Affectionately known as Mom & Pops, Hole in the Walls, or Dives...great food at a great price can be hard to find. Here are a few tips to help you find that restaurant that you just can’t get enough of.

1. The older the strip mall the better. Mom & Pops don’t have the cash flow for high end retail locations. Keep an eye out as you drive by these nearby malls and to the point of pulling in and patiently driving by the store fronts. Big signs don’t mean great food...some of the gems I’ve located have painted windows advertising their name and foods offered.
2. Bars on the windows help. It doesn’t guarantee the taste...but it gives off immediate visual credibility. You’ll be hard pressed to find a restaurant that screams fire code issues that doesn’t offer some tasty treats.
3. Walk in the restaurant. Are you seeing food served on paper plates…that’s usually a plus. Are you seeing the ethnic food it’s offering also attracting the same ethnic clientele? Harsh but a reality when looking for a restaurant with food good enough it’s “home cooking” for some of its patrons.
4. Grab a takeout menu. Are you seeing the comfort foods you are seeking. Some small restaurants will surprise you and offer some funky twists. Sometimes it sounds tasty..other times not so much. I’ve experienced this first hand. Different does not always mean good.
5. Go during the early part of a lunch hour. Typically if you are digging the atmosphere of this Mom & Pop...the others that came before you know better. As they say...vote early and vote often.
6. Pick your favorite pig-out meal. Mom & Pop typically aren’t worried about calories. If you’re going to splurge on a boat load fat, 1st time in order what you know you love. It’s their job to win you over with the taste and pricing so they have to throw down from the get go. Culinary Darwinism isn’t always fair (insert your least favorite large chain restaurant) but it’s part of the process.
7. Get past the safety factor. Sorry to break your Boyz n the Hood death fantasy...but you’ll have a 99.9% better chance of choking to death on a eagerly swallowed meatball than you getting tagged in drive by shoot out. Sorry your just not that important in the grand scheme of the universe.
8. Health Standards - I don’t advocate fecal matter. Do look around before you dine. Sponges, washcloths, mops, etc….they are not that expensive. Keeping a place clean is not just aesthetics, it’s the law. They need to do their part.
9. Serves Alcohol - Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but most of my finds don’t serve booze. I wish they did...but that’s life in the big city. After the first bite, I get the past of not having a frosty cold one to wash it down. If it’s after work or on the weekend, take it home and wash it down with the beer of your choice.
10. Become an advocate. Is your favorite haunt going to make it? Do you part and tell a friend.