Eating Local Food vs Chain Restaurants

Traveling is, and has always been about experiencing the new and unknown. And what’s one of the best ways to explore a new country or destination?

Through the local grub and drinks.

Latin America is home to the most diverse food and drink on the planet.

Countries such as Mexico and Argentina are known for their local dishes, and there are some promising food destinations such as Puerto Rico and Peru.

On my travels, I’ve experienced some truly amazing foods that I would have never have even known about had I not traveled.

I’ve also had food poisoning and ended up in hospital numerous times!

Even from some really simple foods such as Spaghetti Bolognese and Mango Ice-cream (everyone always seems to laugh with the ice-cream… I mean how is it even possible to fuck that up?!).

So yeah, I’ve learnt first-hand the hard way that there are always risks involved with eating street foods.

Local vs Chain Food

Whether you’re planning your trip to Peru or heading to Cuba, the street food can be both incredible as well as potentially overbearing.

In this post, I’ll do my best to cover the pros and cons of eating local food.

Also, we’ll look at why commercial chains are also good to eat at, despite the negative rep they usually get.

Finally, we’ll explore how to best choose where to eat, and how to avoid getting sick when eating on the road.

The Benefits of Eating Locally

Latin America is well known for its amazing street food, and I think you would really miss out if you decided to boycott the local grub.

The textures and flavours in my opinion are the best in the world, with all kinds of spices and flavours hitting you from different angles.

Whilst it may not appeal to all palettes, it’s still 100% worth to try and see how it is for you. Heading with a food tour is also great as you’ll be shown the best spots by a knowledgeable guide. We highly recommend this awesome street food tour if you’ll be heading to Mexico City.

Also, eating locally is cheap. And I mean really cheap. A typical street food dish in Mexico will cost you under a dollar, and is often more than enough to fill you up. It’s pretty much the same elsewhere in all other Latin American countries.

Last but not least is sheer opportunity and availability. In pretty much every street you’ll find some kind of local hole or street food shack.

On the other hand, however, you may need to search around for a bit until you find a franchise. My advice? When you’re in the hot sun and hungry or thirsty, do as the locals do!

The Cons of Eating Locally

Whilst lots of the street food tastes really great, there are of course risks.

Firstly, if arriving from Europe or another more developed continent, your body may not be prepared for the different spices and textures.

It’s not really a con per se, but of course there’s a chance of feeling unwell which should pass after a day or two.

Secondly, when eating lots of street food, there’s the risk of food poisoning.

Latin America is still developing in many areas, and without generalising too much, some of the local restaurants don’t follow the same standards of food safety and preparation compared with the Western World.

No matter how diligent you are, there will always be a risk when eating locally, regardless if choosing “safe foods” or even carefully watching how they prepare the food.

And do you know what? That risk is part of what makes traveling so unique and humbling. You can’t always know, and that’s okay (and also part of the adventure).

Benefits of Eating Chain Food

This is a controversial opinion, especially considering as globalisation does lead to loss of authenticity and culture, among other issues that I won’t get into here.

However, I will give some perspective on this since eating at chain restaurants has also helped me when traveling.

There are many food chains dotted throughout Latin America, such as Dominoes, McDonald’s, Burger King and beyond. The signs are pretty much everywhere and you’re bound to walk past one without even looking for it.

The first benefit of sticking to chains food is that you know what you’re getting. Simplicity is best, and after a long day I like nothing more than munching on a fucking chicken royale from Burger King.

Secondly, there’s less chance of unpleasant reactions or possible food poisoning. Whilst South America (and even more so Central America) is poorer and less health anal about food prep and safety compared with Europe, food chains still follow a universal guide for food safety.

This means you’ll (mostly) get the same food and quality as you would in the same chain in a different part of the world.

Lastly, as you know what you’re getting, it’s definitely a plus before heading on a flight or long bus ride / day of traveling. No worries here about getting caught short!

The Cons of Sticking to Chain Food

Travel is about exploring the new and getting out of your comfort zone. If you mostly stick to boutique restaurants and chains, then great.

In fact, many of these will serve some quality local foods and dishes and serve as a nice introduction to the new destination.

However, street food really is king when it comes to Latin America, and by not trying it out you’ll be missing out on foods you’ll never get to try anywhere else.

Locals know best how to make tasty meals, which is why I love heading into food markets in countries like Mexico and Peru.

Some franchises sometimes make local variations, however these are nowhere near the same level of quality and authenticity compared to street food.

Of course, the other disadvantage of eating in chain restaurants is the cost.

They tend to be pricier, so you’re daily budget will likely be a lot higher than if you had stuck to local street food which can be ridiculously cheap in most Latin American countries.

Tips for Picking Local Foods

Here’s some tips from my own experience when it comes to picking the best places to eat, and how to avoid any potential food-related issues.

Eating Local Food: Final Words

As you’ve seen, there’s pretty compelling arguments for eating both street food and also sticking to food chains.

Street food is cheaper, more available and comes in a great range which appeals to most tastes.

Franchise food on the other hand is a comfort, and also better for those who worry about food safety and hygiene.

And do you know what? It doesn’t matter what you choose. Hell I switch between them daily depending on how I feel, and also how adventurous I’m feeling for new tastes.

My best bit of advice is to do you, and you only. If you feel like something new then go for it. And if you want to stick to a franchise then so be it too! There’s no right or wrong here.

Finally, whilst it depends on you and your preferences, part of traveling is stepping out of your comfort zone and growing as a person.

I think trying street food is a great way to do this and who knows, you may fall in love with a certain food that you would never have otherwise tried. Or maybe you’ll never look at ice-cream the same way again…

See this guide on how to not get sick in Mexico for some soild tips!

👉🏽 P.S. If you’ve found this guide helpful, buy us a coffee here to say thanks! Or, support us by downloading our South America Travel Bible to get our best content.

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