So you overheard some of your friends talk about this new spot or style of Asian cuisine, but you don’t know how to find it? Look no further - We got you covered. This is the comprehensive guide to finding great Asian restaurants - no matter where you live! These tips should be universal and will hopefully help you find those hole-in-the-wall (HITW) spots and support those local businesses during this time of uncertainty with COVID-19.

Find your local Asian community

Whether its Chinatown, Little Saigon, Little Manila, etc, find your local Asian community! The best restaurants are usually where the locals/immigrants hang out and gravitate towards. It might be intimidating to be walking in a community that you are not familiar with, so if you can, go with a friend who knows the lay of the land! Word of advice: don’t expect good service, or any service. You’re there for great food and that’s exactly what you’re going to get (probably for a low price too).

How to spot the restaurants

There are a few ways to tell if you found a good spot. For one, there is probably minimal english and the staff also don’t know much english. It’s all part of the journey when you have to point and use a ton of body language to get your point across. For some Asian cultures, the grungier the spot, the tastier the food. Don’t be afraid of the low health department ratings - if they pass, they pass!

Exceptions

We can’t speak on every Asian culture out there, so we want to put a disclaimer that these tips might not work for ALL Asian restaurants. Japanese food is held to a much higher standard and we might even add that if the Japanese restaurant is dirty, it might not be the best place to enjoy some raw fish.

As always, listen to the full episode to hear in-depth explanations and discussions!