on Google Maps. There was 1 review in Vietnameese (I didn’t understand anything even with translation), 5 star rating. I took a chance and ordered crab soup and broken rice with seafood. An owner brought me fresh tasty food and it was not expensive, compared to a restaurant for tourists. He was friendly, smiled a lot and didn’t speak English at all. But It didn’t matter, I was delighted!
Why Google Maps?
I began to use Google Maps for finding small restaurants. Often they had few reviews and photos, but there were a lot of locals. The food was very tasty and inexpensive, i got real Vietnamese cuisine and atmosphere. As thanks and motivation for the owners, I began to leave reviews, photos of dishes and menu.
I hope this will help to attract other travelers and lovers of authentic atmosphere in small local spots. The owners are trying hard and cook tasty.
Findings & Tips
My tips:
- Visit small restaurants where the staff do not speak English and food is prepared near the road. If there is clean and local people are sitting there, it is safe for health (all products are fresh), tasty and inexpensive compared to restaurants from Travel Guides!
- To get a large portion of delicious Pho soup, rice with seafood, tofu, bahn mi do not need a lot of money.
- If you come to Phu Quoc for few days, do not limit yourselves with the restaurants in the hotel. Notice inconspicuous restaurants where locals eat, check reviews on Google Maps, and perhaps this will be the most delicious Pho soup in your life.
I spent 2 months on Phu Quoc Island, and I studied that the owners of small restaurants are very friendly and pleased that a foreigner came to them. They try to serve well to leave a good impression of themselves.
I believe that it’s very important to leave feedback. This is useful for everyone — for visitors and for businesses to be better.
List of my favorite spots you can find here.