Ethnic Restaurants

[Marseeya]

Do you like to eat at ethnic restaurants? If so, what kind?

Also, if an ethnic restaurant were being run by someone of a different ethnicity, would you go there?

I like restaurants of just about any ethnicity. My top favorite is Japanese, but I also like any Asian food (especially Thai), Indian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Italian, or Mexican.

The reason I asked the third question is because our favorite Japanese restaurant is owned by Chinese people, and DH was really surprised. I'd asked DH one time if he'd still go there if it was owned by white Americans and he said no -- that he wouldn't want to go to a restaurant run by someone of a different ethnicity. IMO, as long as the food is good, I don't care who runs the place!

 

[Beth76]

I do like some ethnic food. I really like Vietnamese and I can eat a bit of Thai. I also love some Greek food, particularly gyros. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of ethnic food near us so we have to make a big evening out of it, if we want some. I don't like Indian or Ethiopian. I've never had Middle Eastern. I don't really consider Mexican and Italian to be ethnic--I guess they're too mainstream. But, I do love them both.

I don't even think I would know if a restuarant was owned by a person of different ethnicity. But, it wouldn't stop me from eating there if it was good.

 

[mommaU4]

I always want to try ethnic restaurants but I'm too chicken. I'm afraid I won't know what to order or how to say it or what's in it, etc. So I stick to the well known chain restaurants for now. Especially with picky kids, I can't afford to go somewhere and then have nothing for them to eat.

My FIL loves to go to these out of the way, little hole in the wall places. When we go out to eat with him we never know where we are going to end up!

 

[Marseeya]

I always want to try ethnic restaurants but I'm too chicken. I'm afraid I won't know what to order or how to say it or what's in it, etc. So I stick to the well known chain restaurants for now. Especially with picky kids, I can't afford to go somewhere and then have nothing for them to eat.

My FIL loves to go to these out of the way, little hole in the wall places. When we go out to eat with him we never know where we are going to end up!

At many ethnic places, they'll have a description of the food right on the menu. Some of them also have separate kids' menus with the usual chicken strips and such. Also, we just ask what certain dishes are and what they taste like. My kids are very used to ethnic restaurants -- they're picky, but there's always something for them everywhere. DD10 even tried sushi!

 

[monarchsfan16]

My 2 favorite restaraunts in NH are ethnic. One is Japanese. We go there nearly every time we visit my grandparents. The other is Mexican, and according to someone my stepdad knew that spent a lot of time IN Mexico; it's the most authentic Mexican restaraunt she's ever been too.
We have a great (real) Chinese place here too. It's slipping on my list of favorites though, because Chinese food doesn't appear to like me as much as I like it
We have some fantastic Italian places around here. I've been to a couple, but since they're mostly upscale, we don't go very often. They are excellent though
We have several other ethnic restaraunts around us too, but I've never been to them. I have had a significant amount of Indian food, because my next door neighbor is originally from India. I'm not that crazy about Indian food. It's a little too spicy for me.
We actually eat more at the Mexican place than any other restaraunt, chain or otherwise.

 

[tar heel]

We love ethnic restaurants and probably would be less likely to try one run by white native-born Americans.

DH, middle DS (who is an adventurous eater) and I had an interesting experience at an ethnic restaurant a couple years ago. We were the only people in there who did not appear to be members of that ethnicity. We were very excited about that because we thought it probably meant the food was excellent and very authentic.

We are very familiar with the food (MIL grew up in that country), DH has traveled there and we cook it ourselves often. We were seated promptly by the manager, but had trouble getting service from our server. The meal had several elements and some were not served and our son wanted a soft drink. Each time we needed something, it took the manager coming over and asking if we needed anything to get the server to come back. The server never came unless it was immediately after the manager. Although we laughed about it, we've not been back b/c we really didn't feel welcome.

 

[Stacerita]

We love eating at "ethnic" restaurants. But we normally dont refer to them as "ethnic". They are just places we go to eat. We tend to enjoy asian food the most. Japanesses, Cantonese, and so on. One of our faves is a Japanesses Tepenyaki place. MMMMMM! We also regularly go to Mexican and Italian places as well. And we are always on the look out for new places particularly those refered to as "holes in the wall". Great food but often overlooked.

It wouldnt bother me to know that and ethnic place was run by someone of a different ethnicity. As long as the food is good and done right, why would there be a problem. Our fave pizza place is run by a Vietnamese family. So it one of the best mexican restaurants in the area too. Although at the mexican place, the cooks are all latin themselves. It just doesn't matter to me as long as the food is good.

 

[princess pooh]

I grew up on middle eastern and mediteranean food so I'm used to ethnic restaurants. I can't even remember the last non-ethnic place we ate at. DH will try anything and I can usually find something to eat off the menu.

For some reason most of the Italian restaurants around here are owned by Greeks, and the sushi places are mostly owned by Chinese people. It's still good food though

 

[experiment626mom]

Yep we love ethnic foods. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Hispanic. We really enjoy the little whole in the wall places where we are the only caucasian people in the place. Those are the best!!!

Edited to add; We just tried a Moraccan restaurant over the holidays and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to exploring that part of the worlds food in the future.

 

[cabmom]

Indian for me! YUMMY!
Especially, the restaurants in London, England.

 

[USA Here I Come]

I love Mexican and Chinese, yum!

 

[highland3]

Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Italian......... yum!!!!

 

[Talking Hands]

Love ethnic food. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Greek, Bahamian, Cuban, Puerto Rican.
I try to eat at places that are owned and run by those from that country. Food is just better.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My favorite is Thai, but I also like Indian a lot. We tend to go to Thai when we don't have our kids with us, but all 6 of us like Indian food so we eat that sometimes as a family (one son only eats the bread, topped with rice and the spicy green sauce).

We also like Chinese, Mexican and Italian, but we don't go out for Italian since it's fairly easy to make at home.

We're lucky to have lots of different ethnic restaurants in our area.

One mark of a good ethnic restaurant is when we walk in there are people of that ethnic group eating in the restaurant. I would be a bit surprised to see someone running the restaurant who is a different ethnic group.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Especially, the restaurants in London, England.

I was in London many years ago, but had the best Indian food. If I'm ever there again that's what I'll be eating (being vegetarian that's my best bet in London...).

 

[Crankyshank]

I love ethnic foods
Portuguese, Italian (although being Italian I don't consider it ethnic), French, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Korean, Cuban, Greek, Moroccan, etc...
I go through spurts with which is my favorite to go out to eat at. Lately it's been mostly Indian. Thai always seems to be something I start craving if I go too long without.

 

[bigolive9]

I love Mexican. We have a few local restaurants that are owned by Hispanic families that are excellent. I especially like to eat there because the owners will come around and talk to the patrons. It makes it seem more personal, plus I think the authentic food is *much* better than going someplace like Don Pablos or another chain.
I love Italian also, but we have a hard time finding good Italian that is not a chain restaurant.
I definitely prefer supporting local places more than chains- I feel more vested in the success of the restaurant if we know the people who work there.
I do find it funny that our local Olive Garden has mostly Hispanics in the kitchen. I know anyone can follow a recipe , but I think Italians know the "secret" ingredients to make the food excellent rather than okay. That is another reason I like to support the local places.

 

[wasabi girl]

Middle eastern...Japanese (big surprise!), Indian...and Thai not so much, spicy food doesn't like me anymore...I try very hard to eat at the restaurant if the owners are of the nationality or grew up there...in our area too many non Japanese are serving sushi without proper training (scary when the food isn't cooked)...I eat at Japanese restaurants if other Japanese people eat there, Mexican if the local hispanics eat there...and so on. I've wanted to try Ethiopian but I live in Greenville SC...just isn't possible....

 

[Crankyshank]

I love Italian also, but we have a hard time finding good Italian that is not a chain restaurant.
I definitely prefer supporting local places more than chains- I feel more vested in the success of the restaurant if we know the people who work there.
I do find it funny that our local Olive Garden has mostly Hispanics in the kitchen. I know anyone can follow a recipe , but I think Italians know the "secret" ingredients to make the food excellent rather than okay. That is another reason I like to support the local places.

My Uncle moved from MA to IN a few years back. He complains all of the time about the lack of good Italian food, especially since he's Italian. I think when you're even part Italian and used to good home cooked Italian food you have a harder time adjusting to the imitation stuff. I can't stand chain restaurants for that reason.

When my Grandparents visited back in Oct my Grandmother spent a huge portion of her vacation cooking and filling his freezer and when he came to visit last week he took a truckload of food back with him

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I've wanted to try Ethiopian but I live in Greenville SC...just isn't possible....

If you're ever in Washington DC I'll go to Ethiopian food with you. It's the one type of food that our kids don't want to have again and the restaurants are not real close so my DH and I don't go. I would like to try it again. In all fairness, I think the kids might grow to like it if we brought them a few times. Maybe we'll go and bring our 6yo since he loves to try different food.