How To Avoid a Tourist Trap Restaurant on Vacation

There are few dining experiences worse than the full-on tourist trap, so learn how to avoid them with their overpriced drinks, uninspired food, and cloying or incompetent service. Never again begrudgingly suck down the last drops of a weak, syrupy cocktail and pay the bill as you think, “Man, I could have had this terrible meal at home and for sooo much less.”

Any destination has them, although some places are more loaded than others. Often positioned in busy neighborhoods, cleverly disguised with staff expertly trained in the art of skullduggery, awaiting hoards of unsuspecting and obvious-looking tourists to fork over their hard-earned travel budget for a less-than-excellent meal.

It’s certainly not to say all touristy restaurants are bad, as with Café du Monde in New Orleans or Katz’s in New York, where the lines out the door are for good reason. But as many of us travel with eating well in mind, how do we get the most out of those travel pennies, and avoid the bad tourist trap restaurants in unfamiliar places? Here are a few tips and tricks we’ve picked up along the way.

Katz’s Deli

Ask a Local—but Be Specific

We’ve all seen Rachael Ray or Rick Steves bumble their way through awkwardly asking about the best spot for lunch or a cocktail, and asking a local taxi driver or human on the street is certainly a good (and perhaps obvious) option, but can also backfire.

Depending on where you are, locals might truly assume you want to go where the tourists go and send you there. Some countries, like Cuba for instance, don’t have a bustling local restaurant culture, so a high percentage of the traditional restaurants are geared towards tourists. It’s happened to me on several occasions and I, at no fault of the person I’d asked, ended up exactly in a place I was trying to avoid.

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Don’t be afraid to ask what their favorite spot to eat, drink, or go dancing is. Be prepared, they may not want to tell you, thus blowing a well-kept secret, but it’s always worth asking. And depending on what you’re looking for, be discerning about who you ask. If you’re looking for a fun and lively bar or cheap eats, for instance, consider asking a younger person, more likely to frequent them.

Utilize Hotel Concierge—but Cautiously

W Boston

At a quality hotel, especially one known for their concierge like the W Boston, you can be pretty sure they’re not going to lead you astray, but certain lower-end hotels and even home-share operations (especially in highly-trafficked tourist destinations) have agreements with local establishments, and get kickbacks for reservations or business they secure on behalf of guests.

If the concierge or host has a locked and loaded answer and seems overly eager to drive you to a certain place, make your reservation, or even walk you to the front door, consider it a bad sign. Conversely, if they talk it out with you, asking thoughtful follow-up questions to refine the request, and suggest a few different spots, it’s more likely they only have your interest at heart.

Paige, one of W Boston’s Insiders, explains how she and her concierge team “strive to introduce not just the cliché Boston that people expect when they do a quick [online] search, but the thriving local scene underneath. It is a general rule of thumb to introduce guests to spots around the city they would only find here, and I only ever send W guests to places that I’ve personally experienced.”

Stay in a Home Share or Vacation Rental (with Good Hosts)

The Plum Guide

This is one of the single best ways to cut through the clutter and find great local bars and eateries. Vacation home rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO are well known and let you communicate with hosts/ask questions, but more recently specialty platforms like the Plum Guide have taken things to a new level. This London-based luxury vacation rental site not only vets its listings to make sure they’re in neighborhoods with good options, but also vets the hosts themselves to ensure they are engaging and available to offer suggestions.

Use Travel Apps—but Be Thorough

Discovery and review apps like TripAdvisor and Yelp are great ways to find, and potentially decide, on a place to eat with ratings, reviews, images, and other helpful info like pricing and accepted forms of payments. But a high star rating and loads of reviews doesn’t always guarantee it’s not a tourist trap.

Remember, reviews are being populated mostly by other tourists, especially on TripAdvisor, which isn’t a bad thing per se. If the food looks good and the reviews are positive, don’t be afraid to go where many have gone before, but remember that true local spots may not generate as many reviews as the places in high volume tourist areas. And though most of the platforms try to crack down with new authentication standards, some restaurants have found ways to game the system, generating fake and misleading reviews.

TripAdvisor

Find out what platform locals use most to rate and review restaurants (if anything at all). Yelp is limited in other countries but Google has become quite popular in places like Asia. And of course, there are often even more hyper-specific sites and apps in various regions, so do some research beforehand.

Use Your Senses

The good lord gave you 5 senses and deductive reasoning, so use em’. If you’re walking around and something smells good and is busy (especially with locals), you’ve probably come across something good. I like to think I’ve refined my senses over the years and here are a few things I look for to spot a local place, sight on seen.

• Pushy Door Staff Is a Red Flag: Not always the case, but if the host or hostess seems ravenous to get you to sit down, it should raise a red flag. A good local spot should be cool and confident, waiting for you to come to them.
• Avoid Chains: If it looks like a chain (glossy, overly-designed menus and overly-polished decor), and smells like a chain, it probably is a chain. Move on.
• Be Wary of Lines: It depends on what you’re looking for of course, but if there is a line around the block it may mean a fun or delicious experience awaits, though likely at a serious hit to your budget. Investigate the menu before sitting down.
• Look for Bigger Groups: Most people travel in smaller groups, so if you see big groups dining it might indicate a local hang where friends gather.
• Look for People Who Seem Comfortable and Familiar: Locals generally have an easy air about them as though they’ve been there before, while tourists will be studying the menu feverishly and looking around a lot.
• Empty Is Always a Bad Sign: This may seem obvious and doesn’t necessarily signify a tourist trap, but even if all signs pointed to a good place, if you show up and it’s empty during normal dining hours, you might want to ask yourself why.

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What Is the Difference Between Mardi Gras and Carnival?

There’s one obvious answer to the question, “What is the difference between Mardi Gras and Carnival?” and that’s where they’re celebrated. Mardi Gras is synonymous with New Orleans, and Carnival is mostly associated with Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—but they’re both known as big, debauchery-encouraging public parties with lots of music and flashy costumes, and they even have the same origins. So let’s dig into both their differences and their similarities.

What Is Mardi Gras?

It’s fairly well known that Mardi Gras—that world-famous New Orleans party/parade tradition complete with elaborate floats, historic krewes, live bands, and lots of plastic beads—is also known as “Fat Tuesday.” That’s because it was traditionally the last time for Roman Catholics to indulge in rich foods before Ash Wednesday, which kicks off the lean fasting season of Lent (40 whole days of giving things up in the name of spiritual improvement).

The day before Ash Wednesday also has a couple other nicknames: it’s called Shrove Tuesday (as it was the day when those who went to confession before Lent were “shriven” or absolved from their sins), and Pancake Tuesday because it was a good day for making pancakes, which could accommodate the last of the butter, sugar, milk, and eggs before all those rich foods had to be given up for Lent. (This is also why the rich Polish doughnuts known as paczki became so closely associated with Fat Tuesday.)

So Mardi Gras is Fat Tuesday is Pancake Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday—but “Mardi Gras” is the particular name that stuck to the symbolic parades and parties held in New Orleans, a city with a lot of French influence on its culture. The first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States is said to have occurred in what is now New Orleans in March 1699—but Mobile, Alabama also lays claim to the distinction, and they certainly had their own strong Mardi Gras parade tradition before NOLA stole the national (and international) spotlight with its infamous Bourbon Street shenanigans.

Library of Congress

The parade aspect of Mardi Gras is particularly iconic—the masks, the floats, the flying beads (and doubloons, and Moon Pies), the crowds—but there’s not just one parade. There are 11 parades on Fat Tuesday alone this year, and each one is associated with a specific krewe, a club or organization with its own theme and history, though some are newer than others.

Technically, Mardi Gras is just one day within the carnival season, but in most places, especially in New Orleans, it’s now used to denote a period of up to one or two weeks preceding the grand culminating events on Fat Tuesday; that gives everyone a bigger window in which to maximize the good times at even more parades, balls, banquets, and carnival celebrations (even though many modern revelers probably don’t plan on giving anything up once Lent comes around).

What Is Carnival?

Carnival is loosely translated to “kiss your flesh goodbye” in Latin (as in “time to give up meat” instead of something more sinister, though some people do use it as a justification for really getting into the hedonistic nature of the pre-Lenten celebrations), and while capital-C Carnival is now known as its own specific celebration in Rio and elsewhere, the word “carnival” also encompasses all Fat Tuesday festivities. That includes Mardi Gras and many other similar celebrations in other traditionally Roman Catholic countries, like Italy (Venice has an especially strong parade and costume tradition)—they’re all part of the carnival season, which begins on Three Kings’ Day (or the Feast of Epiphany, on January 6) and ends on Ash Wednesday.

When you’re talking specifically about the Brazilian Carnival (or Carnavale), you’re talking about huge parades and public street parties, complete with eye-catching costumes—sometimes eye-catching in part because of how skimpy they are, true—floats, music, and feasting (and drinking).

Pexels

One hallmark of Brazilian Carnival are the samba schools, perhaps superficially best known for their ornately decorated floats, frequently-feathered costumes, and well-practiced dance routines, but they have important roles in their communities that go well beyond the carnival season. In some ways, they can be thought of as analogous to New Orleans’ krewes, though not entirely the same.

As in New Orleans (and other places where carnival season is celebrated), there are scores of balls and parties that happen in Brazil over a period of several days or weeks in addition to the public festivities.

No matter where you celebrate the main event, you’re definitely in for fun times and fantastic food, so check out some carnival season staples from both New Orleans and Brazil to tempt you to indulge, even if you never leave your own home for the occasion:

Mardi Gras King Cake

Chowhound

While it may not have the same legions of fans as some other New Orleans sweets (like bananas Foster and the sugar-smothered beignets at Café du Monde), ring-shaped, tri-colored king cake is a traditional Mardi Gras staple. Typically, a plastic baby is cooked inside, and whoever gets the slice with the baby must host the next party. Here, the party favor is optional and the cake is delicious, regardless. Get our Mardi Gras King Cake recipe.

Easy Chicken Gumbo

Chowhound

This classic gumbo dish is ready in just 40 minutes. After making a golden roux from vegetable oil and flour, soften some onion and bell peppers, simmer andouille sausage and frozen okra, and warm up the shredded chicken, and dinner is served! (Check out even more Mardi Gras recipes that put the “easy” in Big Easy, including our Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo recipe.) Get our Easy Chicken Gumbo recipe.

Cognac Shrimp Bisque

Chowhound

With large pieces of shrimp in a warming, easy bisque, this dish is a classic New Orleans comfort meal. We recommend a large batch for a flavorful and light yet filling meal during the Mardi Gras festivities. Get our Cognac Shrimp Bisque recipe.

Hurricane Cocktail

Chowhound

While the Hurricane cocktail didn’t originate there, Pat O’Brien’s French Quarter Bar gave it fame after beginning to serve the rum-based drink in the 1930s. It’s deceptively strong and easy to throw together at home. (But don’t sleep on other New Orleans cocktails like the Sazerac or Ramos Gin Fizz—and consider trying them all in fancy Jello shot form!) Get our Hurricane Cocktail recipe.

Wild Rice Jambalaya

Chowhound

This jambalaya recipe substitutes the traditional white rice for a nuttier wild rice, while maintaining the traditional sausage, shrimp, and pepper. We recommend this hearty dish before a day or night of Mardi Gras drinking. The tomatoes nod to a Creole heritage, though there’s a lot of overlap between Creole and Cajun food these days. Get our Wild Rice Jambalaya recipe.

Grilled Caipirinha

Chowhound

The Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil, and cachaça is the key ingredient. For a caramelized twist on the traditional, try tossing the limes in sugar and grilling them before adding their juice; if grilling isn’t an option, you can broil or even blow-torch them—or just make a classic Caipirinha, which is still a great choice! Get our Grilled Caipirinha recipe.

Moqueca

What’s Gaby Cooking

One of the world’s great seafood soups, Brazil’s moqueca is based on coconut milk and palm oil, for a rich, flavorful broth swimming with shrimp and fish. Cilantro and lime juice freshen it up. Get the Moqueca recipe.

Slow Cooker Feijoada

Panning the Globe

If you prefer turf to surf, the traditional Brazilian dish of slow-cooked black beans with lots of different cuts of pork (and/or beef) is perfect—this version is made in the slow cooker, which is even better. It breaks further from tradition in that it doesn’t use any offal, but really, you can throw in whatever cuts you like as long as they’ll benefit from long, slow cooking! Get the Slow Cooker Feijoada recipe.

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She’s New Orleans’ Biggest Praline Producer and You Don’t Know Her Name

It is without a doubt that Louisiana is one of America’s truest treasures. The creation and influence of jazz and bounce music has influenced American music in some of the most profound ways. The unique and immersive Mardi Gras parades have intensely increased the tourism count in the boot-shaped state. Even the architecture alone in New Orleans makes it feel as if it were a city in a completely different country, thanks to its French and Spanish integration.

Therefore it really is no surprise that one of their most famous desserts, pralines, is absolutely a tradition of the South. A hard candy usually filled with nuts, the simple delicacy is actually a widely-known candy to locals and usually favored amongst other sweets. It’s such a popular treat that even tourists themselves travel all over to indulge in its taste, aside from other Southern staples in the city.

Loretta’s Pralines

Pralines originated in France, when an African-American slave was sent to create a sweet dish for his master’s romantic interests. Although the first version of the praline had almonds, once it made its way to New Orleans the abundance of pecans became a staple ingredient. The common factors of a praline, however, have stayed the same since: melted sugar, cream, and nuts. Of course there are an abundance of pralines. New Orleans is the home to the most diverse. Raisin, coconut, caramel, almond, peanut, chocolate, fruit. You want something totally unexpected and tiptoeing on possibly diabetes-inducing? It’s probably in New Orleans. (And king cake often comes with a praline filling.)

Pralines are so diverse culturally that depending on where you are located, the word may sound completely different than in a different location. Some people may pronounce it as “pray-leen,’ which was the Creole interpretation, and some may pronounce it as “prah-leen”, which stems from its traditional French origin. Many generations, however, have adapted both pronunciations, and most tourists pronounce it as “pray-leen.”

If you have lived in New Orleans for more than 10 years, more than likely you will know someone who has a family member involved in candy-making. The food business is a very family-oriented culture in Louisiana. One of the best examples is of Mr. Okra, a recently deceased truck driver who was most famous for his daily trek into the neighborhoods of New Orleans, singing with an abundance of fresh produce  in his tiny colorful truck, now being operated by his daughter.

But one of the most well-respected, loved, and appreciated praline stores, is also surprisingly one of the least-discussed places in New Orleans: Loretta’s.

Loretta’s Pralines, Oni Birden

Amongst the many praline shops in New Orleans is Loretta’s, the first African-American female to successfully own a praline business. She’s somehow managed to gain national coverage in numerous forms of media while still being able to keep a quiet, calm location in her local Marigny, where she’s had the shop for over 40 years. Her connection to candy-making is so deeply rooted in family that her close relatives at The Praline Connection have also successfully started and ran a soul food restaurant in New Orleans for over 25 years. And looking at Loretta’s, there’s a reason why.

You can sense the heartwarming dedication as soon as you step into her store in Marigny. Wide, bright, and full of devotional items, it is pretty quiet when you first walk in. On this particular day, the cast and crew of “NCIS: New Orleans” was just there, buying some pralines and beignets to use as props for the next episode. A student chef from Delgado is there, and so are two elderly workers. Red and white checkerboard prints are on the table cloth, traditional sankofa wire shapes in the chairs, a long food display below the counter, and an abundance of sweet smells.

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Loretta is all about tradition, but she isn’t afraid to spice things up, in a literal sense. She has numerous pralines that stay within the history of the candy but still add variety for the sweet-obsessed. Rum, coconut, and even nut-less, for people with allergies. The nut-less is just as good, tasting like a block of less chunky sugar and milk. In addition, she even has praline-filled beignets, a personal concoction that has gained massive local attention in the past few years.

Her staple is undoubtedly pralines, but surprisingly, meals also make their way in discussion for breakfast or Friday afternoons. Southern food is always the center of the product. For breakfast, or even brunch, a breakfast beignet or burger beignet is at first a seemingly odd decision, but upon the smell, it hits you. The breakfast beignet is a simple bacon, egg and cheese or sausage, egg and cheese on a flaky crust. Her burger beignets also come as two sliders: flaky, buttery pastry crust as the buns, and beef patties dressed with lettuce, tomato, and an addicting sauce to top. It’s the perfect meal for a person who needs food, but plans on walking around the French Quarters soon after. And when you don’t want a burger, there are also crabmeat beignets: a french doughnut fried and stuffed with crabmeat with butter and mushroom sauté. You won’t find anything like that for miles.

Loretta’s beignet burger, Oni Birden

Fish Fridays are her most popular of the week, and obviously so. Aside from what is on the normal menu of oysters, tuna, fried fish, or shrimp salads, and po’ boys, you also get a the options of catfish plates, stuffed bell peppers, chicken wings, or just your normal fish and shrimp combo. And yes, there is a combination plate for those who are shameless about their soul food.

What is most entertaining about the restaurant are the tiny surprises that show up upon closer inspection of the place. A lively stack of Easter baskets line a wall, a section of the store for ice cream, iron music notes on the walls to help accentuate the musical vibe of the city. And interestingly enough, her non-perishables, stacked neatly by a wall inside of their own little shelves. She makes her own pickles, her own hot peppers, her own jellies (like blackberry and peach) and jams (amongst them, orange marmalade).

Loretta’s status as being the first African-American female praline shop owner is not at all overly exaggerated, undeserving, nor taken for granted. With 41 years at her craft, it’s safe to say that the delicacy is a result of her upbringing and her style. Even at the age of eight, she knew that this was something special.

“The ah-ha moment started when I was 8-years-old. That’s when I started to make pralines. I was allowed to make pralines when I was 12, so I always knew how to make candy. And so, after I graduated from SUNO, I took a job at a medical library. I made pralines during the day, and I went to work from 3 to 11. And I was selling the pralines to the students, they enjoyed it, they loved it, so I continued to make them,” she says.

But it isn’t just her own tradition of pralines that influenced Loretta to start a family business. It was the tradition that came from Louisiana itself.

Loretta’s Pralines/Facebook

“My mom taught me, her mom taught her, and my grandmother’s mother taught her, so we all use the same recipe, nothing’s changed. Except, when I was growing up we only made the original pralines.”

You would think that by having eaten sweets for literally all her life she’d be tired of it, but she swears that it never gets old. “What I do, I don’t work for money, it’s a passion. So I love my candy, I love my job, and I eat it everyday—I have to try it anyways. Oh it was always just fun. When you start having to prove, it’s not fun anymore. It’s fun even now,” she says.

Her secret to maintaining a business full of love and good eats for generations is simple:

“When I come in, I pray for a creative spirit, and He gives me that. So I channel that into what I make. For the praline beignets, I came in one day, prayed about it, and God showed me. And it’s taken off. I’ve made them for six years. We’re celebrating the history of the city, we are a part of that. To be a part of something is awesome. It means that what you do, your contribution matters”.

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17 Mardi Gras Recipes for Fat Tuesday

Join the parade of good times, Dixieland jazz, dancing, and of course: drinking and eating. Everyone can partake in the revelry of Mardi Gras, even though Fat Tuesday is the last official chance for Catholics, especially those in Louisiana, to live it up before Lent begins. More than a million people will flock to the French Quarter in New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras, and chances are they’ll be washing their liquor down with some of the city’s legendary Cajun and Creole cuisine. We can’t all take the pilgrimage down to the Big Easy for the event, but the holiday’s a good excuse to celebrate New Orleans food no matter where you live. Need a little menu inspiration? We’ve got just the thing to whet your appetite.

1. Crawfish Boil

Chowhound

If you can get your hands on some fresh crawfish, you gotta go with this classic Louisiana bayou crawfish boil recipe. You might want to make sure they’re clean by soaking them in a chest of ice water for 10 minutes, and then you poach the crawfish in water with onion, lemon, bay leaf, and garlic. Get our Crawfish Boil recipe.

2. Bananas Foster Milkshake

Chowhound

Seriously, how Mardi Gras-esque is it to have a milkshake with banana, dark rum, and dulche de leche ice cream? So in the spirit of Fat Tuesday. (The original solid-dessert version originated in New Orleans in 1951; get even more bananas Foster recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth…and your rum tooth, for that matter.) Get our Bananas Foster Milkshake recipe.

3. Cognac Shrimp Bisque

Chowhound

Big, fresh Gulf shrimp and strong booze plus a dash of heavenly cream is a festive trio fit for Bourbon Street celebrations. Get our Cognac Shrimp Bisque recipe.

4. Mardi Gras King Cake

Chowhound

It ain’t Mardi Gras without a king cake. Not only does the pastry have a storied history behind it, but tradition also dictates that a plastic toy baby be hidden inside the cake. The person who gets the slice with the baby will hold the next king cake party. Get our Mardi Gras King Cake recipe.

5. Martha Hall Foose’s Cheese Grits

Chowhound

These baked cheese grits, which come from Southern cookbook author Martha Hall Foose, would be a nice addition to a boozy Mardi Gras brunch. Get Martha Hall Foose’s Cheese Grits recipe.

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6. Easy Chicken Gumbo

Chowhound

Thanks to a light golden roux and sliced okra, this gumbo thickens up in less than 45 minutes. Get our Easy Chicken Gumbo recipe.

7. Grilled Blackened Catfish with Creole Mustard Butter

Chowhound

Top blackened catfish with a dollop of spicy, hot Creole mustard butter, and you may never eat it any other way again. Get our Grilled Blackened Catfish with Creole Mustard Butter recipe.

8. Classic Muffuletta

Striped Spatula

The muffuletta, with its medley of Italian cold cuts, cheese, and tangy olive salad, gets even better as it sits. Make the sandwich in advance and feel zero guilt about serving it a day later. Get the Classic Muffuletta recipe.

9. Hurricane Cocktail

Chowhound

Bring Pat O’Brien’s and the rest of Bourbon Street to your home bar with a well-made version of the Hurricane cocktail. Get our Hurricane Cocktail recipe.

10. Crawfish Etouffée

Immaculate Bites

If you’re lucky enough to be near a source for fresh crawfish, there’s only one way to celebrate Fat Tuesday: with creamy, brackish crawfish etouffée. Get the Crawfish Etouffée recipe.

11. Mardi Gras Jelly Shots

Chowhound

For some modern-day Mardi Gras fun, serve up a batch of Mardi Gras jelly shots—the classy adult version of Jell-O shots. Hurricane-, Ramos gin fizz–, and Sazerac-flavored jelly cubes are sure to spark conversation. Get our Mardi Gras Jelly Shots recipes.

12. Boudin Balls

Chowhound

We have to agree with the Chowhound who described Chef Donald Link’s boudin sausage as “pure heaven.” But if you can’t make it to one of Link’s New Orleans restaurants, his recipe for boudin balls is the next best thing. Get our Boudin Balls recipe.

13. Natchitoches Meat Pies

Chowhound

The town of Natchitoches, Louisiana, is famous for its spicy beef and onion hand pies, fried until golden and puffy. They’re an ideal on-the-go snack for Mardi Gras revelers. Get our Natchitoches Meat Pies recipe.

14. Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo

Chowhound

Call this slow cooker dish the lazy man’s gumbo. Not only does it come together in a Crock-Pot, but there’s no stirring of any roux whatsoever. The secret? Browning the flour in the oven first. Get our Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo recipe.

15. Chicken and Smoked Andouille Jambalaya

Chowhound

This version of Cajun jambalaya, which includes chicken thighs, andouille sausage, and tasso ham, may be time-intensive, but it’s an impressive way to feed a crowd. Get our Chicken and Smoked Andouille Jambalaya recipe.

16. Sazerac

Chowhound

There’s no New Orleans cocktail more timeless than the Sazerac. The rye and absinthe cocktail dates back to the 1850s. Get our Sazerac recipe.

17. Cornmeal Fried Catfish with Rémoulade

Chowhound

Don’t knock catfish till you’ve tried it battered with spicy cornmeal flour, fried until crispy, and served with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of homemade rémoulade. Get our Cornmeal Fried Catfish with Rémoulade recipe.

If you’re in need of some quicker fixes, check out our round-up of easy Mardi Gras recipes for nearly-effortless Fat Tuesday dinner options, and get lots more NOLA-inspired recipes and party tips and tricks at our Mardi Gras headquarters!

Related Video: Eat Like You’re in New Orleans with These Essential Ingredients

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— Head photo: Chowhound/Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo; Amy Sowder updated this article on Feb. 24, 2017.

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What Is Osso Bucco?

7 Easy, Healthy Risotto Recipes

The idea that making risotto requires hours of stirring over a hot stove is a total myth, as is the notion that there are no healthy risotto recipes. This creamy rice dish is as easy as boiling pasta, and can definitely be part of a balanced meal with vegetables or salad.

It requires occasional stirring, sure—30 minutes that you can spend sipping Sangiovese, snacking on cured meats, and chatting up friends around the stove, where everyone gravitates anyway—but it’s not as demanding as, say, a proper roux. It’s made from simple, whole ingredients and is filling, so a little goes a long way, and you’ll definitely want leftovers to use in things like arancini and risotto cakes. Once you’ve mastered the basic method, try our six delicious variations—or develop your own!

Basic Risotto

Chowhound

Since this is a simple dish, stunning results depend on good ingredients and proper technique—don’t skimp on the quality of your olive oil, wine, or cheese, and don’t forget to stir once in a while. Get our Basic Risotto recipe.

Squash and Saffron Risotto

Chowhound

A pinch of saffron lends golden color and heady flavor to this risotto, and tender chunks of winter squash bring extra texture, heft, and sweetness to the mix. Get our Squash and Saffron Risotto recipe.

Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Risotto

Chowhound

Thinly sliced brussels sprouts sauteed with a little lemon juice and zest (try Meyer lemons in season for a subtly different twist) plus sweet pieces of fig make for an uncommonly good risotto perfect on its own, or as a partner with pork. Get our Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Risotto recipe.

Radicchio Risotto

Chowhound

The slightly bitter bite of radicchio is tempered first by wilting and then by being combined with luscious yet toothsome risotto rich with fruity red wine. Get our Radicchio Risotto recipe.

Herbed Risotto

Chowhound

Whether you choose to highlight a single herb or use a whole garden’s worth mixed together, this fresh, green-speckled risotto is further brightened with a squirt of lemon, and perfect with pretty much anything you may want to serve with it, from chicken to fish to simply roasted veggies. Get our Herbed Risotto recipe.

Seafood Risotto

Chowhound

Take a trip to the Italian coast with this hearty yet healthy risotto with shrimp, scallops, and calamari—plus peas for an earthy sweetness that complements all the other flavors. Get our Seafood Risotto recipe.

Lobster Risotto

Chowhound

For when you want something truly decadent, lobster risotto is just the thing. Sweet, tender chunks of meat stud the rice, which is enriched with a quick, delicious lobster broth made from the shells. And two lobsters stretch to feed six people this way, so it’s perfect for a classy dinner party that won’t break the bank. Get our Lobster Risotto recipe.

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