I am seriously into local food (of any locality I visit) and have learned to never ask anyone at the hotel for restaurant recommendations. You either get overpriced, underseasoned “tourist” food or someplace that is giving kickbacks. I also roll my eyes when anyone says “oh, just ask the cab driver where to eat!” Considering most cab drivers where I live are pretty happy eating at fast food joints, I’m not sure how cab drivers got this reputation as discerning diners.

I do a lot of research before visiting new places (local newspapers and food blogs, travel guides, message boards like FT or TA, etc.). On the ground, I have actually found Yelp to be a pretty decent resource in some places too. And my general rule is that if a restaurant has a menu that is printed in more than two languages—the local language + English—stay away. (Even having English translation is suspect if the restaurant isn’t in a place that gets regular visitors from other countries.) Obviously, it is a good sign if there are a good number of people in the place, with the smallest possible proportion of foreigners; and it is a bad sign if there’s a line outside, unless you’re at a hawker center in Singapore