Eating Out in Europe: Tips and Rules You Should Know

What you need to consider

Europe is a continent consisting of several small countries that differ wildly in terms of customs, habits, and food styles.

What might be the norm in one region, doesn't need to be necessary a set rule in other areas of Europe.

Keep in mind, because Europe is so very diverse, it's almost impossible to generalize specific regions (which can extend across borders). For example, Southern French food habits resemble Northern Spanish food customs, and not Northern food traditions.

Yet, to simplify this guide, I will focus on the general food habits across the continent, while adding little country and region-specific tips.

This will give you a useful broad understanding of what to expect when dining out in Europe.

Seasonality & Local Specialties

Eat seasonally in Europe and look out for regional specialties to experience the local food culture to the fullest.

For example, Germany is known for its white asparagus season in spring and most local inns offer this delicious vegetable in one form or another on their seasonal menus.

Rome is known for its artichokes in spring, mushrooms and venison go hand in hand in fall in all the colder European countries and try some Sauerkraut with a local Knack sausage on your French Alsace food tour.

You will come across countless other seasonal foods on your trip across Europe. Most are prominently advertised in markets and restaurants, others are specific to villages, valleys and smaller regions.

Avoid tourist trap gimmicks such as the ice cream filled Trdelník in Prague, Czechia. That's a Slovak, Hungarian, and Transylvanian dessert dish which doesn't come with ice cream.

Types of Food Establishments

You will mostly stumble upon typical restaurants in Europe, either casual or upscale dining experiences. Yet, certain regions are known for specific food establishment types.

In France, you will come across Bistros, Brasseries, and Restaurants. In Italy, it's Osteria, Trattoria and Ristorante. Each offers a different type of food experience. In Great Britain and Ireland, it's pubs, and in Spain, tavernas.

I highly recommend looking up places before you head there online because food establishment type rules can be a bit blurry.

The general rule of thumb is, that upscale dining experiences expect a dining out attire. That can be as strict as no jeans and sneakers, or as lax as a basic no shorts, tank tops, and sportswear rule.

Your entry can be refused if you don't follow basic attire rules. The safest rule to stick to is to head to a casual food place wearing a shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

Takeaway Food & Drink

In Europe, takeout food is called takeaway, which includes popular fast food chains, food carts, smaller food establishments, and other places.

You can get a grab from a kebab place in Germany, a pizza truck in France, or sandwiches are also sold as cold or hot takeaway foods in grocery stores (see cold cut sections) and bakeries.

These takeaway bites tend to be budget-friendly, and they can help feed your family on the go if you are following a tight itinerary.

Restaurants, inns, and specific food places such as Italian osteria or French brasseries never offer takeaway food and drink options.

You will have to mostly assume that coffee places do not serve takeaway coffee, and that this is only an option if explicitly pointed out by the establishment.

Europeans love to enjoy their lunch takeaways in a park, on a beach, or on a city bench. Most regions have benches set up around the city (except cities in Italy such as Florence and Rome), and you can freely sit there, eat your sandwich or pizza slice, and do people-watching.

Don't sit on private or store staircases or on the floor; that's rude. Kids do that.

Avoiding Tourist Traps

Tourist traps are located in the busiest tourist areas across Europe. These restaurants tend to offer lower-quality food and a steeper price per meal.

They do not represent the genuinely good stuff that Europe has to offer, and if you have traveled all the way to Europe, you will want to at least taste quality food that won't give you heartburn.

Instead, walk a bit away from the tourist area into one of the smaller lanes or follow the locals because they will never have dinner in a tourist trap.

The worst of the worst tourist traps might sell you tap beer that isn't tap beer, or the menu comes without prices, or they will charge you even for a lemon slice in your drink.

You will recognize a tourist trap by its location, clientele type, the establishment's looks, and because they offer English menus only in places where English isn't the primary language (decent places have a local language menu AND occasionally an English menu).

Reservations

Reserving a table and seats is highly recommended:

• if you are aiming for a popular establishment.
• if you are dining out as a group.
• if your young kids are fussy.
• if the restaurant is located in a busy area.
• if it's a public local holiday (think Assumption Day, a national day, etc.).

You will also want to reserve a table if you are intending to arrive at a time when the restaurant is packed. This is highly dependent on the local mealtime culture.

You don't need to reserve a table if you arrive early enough, or if you don't mind waiting for a table with your partner at the bar.

We usually don't reserve a table if we are just strolling through a town because it's just the two of us, and we are flexible.

To reserve a table, call the establishment during regular opening hours. Occasionally, a day in advance is more than enough, or we have reserved on the same day too.

Meal Times

Colder countries follow rigid noon to 2 pm and 6-9 pm meal times. The more south you travel, the later the restaurants and locals eat, especially in the summer months.

In hot places such as Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, the Balkans, Southern Italy, and Southern France, they tend to dine from 8-9 pm onwards, and lunchtime isn't a set rule.

We have observed that places in Northern France tend to get filled up with French tourists by 12:30 pm and 7 pm. If you arrive too late, you won't get a table.

The traditional inn culture in German-speaking countries (Gasthaus) will serve food until 2 pm, and they will inform you that they will close down the place by 2 pm. Yep, they will go so far as to throw you out. 🙂 Places that offer food all day long are marked as “durchgehend warme Küche", which just means that you can order food there at 3 pm too if you are hungry.

Specific non-touristy or very rural areas don't have many food sites in Europe, and many only open up in the evenings. This is something to keep in mind if you are in transit.

Seating Etiquette

When you arrive at the restaurant, you will typically be seated at a table, no matter if you have a reservation or not. You can't just walk to a table and seat yourself.

This avoids having a single person blocking a table for 6 or people taking a seat at a reserved table.

Only coffee places, buffets, and fast food places do not have a seating etiquette.

Menus

Menus are typically written in the local language. Tourist places do offer English menus as well, but it's not always a guarantee.

In those cases, you will either have a fantastic waiter helping you order a great meal or, generally, you will need to take out your language app (e.g., Google Translate).

You can scan the menu with your language app camera, and it will translate the menu in real time.

Menus rarely come with pictures. Some Asian places in Europe operate on a number system so that people can order a number if they can't pronounce the dish name.

Typically, you will come across daily menus, where you can try a special of the day. These are usually seasonal dishes, and I highly recommend ordering from this section.

And some have seasonal menus, which may or may not replace the regular menu. E.g., an Easter menu in a restaurant in Rome.

Some places also have a children's menu, and these are often reserved for kids only. These are more common in Central Europe. Kids in France and Italy, for example, are expected to eat adult foods.

Meal Sizes

You will encounter extra-large meal sizes, perhaps as big as the ones in the US, in Central Europe.

Specifically in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia. And they won't be able to accommodate and serve you a smaller portion in these areas.

As a contrast, most other countries offer normal-sized portions. Some Italian and French places tend to serve smaller portions.

Allergies, Special Diets, and Substitutions

Allergy food menus are rare, and they are not clearly labeled. Hotels are the most accommodating in this regard.

Gluten-free and lactose-free are almost nonexistent, except if you are visiting northern cities.

Vegetarianism in Europe universally covers eggs, dairy, and fish as well.

Substituting food ingredients is frowned upon, and I don't recommend being fussy; the service and kitchen won't like you. It's alright to ask to skip mushrooms in a dish, but not if the dish is defined by mushrooms.

For example, don't ask for an egg-free mayonnaise. The main ingredient in mayonnaise is eggs.

Free Refills, Ice & Water

You don't get free soda refills in restaurants in Europe. You pay for each drink that you order separately.

You will encounter free refills at breakfast buffets in hotels only. Even buffet areas will charge you for every single drink that you tap.

Drinks do not always come with ice cubes, and when you order water, they will ask if you'd like plain water or sparkling mineral water. Both are not free.

Tap water is not a given anymore in most places. You may try to ask for it, but especially places in the mountains will charge you for tap water as well.

Extras & Bread

Most areas in Europe will charge you for bread separately. Only Italy has bread included in the so-called “coperto” charge, which you can't escape if you are seated at a table. (More about coperto further below)

You can ask the waiter if the bread is charged. We had some waiters roll their eyes. lol The problem is that there is no universal rule across regions in Europe, and by the time you cross the continent, you have already forgotten who's done what.

They may charge you for other extras too, such as condiments. Honest places tend to write it out in black and white on the menu, or they will inform you as you ask for the condiment in question.

No Sharing & Kids Portion Rule

We have had a no-sharing rule for main course meals imposed on us several times in German-speaking countries. It has gotten better over the years, but some are still stubbornly sticking to this silly rule.

Therefore, don't be surprised if they tell you that you can't share your pizza with your beloved. This sucks because the portions in these regions tend to be super large, and we hate to waste food.

Another problem is the children's portion rule. These are smaller meals that usually consist of fries, sausages, or some fried meat, and the portions are much smaller.

So naturally, if I just want a bite, I'd like to order this, but they will refuse to take the order for a children's portion if it's for an adult.

Check

If you are done with your meal and you'd like the check, you will mostly have to get the attention of your waiter.

If they are well-trained and not understaffed, you will have to just look into their eyes or make a small signal with your finger or hand (without attracting attention in the establishment).

Be polite and respectful, and don't call out loud, “Hey you,” or “Waiter,” or “boy,” or something. They are waiters and not your dog.

In places like Italy, you will have to go to the counter as you leave to pay your bill. Nobody will bring the check to the table in Italy.

Splitting Bills, Cash Only, American Credit Cards

Splitting bills is alright if it's not ridiculously busy, and people do that in some places. But I'd ask the waiter first before ordering if it's a possibility to split the bill later because they can refuse that request.

Keep in mind that several areas are known for their cash-only culture. You will encounter them in Austria and Germany, mainly in rural areas or in cities like Berlin and Munich.

American credit cards, such as American Express, are not commonly accepted.

Tipping, Coperto and Service Charges

Tipping is optional all over Europe, and you absolutely only tip if the service and food were stellar.

You can tip by rounding up; that's the most common practice, and decent waiters won't expect a tip anyway, but they will be thankful if they are rewarded for a good job.

That said, lately we've noticed waiters targeting foreign tourists by asking for a 10% or 20% tip, and tourist traps in places in Eastern Europe even have the audacity to print that on the bill.

If someone asks for a tip, either say no thank you (if you were dissatisfied), round up, or leave some coins on the table. If you feel very generous, you may tip more, of course, but you are not obliged to.

As an example, a €24.60 bill can be rounded up to €25, and that's perfectly acceptable.

Coperto is a table service charge in Italy. You are charged per person about €2 to €2.50 if you are seated at a table in a restaurant. You can't circumvent this charge.

The service charge is relatively new and can appear in upscale dining restaurants.

Tip: Read more about Coperto, Tipping and Service charges in Europe.

Food Leftovers

Food leftovers can be wrapped into a takeaway box, and you can take them home. Just ask the waiter nicely, and I have never seen a place decline this request.

Besides, you don't pay for the box or wrapping.

Coffee Culture

Every country follows different coffee cultures in Europe. See, for example, Italian coffee rules and Austrian coffee rules.

Coffee to go is not the norm.

You will always get a plain black coffee or espresso all over Europe. Black coffee can be either a stretched out espresso (aka Verlängerter) or an Americano.

Public Holidays & Days Off

Most restaurants across Europe have a day off. That means they are closed for the day, which usually falls on a weekday.

Countryside restaurants and seasonal places are closed during the off-season for the season break.

Public holidays can be crazy, as locals tend to go out for food on these specific days.