Are there certain restaurants that you'll eat at while living abroad, but not in your home country?

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SeanBourne@reddit

American living in Australia. Completely agree. We take decent burgers and pizza for granted, thinking they’re simple and available everywhere.

Not true.

There’s one legit good burger in Sydney, and a passable pizza place in my beach suburb. Before I moved here, I hadn’t eaten fast food in 20 years. Here OTOH, I’ll have it periodically as after the options mentioned above, they’re actually kind of viable.

I would sacrifice an untold number of Aussies to the Drop Bears to get a Chili’s here now that you mention it. (They used to have them during the ’90s fast casual boom... lost most of them during the GFC, and the single holdouts died during the pandemic - around the time I got here.)

Though there is still an Outback… which I feel like I should go to for the hilarity.

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massive_cock@reddit

We take decent burgers and pizza for granted, thinking they’re simple and available everywhere.

Not true.

Fucking truth. There's a lot of good food here in the Netherlands. And very little of it is good burgers, pizza, tex-mex, etc. I honestly went through a bit of depression over the lack of comfort foods for a while, before I gave in and accepted Burger King and Taco Bell as my saviors. Mehhhh, but better than nothing. And they get 'better' as time goes by and I forget what real food is like...

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

I've been to Australia 3 times, but Sydney only once. Maybe it was just where I ate, but I wasn't impressed with most of the meals I had in Sydney - the two times I tried pizza it was awful.

And I thought that after having some good meals in Melbourne, I'd get a decent burger there as well, but no.

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SeanBourne@reddit

If you swing by again and absolutely need a ”break glass and get burger in case of emergency” option - go to Bar Luca in the CBD (Aussie speak for downtown) and order the Blame Canada burger with an extra patty and extra cheese. (The sole legit option I mentioned above.)

Overall with Sydney and Melbourne you have to know where to go, but agreed, even still, the dining is not world class. Oddly enough, smaller neighbor New Zealand bats above average (or did when I visited nearly 10 years ago) - had some meals in Auckland and a couple in Wellington that were on the level of a really good European or really good US cities’ better restaurants.

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

That sounds lovely. I hope to make a trip back in the not do distant future.

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Champsterdam@reddit

We would never have fast food when we lived in America but have had it twice now in the two years we have been in Amsterdam. Once McDonald’s and once Burger King.

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Agreeable_Cow_7230@reddit

I've found it a challenge because I like healthy great tasting food. The American style restaraunts and food brands in shops here are like slop to me. Things I'd never buy in the US. Like Old El Paso products or Doritos salsa.

I go to Mcdonalds here though. I hate to admit.

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laughing_cat@reddit

Burger King. At least the one at the Epicentrum mall in Mataram, Lombok.

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okayteenay@reddit

Domino’s! We live in Oslo and domino’s here is fantastic! Completely different than what you’d get in the US.

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SeanBourne@reddit

Visited Oslo for client work a couple of times around a decade ago. The food was so bland, a couple of days into the second trip, I broke down and got fast food. Literally lost weight both trips.

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Mortimer_Smithius@reddit

Then you are going to the wrong restaurants

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SeanBourne@reddit

I’m open to changing my mind - recommendations please?

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CarliniFotograf@reddit

KFC in Japan!! 🇯🇵

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JeanParmesean70@reddit

McDonald’s in France is so much better than in the US

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Arthur_Digby_Sellers@reddit

Came here for this, but my experiences have been in McD's in Austria and Germany. Not necessarily cheaper, but EU standards disallow all the garbage that is piled into the US fast food. I'm not saying it is "health food," just that it is much less toxic.

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WaltherVerwalther@reddit

Ironically as a German, the best McDonald’s burger I’ve ever had was in China. (And even more ironic: It was a German themed burger with Bratwurst on top of the patty).

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Arthur_Digby_Sellers@reddit

I've still got PTSD from my error in ordering a tuna fish topped pizza from a Pizza Hut in Munich. The locals recommended, but it just didn't work out for me.

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urkermannenkoor@reddit

That's an extremely common and normal pizza topping?

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WaltherVerwalther@reddit

I’m from Munich, but I don’t eat at Pizza Hut haha

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Arthur_Digby_Sellers@reddit

The last time I ate a Chicken McNugget in the US was around the time that I saw a YouTube video of how they were made about 15 years ago. I figured they were safe in Europe and they actually tasted okay. Not great, but okay.

PS If you ever watch the video I saw, you would probably quit the Golden Arches in the US permanently as well...

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WaltherVerwalther@reddit

Never been to the US 😅 If I should ever go (which I do want to at least once in my life), I’ll still try McDonald’s just to experience it myself.

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JeanParmesean70@reddit

This exactly. The food standards seem to be so much higher

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vistaprank@reddit

I go to McDonald’s in Belgium more cause I can buy a beer and sometimes I just like doing it for the novelty factor

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closethebarn@reddit

Italy too

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CptPatches@reddit

Spanish KFC is leagues better than US KFC. Like, insanely better. Probably goes for other countries too.

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vistaprank@reddit

European KFC is absurd lmfaooo I tell my friends in Belgium it’s practically not the same place

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ElkProfessional5571@reddit

McDonalds outside of the US is significantly better. When I try to explain to non-American's this; they don't believe me and they think that the McDonald's in the US must be better... It's truly not and is considered lower tier fast food.

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Pigeon11222@reddit

I find Canadian McDonald’s is a lot easier on the stomach than American McDonald’s

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

I hear people say that, but I don't find the Malaysian McDonalds to be any better or worse than what I've had in the US.

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episodicmadness@reddit

But they have the sweet chili sauce for the fries and that right there is life changing.

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throwaway_071478@reddit

I believe you. I was in Germany a couple years ago, and I ate McDonalds as it was the only thing at the train station (and this was an isolated train station). It was actually fresher, and just as good, if not better tasting too.

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okamzikprosim@reddit

KFC is the big one for me.

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Mr_Lumbergh@reddit

I won't touch a BK in the US, but in Aus (Hungry Jack's here) it isn't the worst thing ever. KFC also; it's actually OK here whereas in the US hasn't been edible in about 30 years.

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

I tried Hungry Jack because I know that Australia has amazing beef, but I didn't find it to be especially good. Just okay - pretty much like Burger King everywhere.

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Mr_Lumbergh@reddit

Ok, as opposed to nasty. It’s a step up.

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Reptilesblade@reddit

Oh man is that an understatement about KFC. It's complete garbage and has been for at least 20-25 years. It hasn't been good since the mid 90's.

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

It's pointless to get KFC in Malaysia since thousands of Mamak stalls serve amazing fried chicken.

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wcd_2311@reddit

tandoori chicken at mamak >>>>> kfc

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Mr_Lumbergh@reddit

Aussie KFC is like it was in the US in the 80's, when you actually sort of craved it once in a while.

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StriderKeni@reddit

McDonald's for sure. I find that McDonald's in Germany is pretty good compared to Chile.

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Catcher_Thelonious@reddit

Lived in Japan 15 years and stopped eating Japanese food outside Japan It was always a disappointment -- sometimes small, sometimes large, but it was never spot on.

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drpepperusa@reddit

Taco Bell. Some other fast food joints

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Fatscot@reddit

KFC. KFC in Asia is generally decent quality chicken, sometimes with local flavourings to add to the experience. KFC in the UK is crap, usually greasy as hell and low quality

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averysmallbeing@reddit

Thai fried chicken is far tastier than KFC.

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CoffeeLorde@reddit

In my opinion, fried chicken from Mcdonalds tastes better than the fried chicken from KFC. (in bangkok)

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DuckieWuckieNL@reddit

I ended up in a TGI Fridays in Tokyo once - it was absolutely delicious - compared to absolutely awful in both US and UK

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MrJim911@reddit

I'm in Portugal. I've been here 3 years and have not and will not go to any American fast food joint. I've read and heard that the quality of the food is far better here. And I'm sure it is because that's not hard to do compared to the slop in the same places in the US. But I'm surrounded by local cafés and Portuguese restaurants thst serve superior food. I have no reason or desire to go elsewhere.

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GleesBid@reddit

The last time I ate at KFC in America was in the '90s when they still had chicken littles and then popcorn chicken. (The current popcorn chicken is not the same and I don't like it) But in Ireland, KFC is not terrible and I get it every now and then. Same with Papa John's.

Wendy's recently opened and I might try it in the near future. But I was never a huge Wendy's fan in America, so I'm going to temper my expectations.

(We got Chick-fil-A in the past year and I was over the moon. It's every bit as good! Five Guys is excellent in Ireland and the Netherlands. I would eat at both in America too, so I'm not sure that counts for this discussion 🤣)

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WadeDRubicon@reddit

McDonalds lol. My kids like the basic cheeseburgers and nuggets, and the fries are the same as far as I can tell. But the specialty burgers (which is what I get, bunless) are surprisingly good, both compared to US McDonalds (wouldn't take much) and to anything comparably priced in Germany as well. When we visited earlier this year, Belgium's were equally superior.

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RaisinRoyale@reddit

Lmao I also eat at Chili’s in Malaysia because of this. The one in KLCC

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

That one has a great view of the park, too.

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Creative_Listen_7777@reddit

Haha I go to Little Caesars in Mexico, would never deign to do so in the States.

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vixenlion@reddit

When I lived in. England. I would treat myself to Hard Rock Cafe. It reminded me of home.

McDonald’s!!!!

You can’t find an Italian place in Malaysia ?

My friend from Italy would always wherever you go in the world there is an Italian with a restaurant!

Have you check out Italian places ? https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g298570-c26-Kuala_Lumpur_Wilayah_Persekutuan.html

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Fantastic-Peace8060@reddit

Starbucks. I prefer local shops in the states. But something about it abroad feels cozy. I can't explain it.

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at614inthe614@reddit

I will go to McDonald's to see what's unique.

My spouse and I went to Japan for our 25th anniversary, and it happened to fall on a travel day. While we had a nice dinner, we did McDonald's for lunch at the train station.

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Beginning_Mango_455@reddit

McDonald’s (in Norway!) not because it tastes better but I eat there when I’m homesick 😅

But weirdly enough, whenever I visit the U.S. and am homesick for Norway I eat McDonald’s 😂

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Kcufasu@reddit

Probably McDonald's is my answer, it's often in city centre locations and a quick way to get a warm, cheap bite to eat.

I'd never at home think "oh I want a McDonald's" but on the go it's often a simple option when not got the time to go to a proper local restaurant

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SuLiaodai@reddit

KFC in China is really good -- clearly, the chicken is real chicken, it's not greasy, and it doesn't have that weird, overpowering flavor US KFC has.

I also went to McDonald's when I lived in Hong Kong because they'd have seasonal deserts. Like they'd have matcha and genmai sundaes, cheesecake flavor ice cream cones to tie in with Minions movies, etc. I miss the little McDonald's I used to go to in Tai Po! (RIP to the people who passed away in the recent fire there.)

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remuliini@reddit

There's a pretty damn good hot dog restaurant and a BBQ restaurant in Kuala Lumpur though ;). And also in Singapore, but it is next to impossible to get a table reservation there.

But fair, I spent a lot of time in Malaysia, and went to American fast food joints when I didn't feel like eating a chicken drumstick with a fork and a spoon.

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averysmallbeing@reddit

I cannot imagine ordering american food in a foreign country.

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Unfair_Chipmunk_2305@reddit

Different menus and better quality. I like going to McDonalds in other countries to try the regional food options. In Italy I got mini calzones from McDonalds.

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averysmallbeing@reddit

That's incredibly depressing.

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Unfair_Chipmunk_2305@reddit

I’m not eating there everyday, just once.

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minuddannelse@reddit

You need to travel more.

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averysmallbeing@reddit

I live half of every year abroad. I go there specifically to escape the shit western food.

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grilledcheesybreezy@reddit

Clearly you must have never traveled for long periods of time or been exhausted or completely tired to a point where any food was good food.

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

I've lived in Malaysia for 15 years and I like the food here, but sometimes I want food from back home.

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CheeseWheels38@reddit

KFC in Kazakhstan is great. McDonald’s is a lot better too.

Hell, even just Coca-Cola outside the US is much better. It's absolute shit in the US.

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Key_Equipment1188@reddit

Where in Malaysia are you located? At least in Klang Valley and Penang are a lot of good pizza places that deliver. Not American style, but Italian.

But regarding your question, I am also based in Malaysia and I never visit Japanese or Chinese restaurants in Germany. Simply for the fact, they are so much better (and cheaper) here. On the other hand, I avoid McDonalds in Malaysia, but at least get it once when I am on a trip in Europe, as theirs is so much better.

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

I'm in KL and there are some good pizza places, but they usually don't deliver. We've tried a few other delivery places and they've been mostly bad, so we just stick with Pizza Hut when we want delivery.

But I love the local food here as well.

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Key_Equipment1188@reddit

It depends on your location, as pizza doesn't get better if the driver needs 20 mins to reach your place. Some of our favorites, just if you ever want to change:

Luce
Pomo'Doro
Fahrenheit 600 (more American/Fusion style pizza)

All are on Grab. But Domino's and others are really bad here...

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

Thanks!

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JuanOffhue@reddit

Last time I ate at a McDonald’s was a Sunday morning in France eight years ago because nothing else was open. It was fine. Similarly, the last time I had Popeye’s chicken was in Edinburgh last August. I like Popeye’s stateside, I just rarely go there (or any fast food place, for that matter).

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

When my wife was pregnant, she craved McDonalds. Since it was during covid, their hours were limited, so I found myself lining up outside McDonalds in the morning to help my wife fight those cravings ;)

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zorra666@reddit

I'm in Malaysia as well and just had McDonald's. I would never consider that in the US!

I do advise you to avoid Olive Garden in Malaysia, though. The bread sticks were stale and no endless salad!

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Usernamechecksout978@reddit (OP)

Olive Garden in America is awful, too.

We have a running joke with my mom and sister. Last time I was home, against my protestestations, they insisted on dragging me to the awful Olive Garden and my sister chuckled the whole time.

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CaughtALiteSneez@reddit

McDonald’s and Domino’s in Switzerland

Wayyyy better than back home

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Catladylove99@reddit

I literally can’t eat either of those in the US because I’ll get sick. But in Germany? Totally fine. Makes me wonder what the hell they put in the US food.

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CaughtALiteSneez@reddit

Seriously! It’s still a rare treat for me, but it reminds me of being a kid in the 80’s when it still tasted like that.

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Catladylove99@reddit

Same. I rarely have either one, but if you’re going somewhere on the Autobahn and need to stop for food, McDonald’s is one of the only choices. I’ll order the chicken nuggets like a five year old, and they’re surprisingly good.

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RestaurantJealous280@reddit

Nope. I like cooking at home- from all kinds of cultures' recipes. I do love the food where I am, but when I need a change I might cook something North African, Chinese, Italian... whatever. The only homegrown item i can't live without is Canadian maple syrup

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BrokilonDryad@reddit

I’m from Ontario and I’ve never eaten at a TGIF outside of Taiwan. I don’t even know if we have those in Canada, I’ve never seen one in o ratio at least.

It’s the closest thing to a great chicken Caesar salad I can find in this Caesar-forsaken country. Also their chicken quesadillas with balsamic glaze are pretty good and nostalgic for me as the first time I came to Taiwan (and ate at TGIF) was as a high school graduate.

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