How we eat street food to avoid food poisoning.

Street food is one of our favorite (and most budget-friendly) ways to experience local culture—but staying safe is key. After years of eating our way through food stalls around the world, we’re sharing our go-to tips to help you avoid food poisoning and enjoy every bite with confidence.

Ingrid grew up in Mexico, only eating from a few street food from trusted stalls her family knew. Sven discovered street food while living in Thailand, where it quickly became part of daily life. During our time studying there, we had to figure things out ourselves — learning the hard way what’s safe and what’s not. Here is were it took off for us and we learned the hard way on what to look for.

We have met travelers along the way that have been food poisoned countless of times. During our 14-month world trip and over 20 countries, we only got sick once and it was because Sven decided to have raw seafood at a stall without running water after Ingrid warned him several times.

We want to give you some insider tips you can use for the next time you decide to eat street food. Please remember that hygiene standards are always different, depending on where and how you grew up. We encourage you to explore new foods while saving money along the way.

Trying new foods in unfamiliar places always comes with some risk. Even if you're careful, food poisoning can hit when you least expect it. That’s why having travel insurance is so important. A few dollars upfront can save you a lot of stress (and money) later on. Eat the street food — just don’t skip the insurance. Get a 5% discount with Heymondo exclusively for The Real Traveler readers.

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Please use your own discretion and see the following tips as recommendations only.

Are Locals Eating Here?

This is the most important rule and should not be overseen. Locals know from which stall to eat, which has the best taste or has simply the best price. If many locals are eating at the stall, this is where you should probably go, too. Use the opportunity to engage with the locals and ask them about their favorite dish here and if they have any recommendation for you to try.

Choose Busy Stalls

Opt for vendors with high customer traffic. This suggests that the place is well-known and popular, with the vendor constantly moving the food to minimize the risk of it sitting out too long, ensuring that we receive fresh food.

Look for Cleanliness

Pay attention to the cleanliness of the stall and the vendor. A clean cooking area and well-maintained equipment are good indicators of hygiene practices. Pay close attention at the vendors hands and nails. Do they look clean?

If you don’t want to spent a lot but still want to sit in a comfortable restaurant, check out our guide on how to safe money on food without missing out on flavour.

Search for the Water Supply

Take a look if the vendor has access water to properly wash their hands. In case they use reusable plates and cutlery, pay attention to how these are being washed and if they can be washed with soap and running water. It’s important to have access to these, in case the dishes are being prepared right at the spot and the vendor is touching with their hands your food. Especially when salads or vegetables are included in the dishes, make sure they are either cooked or thoroughly washed.

fritos vendor selling street food at a corner, peple are eating and another man is helping the vendor by preparing the food.

Is Your Food Already Prepared?

Sometimes there are some food types that are not being prepared at the moment, but they have been prepared at the vendor’s house. In this case we can assume, that the vendor had access to running water, soap, and a cleaning environment. But we are just assuming, of course it might not be the norm in some countries or just for some people. Remember hygiene standards vary from country to country. So just trust your gut and see if the seller looks trustworthy. Take a leap of faith, we would say.

Check for the Food Preparation

Look at the seller’s hands: Is the seller using tongs or cutlery to flip your food, maybe wearing a plastic glove or is the food being touched alternately with money? In the end, you can decide if it makes you comfortable about how your food is being touched. We definitely prefer stalls where our food is not being directly touched.

Filtered Water is a Must

Avoid drinking water from street vendors unless it’s been boiled or purified. Some vendor stalls have the purified gallons and you can serve yourself from here. This is of course safe and you can drink from here. But in case you are not sure opt for bottled water or drinks to stay safe from potential waterborne illnesses. When in doubt, ask the vendor.

Lemonade vendor walking through shot with his lemonade cart with plastic cups and straws.

How About Ice Cubes?

This is Ingrid's favorite topic. Having grown up in a country where ice is a staple in every drink and knowing how it's made, she finds it amusing to see how foreigners are often so wary of ice and the myths surrounding it.

Note that ice made by machines is usually round with a hole in the center and has a uniform shape. Some vendors sell ice in large plastic bags, which is usually filtered water ice intended for parties or large events, as most freezers can't store such a large quantity of ice at once.

Honestly, making ice with unfiltered water in a freezer is too much work for vendors who serve a large number of customers. We once visited a popular two-story restaurant in Indonesia where a tourist asked about skipping the ice and whether it was safe. Now, imagine a place serving ice to 300 people at once—how many people, ice trays, and freezers would they need if they were making it all by hand with unfiltered water?

We always avoid ice and drinks if the vendor doesn’t seem to have a large amount of local customers or if the drink isn’t being prepared in front of us with filtered water. It’s important to check the water source. For example, in Latin America, street lemonade vendors are common, but we would skip them. It’s simple: the drink isn’t made fresh, and we don’t know where they’re sourcing their water.

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Prefer Cooked-Through Dishes

Be cautious with anything that isn’t fully cooked—especially meats, seafood, and eggs. Don’t hesitate to ask the vendor to cook it longer, and if possible, cut it open before eating to check if it’s done.

Stick to Hot Foods

Hot food that’s served steaming is typically safer than cold or lukewarm options, as high temperatures kill bacteria and other pathogens.

Opt for Cooked Vegetarian Options

The risk of bacteria with fully cooked vegetables is lower than with meat. However, when in doubt, it's always safer to skip the meat, especially if you're unsure about its handling or cooking temperature.

Two vendors preparing their food at their food cart. One can see the plates, food, and utensils.

Ask Your Host for Recommendations

The accommodation staff interacts with many travelers and know their city inside and out. We always ask for recommendations on places to visit and dishes to try.

Google Maps Knows Sometimes

We often check Google Maps for ratings and comments to get a rough idea before trying a food stall. A high rating can help, but it’s no guarantee you won’t get sick. Ironically, we once got food poisoning from a 4+ star restaurant—the only meal that day we hadn’t cooked ourselves. In the end, you have to trust your instincts as much as the ratings.

Health & Safety