Amazing food is a weakness of mine, I must admit. If we did not hike and walk so much, Ash would be rolling me around the campsite. Eating at restaurants is getting prohibitively expensive, but you still want good food and local where possible? Say no more, keep reading and see how we manage it!

1: Eat out!

Manage your budget and still squeeze some restaurant experiences in! My rule of thumb is that I can get franchise food anywhere, but a one off diner in a town of 300 people? We are in for some amazing food. Make that dining budget count!

We have found some really great one off places to eat. Recently, Apizza Center in Roswell, NM was a favorite. They were highlighted on our Roswell post, which you can check out here. More recently we discovered a great diner in Carrizozo, NM – brand new, they just opened in December 2023! Mabel B’z Diner is almost in the center of town – amazing food! These places are everywhere, like Rockin BZ’s Burgers in Alamogordo, NM, featured in our post you can catch up on here!

Make that dollar count and get something you truly enjoy!

2. Amazing local groceries!

Eat the food the locals eat, and try to buy it from where they would buy it. This takes a little more bravery and a desire for adventure/amazing food than sense, but it does pay off.

We found a great local butcher in Roswell, Carniceria Super Meat Mart. The meat was fresh and definitely different cuts than what you would find in a large chain store. We scored a deal of ground burger meat at $2 a pound! (and several different steaks)

Do not be afraid to branch out into vegetables and local fruits! Each area has a different culture, each culture a different culinary direction. Ask what things are, get ideas on how to cook it. Find out how to cure it, preserve it and pickle it – learn!

2a. Cook those amazing groceries!

Create meals new to you! Create meals you have had before, create meals that leave you wondering “what the heck did I just eat?”. Be brave, be adventurous, some of those will be absolutely amazing!

3. Cook Amazing comfort food!

There is no shame in cooking something up that you have had thousands of times. Eat something from your childhood, eat something you had that “one time” and can not get it out of your head. Groceries are way cheaper than restaurant bills, and some of the best memories come from around a kitchen table. We have friends send us hometown favorites, and purchase great items from Firey Adventures as featured in this post.

4. Cook food that you would never attempt, who’s going to see?

Make that weird apple/carrot cutney and spread it over a thick pork chop! Try some asian inspired dish that you hope actually is asian and not just something you think is asian! Cook freshly caught salmon a few different ways! Grill steak outside on a charcoal grill when it is 20 degrees and make your own little grill oven! Enjoy your life, and enjoy your food!

Bottomline, it does not have to be expensive

Enjoy life. Enjoy food. Eat where the locals eat, not going to lie – there have been a few times I swear the needle screeched across the record and everyone stared at us for a solid 5 minutes. However, those are some the best places I have ever eaten and once you start talking food and enjoying what they have, it becomes a party, real fast!

Do not be afraid to cook, try something different and use kitchen devices you have never tried before. I promise, the toaster won’t bite (the mandolin, on the other hand….)

Drop a line in the comments about some of your favorite “on the road” food! We would love to hear from you, who knows, your location may appear in a future adventure!

As always, check out our archives if you are new to our page. Subscribe on our landing page if you would like an automated email every time we write about something out of control! Follow me on instagram @stevenholland.nomad. We are always getting into something!