European Food and Drink - How to Travel Europe

Common food and drink differences that you will come across.

Do you hate surprises when ordering food? Can’t start your morning without coffee? It’s hot outside and all you want is a cold soda with ice—but that’s not always what you’ll get in Europe.

Every country has its own food traditions and dining customs. Some will feel familiar, while others may catch you by surprise. We’ll explain the everyday differences you’re likely to encounter—from sparkling water and coffee to restaurant customs and grocery shopping—so you know what to expect before you go and can enjoy your trip with fewer surprises.

Drinking Water
Grocery Stores
Coffee Culture
Soft Drinks and Ice
Finding Great Restaurants
Meal Times
Restaurant Etiquette
Rural Dining
British Pub Food
Breakfast

Water. Yes, water is different.

Bottled Water

Sparkling water
Still water
Check the label
Ask the cashier if you’re unsure

Because we have found the labels annoying to translate we usually ask the cashier if the bottle we picked up is sparkling or still.

Restaurant Water

Usually bottled
Usually not free
Sparkling or still?
Tap water varies by country and restaurant

Finally, ice is not nearly as common in Europe. You may not get any when your water arrives.

Grocery Stores

Stop at a grocery store on your way back to the hotel, unless you want to carry your items around with you. Along with any munchies, consider stocking up on bottled water which is usually much cheaper in the store than a tourist shop. Also, this is a good opportunity if you need change to carry for pay toilets. If your plans include doing a quick load of wash then look for laundry soap. If you are making coffee in your hotel room and want something similar to half and half you might be in luck. Also, if you need sunscreen you should pick some up because it can be difficult to find in the tourist areas and it should also be cheaper.

Coffee Culture: Coffee is different too?

Can you get a cup of coffee?

Yes, but probably not like you are used to having. Standard drip coffee that North America drinks can be harder to find in Europe. Some places may have filter coffee available (ask for filter coffee specifically) — we’ve seen it on the menu listed as Filter Coffee, but not often.

Note that you will see Cafe Americano listed on many menus, however this is not an American style coffee. It is an espresso shot in hot water.

A typical coffee drink in Europe is espresso, latte, cappuccino, Americano, etc.

Also be aware that cream or half and half is generally not available in cafes. Milk is most likely the closest substitute. If you are making coffee in your hotel room you may find something like crème liquide in France, kaffesahne in Germany, etc. in grocery stores.

In larger European cities you will find Starbucks. We checked several Starbucks menus and did not see filter coffee listed. Also expect differences in menu options and fewer of the more exotic drinks.

Our normal coffee drink is a medium roast with half and half. We don’t expect to be find filter coffee available so we either order a cappuccino or, if we don’t want that much milk we order an Americano with milk (not steamed) added.

Common coffees in Europe

Espresso – made from the same coffee beans as regular coffee except it is much more concentrated and served in shots.
Cappuccino – Espresso combined with steamed milk and a thick layer of milk foam
Latte – Espresso mixed with a larger amount of steamed milk and a thin layer of foam
Flat White – made with a double shot of espresso and steamed milk
Americano – Espresso diluted with hot water
Filter coffee – standard drip style coffee common in North America

Soft drinks and Ice

It used to be almost impossible to get ice for a soda in Europe. This is changing. It is more common now, if you order a soda, for waiters to ask you if you want ice.

Small, neighborhood grocery stores which are often near you hotel do not have a lot of refrigerator storage. Hopefully they will have bottled water cooling but possibly no soda.

American fast food chains are your best bet when you want a cold drink that you are familiar with. Since we are discussing food and drink along with fast food chains it should be noted that you might find the burgers taste slightly different than back home. This may be due to them sourcing the beef from somewhere else. We’ve never experienced a significant difference in Europe, whereas many years ago we did while traveling in Asia.

Many Europeans drink:

mineral water
sparkling water
fruit juices

instead of large sodas.

How do I find a great place to eat?

You are out and about, in the middle of a crowded tourist area and realize you are hungry. There are a few restaurants around but none of them are really crowded. How do you pick a good one?

In tourist areas, crowded places are not necessarily the best ones around. Remember, everyone else are tourists and don’t know where to eat either. So a crowd might just mean a cute place, convenient location, or the herd followed each other to this place.

A great way to get some intelligence on the local eateries is to do an internet search for “restaurants near me” or, if you desire a specific type of food, “Greek restaurants near me”. The results of the search will show restaurants in the neighboring area with ratings and reviews. Look for places with high ratings and a lot of reviews.

Meal Times

Lunch may end around 2:00–2:30 p.m.
Dinner often starts later than in North America.
Some restaurants close between lunch and dinner.

Restaurant Etiquette

Be prepared to pay for water. It is possible to ask for tap water however some places may still charge a small fee for the service. Also, be ready to indicate whether you want sparkling water or still water.

Tipping customs vary by country. In many places, rounding up the bill or leaving a small tip is appreciated, while in others a service charge may already be included. It’s worth checking the local custom before your trip.

Avoid restaurants where someone stands outside trying to convince you to eat there. It’s usually a sign of a tourist trap.

Smaller, more rural areas

Restaurants cater to their clientele. In regional areas away from the metropolitan centers they may draw more customers from the local area than from international locations. As a result, their food offerings are more geared towards the tastes of the local population.

This can be both good and bad. If you are adventurous or a fan of the local cuisine then you are set. If, however, the tastes does not appeal to you you may have a problem. We encountered this while traveling near the German border in northern France. This little villages we were visiting were very big on Flammenkuchen, which is a pizza or flatbread-like Tarte Flambée with a sour cream sauce. For some reason we couldn’t get enthused about the sour cream base. Unfortunately that almost completely eliminated our options.

British Pub Food

It used to be that food in British pubs consisted mainly of a variety of meat pies. In the last few years this has changed dramatically. We’ve had some of the enjoyable meals while traveling in pubs recently. It has changed so much that the last few times we ate in a pub we looked at the menu specifically for meat pies. Sometimes there was one, sometimes they didn’t offer any.

Breakfast

European breakfasts, particularly in the smaller, boutique hotels, is often not the bacon, eggs, pancakes and waffles that North Americans expect. Most likely your breakfasts will be more along the lines of: