The waiter’s voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned closer to our table. “Between you and me,” he said, glancing toward the kitchen, “I wouldn’t order the salmon special if I were you. It’s been sitting around since Friday.” My dining companion’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. We’d been debating between the pasta and that very salmon dish, drawn in by its elegant description and reasonable price.
That moment changed everything about how I read restaurant menus. Suddenly, those flowery descriptions felt suspicious. The lengthy lists of daily specials seemed less special and more like clever marketing for ingredients that needed to move fast.
It made me curious about what professional chefs actually avoid when they’re eating out. What dishes make them cringe? What menu items send up immediate red flags?
Why Professional Chefs Are Picky About Restaurant Food
Working in kitchens gives chefs an insider’s view of how restaurants really operate. They know which dishes to avoid in restaurants based on food safety concerns, quality issues, and kitchen economics that most diners never consider.
“When you’ve seen how the sausage gets made, literally and figuratively, you become very selective about where you eat,” explains Marcus Chen, a veteran chef with fifteen years of fine dining experience. “There are certain dishes that just scream ‘we’re trying to get rid of something’ or ‘this wasn’t made with care.'”
The problem isn’t necessarily that restaurants are being dishonest. It’s that the economics of running a kitchen sometimes conflict with delivering the best possible dish to your table.
The Top Dishes Professional Chefs Always Skip
Here’s what industry insiders consistently identify as the dishes to avoid in restaurants, along with the reasoning behind each warning:
| Dish Category | Why Chefs Avoid It | Best Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Monday Fish Specials | Often weekend leftovers | Tuesday-Thursday seafood |
| Buffet Sushi | Sitting too long, temperature issues | Made-to-order sushi |
| Complicated Pasta Dishes | Usually reheated, not fresh | Simple preparations |
| Well-Done Steak | Often lower quality cuts | Medium-rare premium cuts |
| House Salads | Pre-cut ingredients losing freshness | Seasonal specialty salads |
- Fish specials early in the week: Weekend seafood that needs to move before it spoils
- Buffet or display case items: Food sitting under heat lamps loses quality rapidly
- Overly complex dishes: Often assembled from pre-made components rather than cooked fresh
- Chicken dishes that seem too cheap: May use lower-grade poultry or questionable preparation methods
- Anything described as “famous” or “award-winning”: Usually means it’s been the same recipe for years without updates
- Bread pudding or similar desserts: Often made from stale bread and leftover pastries
- Soup of the day on busy nights: May be reheated multiple times throughout service
- Hollandaise sauce dishes: Difficult to keep at safe temperatures, often made in large batches
- Mussels at landlocked restaurants: Freshness is nearly impossible to guarantee
- Ice cream from questionable sources: Ice cream machines are notoriously difficult to clean properly
The Monday Seafood Problem
The Monday fish special deserves special attention because it’s so common. Sarah Martinez, who managed kitchen operations at several upscale restaurants, puts it bluntly: “Fridays and Saturdays are when we move the most seafood. By Monday, what’s left needs to go somewhere.”
This doesn’t mean Monday fish is automatically bad. Many restaurants have excellent sourcing and rotation systems. But it does mean you should pay attention to how the fish looks, smells, and tastes when it arrives.
Fresh fish should never smell “fishy.” It should have bright, clear eyes if served whole, and firm flesh that springs back when touched. If your Monday special arrives with a strong odor or mushy texture, send it back without hesitation.
What This Means for Your Next Dinner Out
Understanding these industry insights doesn’t mean you should become paranoid about restaurant food. Most establishments maintain good standards and care about their reputation. However, knowing what professional chefs look for can help you make better choices.
“I always ask when the fish came in,” says chef Roberto Valdez, who runs three successful restaurants. “A good server should know, and if they don’t, that tells me something about how the kitchen operates.”
The key is learning to read between the lines of menu descriptions. Words like “hearty,” “rustic,” or “comfort-style” often signal dishes designed to use up ingredients. Meanwhile, simple preparations that highlight a single main ingredient usually indicate confidence in quality.
Pay attention to pricing too. If something seems unusually cheap for what it is, there’s probably a reason. Quality ingredients cost money, and restaurants need to price accordingly to stay in business.
Your best bet is to order what the restaurant does best. A steakhouse probably makes excellent beef dishes but might phone in the seafood. A sushi restaurant likely has impeccable fish but might not put much effort into their cooked dishes.
Trust your instincts as well. If something doesn’t look, smell, or taste right when it arrives, speak up. Professional chefs certainly would, and you should too.
FAQs
Is it really unsafe to order fish specials on Monday?
Not necessarily unsafe, but potentially lower quality since it may be weekend leftovers being used up.
How can I tell if a restaurant has good food safety practices?
Look for clean bathrooms, observe if servers wash hands, and notice if the kitchen appears organized and clean from what you can see.
Should I never order these dishes?
These are guidelines, not absolute rules. High-quality restaurants with good practices can serve excellent versions of these dishes.
What should I order instead of these risky dishes?
Focus on what the restaurant specializes in, ask about daily preparations, and choose simpler dishes that showcase quality ingredients.
How do professional chefs choose what to order when dining out?
They typically order the restaurant’s specialty, ask questions about preparation and sourcing, and avoid overly complicated dishes that might hide poor ingredients.
Are chain restaurants better or worse for avoiding these problems?
Chain restaurants often have more standardized procedures, but may rely more on pre-made components. Independent restaurants vary more widely in quality and practices.
