What Do You Only Eat At Restaurants (or Only at Home)?

Last night we headed out to a special dinner at a Sichuan restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown. We don't review restaurants here at The Kitchn, so we'll move on with just a brief note on the experience (it was awesome) and shift to a question that the meal inspired. What do you only eat out at a restaurant and, vice versa, what do you only eat at home?

The reason this question came to mind is the dish pictured above: Chicken in Explosive Chili Peppers. This incredibly tasty dish is basically an enormous platter of dry-fried red peppers, along with plenty of Sichuan (or flower) peppers hidden in the mix. Small chunks of chicken are added to the hot frying peppers and dry-fried until done. It's totally delicious and spicy but also profligate in its use of chili peppers. Our Sichuan friend told us that this is a dish many people know how to make, but they never make it at home. It's a restaurant dish.

What are restaurant dishes for you? For me, they include some complex seafood dishes, like paella and cioppino, that are rather expensive to assemble at home. Also, oddly, I do appreciate a really well-made salad out at a restaurant, a salad that has lots and lots of different greens in it. It is time-consuming and a little tedious to do a really complex salad at home! I also enjoy ordering meats I don't make as often at home, like duck and certain cuts of pork.

And how about the reverse — dishes you would never order off a menu? For me, those include steak (for the price of a steak at a restaurant you can buy an even better one and broil it in five minutes in your oven or on your grill), and simple seafood dishes like scallops and plain white fish. There are certain dishes that (usually!) I just don't think can be done as well at restaurants, like risotto.

What about you? What do you only order out, and what do you only cook in?

(Image: Faith Durand)

Comments (65)

I am always willing to go out for Indian and Japanese food. It's nice to have someone else cook--especially items that are time consuming or expensive to buy yourself. That said, I almost never go out for Italian food.

Because I like to cook, I rarely order anything out that I could easily make at home. So that means no roast chicken, spaghetti, or mac 'n' cheese.

I pretty much only eat non-European food (Indian, Japanese, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, etc.) out because I don't have most of the ingredients or tools to make them in my pantry.

ok, i know no restaurant reviews here, but WHERE is that ENTREE from????

I hardly, if ever, make curry. So usually will go out for Indian or Burmese, Thai, etc. On the other end, I love to make soup and I make a lot at a time so I'd feel silly getting soup at a restaurant.

No pasta at restaurants.

I love getting french fries in restaurants, I never make them at home.

Also, Ethiopian food. I love Ethiopian bread but it looks so involved to make at home. Also, Ethiopian restaurants are CHEAP so there's not even any point to making a less-good home version.

I pretty much only eat omlettes at home (and most eggy breakfast) because I'm always afraid that restaurant versions will be too greasy.

I never, ever order sweet and sour when I'm out. Mom's is so much better, even if I don't get it that often (it's a lot of work). I also rarely order chocolate cake out, it's never as good as homemade.

I am always willing to go out for donburi although I'm pretty sure it would be easy to make at home and I love going out for Vietnamese and Thai, too. It's kind of silly, really, since I have recipes for the things I order and they aren't that complex but it's nice to go out sometimes and I have favorite restaurants for both cuisines so I can always count on a good experience.

Ha - I forgot to mention the restaurant. It is Z & Y, on Jackson between Grant and Kearny.

usually fish or other seafood/shellfish.

I agree with Onepot about pasta dishes, at least not dishes that are primarily pasta.

One thing that I always order out at lunch time but never make at home are sandwiches. I like my sandwiches made on thick crusty artisan breads and stuffed with all kinds of goodies. I can never seem to recreate them at home.

I don't like to order things I know I can easily make at home, like plain spaghetti with marinara or oatmeal.

With that said, there are plenty of things I don't make at home. Sushi is one of them, because I'm beyond challenged by forming maki rolls and because I feel that raw fish is best left to the experts. I also never make eggs benedict at home because, even though I love this dish, I never feel like making hollandaise sauce in the morning.

I never deep fry things at home.

I'm not sure if there's anything I would never get at a restaurant - I tend to limit my restaurant outings to places that will make really good whatever, so even if it's just toast or something, it will be better than from home...

I also love a good salad from a restaurant!

I don't really have any rules about what I eat out versus in; I just order/cook whatever my mood dictates. (This annoys my boyfriend when my mood calls for simple veggies and tofu when we're at a restaurant.)

I never order salmon or risotto when I'm out at a restaurant. Those are the two things that no restaurant can ever cook properly, in my experience. We're pretty adventurous cooks, so there is very little we won't at least try do at home, unless it is just entirely too tedious to consider (Pho, for example)

I'll reiterate getting a well-made salad at restaurants. It's nice to not have to roast your own beets and squash, and pit and chop your own dates, and toast your own almonds, etc. Also, for some reason I never make Chinese food at home. It just never comes out as good as the restaurants. Maybe I fear using the amount of sugary sauces and oil that make it restaurant quality. And curries and other dishes that are a long processes I will make at home, but only every blue moon. And of course, seafood in general. The grocery stores where I live never have good looking seafood, so I just get it out.

I very rarely order pasta at a restaurant. I can even make my own fantastic bolognese sauce with my slow cooker, so really pasta never impresses me much, unless it's a really upscale Italian place. Actually, I rarely order dessert because restaurant desserts are always dry and just not done very well. I bake at home much better.

Only at restaurants: oysters, wild game. Not that I cannot do at home, just don't.

Only at home: meatloaf.
Mom's recipe. NO ONE does it better, just different.

I second the no deep frying anything at home. It's just not worth the cost of that huge amount of oil and the risk of fire or injury. If i can't fry it in a cast iron skillet, then i'm buying it from someone else.

My household is vegetarian, though i'm not myself, so i tend not to order anything with tofu, tempeh, or seitan in restaurants, because we have them at home very regularly.

Only at restaurants: sushi, burgers (I don't eat fast food, and I don't own a BBQ, so if there's a burger on the menu, that's what I'm ordering!), Middle Eastern food, gnocchi

Only at home: Middle Eastern food, pasta, salad

I only eat fried chicken at home, I do not like eatting with my hands when I go out.

I cook a lot of Mexican food but I've never tackled mole, so I always get that when I eat out!

thanks faith for the restaurant ID!

Two things I like at home rather than out: lasagne and salmon.
Two things I never make at home: French fries - I agree with the other commenter about that one. They just need to have that 'made at a restaurantness' about them to be really tasty. Shrimp scampi - I could make it, but it is a special indulgent treat I only allow myself when I am out.

my husband is always harping about the fact that i'll eat anything at a restaurant. say i'm in the mood for a simple pasta dish with olive oil, garlic and herbs. i'll order it even if i have every ingredient at home. or grilled cheese - why would i order a grilled cheese when i have a perfectly lovely block of english cheddar and farmers bread at home. why? because restaurant dining is not just about the food, it's about the experience, the ambiance, the act of being served.

I have a weird aversion to hard boiled eggs at restaurants. I am okay (mostly) with a fried egg or scrambled egg or omelet, but hard boiled eggs I find unnaturally disturbing if I don't know how old they are or when they were boiled.

If I make them at home though I love them.

At restaurants: French Onion soup. A roommate tried it at home once, it was wonderful, but the house smelled of onions for weeks.
In general, I eat what I feel like eating the time that we happen to go out, whether or not I can make it at home better.

sushi, Indian food, Thai food, and really, really yummy salads- things my husband doesn't care for, that is too much hassle to make, just for myself. Now I want a salad. mmmmm.

If it needs fried, I don't mess with it at home. Beyond that, nothing's really off limits to be made at home if I get in the mood to try it, but I do tend to pick up sushi out... I've found some good mixes of thai/indian stuff, so unless I'm feeling really adventurous, I'll make those myself.

I love crab, but never order it in a restaurant. It's just too messy to eat. I'd rather eat it at home wearing an old t-shirt.

Having just made it at home, cioppino isn't that bad to make. I noticed the seafood I wanted on sale,and invited friends over to share the cost. It WAS labor intensive, but totally worth it.

I only eat mashed potatoes at home - I don't want to be judged by how much butter or salt I put into mine. The other restaurant-goers would be scarred, probably.

But I can't really think of something that I would only eat at restaurants... I love the challenge of recreating what I get at restaurants.

Sushi, salmon (although not lately, since salmon are in trouble), anything deep-fried, tamales, duck, lamb.

The boyfriend and I tend to frequent ethnic restaurants, so: sushi, Ethiopian, Indian, Vietnamese. Otherwise I get the craziest sounding item on the menu, or (sometimes) the special.

I'm particular about nachos and only eat them at once place. They're so good and cheap that I'll wait to get them there. And while I only eat fried fries at restaurants, I do generally keep baked, frozen fries on hand for a quick snack.

Things I only make at home? Italian food, and seafood (unless I know the restaurant specializes in it.)

I only eat Chinese and Indian food out for the most part. I'm sure I could cook them myself (I do my own japanese and thai food) but I haven't got around to learning and it's nice to eat out for.

I never eat lasange or chili out...I only like it the way I make it (or my mom as it's her recipes)

What I won't eat out: chicken or salmon or not rare to find fish; pasta unless it's restaurant made and truly interesting toppings, and any type of standard salad. What I love ordering: sushi, game meat, duck, lamb (although I make the latter a lot), anything Asian or Thai, because even though I have a lot of the ingredients, don't feel like it's 2nd nature yet. At breakfast, oatmeal is always a no, but omelettes or yoghurt is still a go.

I almost never order seafood, unless it's shrimp. I get seafood for free through my job, and I can almost always prepare it better.

When I cook at home it's always with whole grains, seasonal veggies, minimal salt and fat, and lots of herbs. When I eat out most of those aren't options, and it's fun to get something indulgent when I'm out.

@nenasadije Very true on what eating out is really about. My limits are mostly because I know I won't like it rather than being able to make it at home better. If I want pasta with tomato sauce and I happen to be out with friends, I'm still ordering that.

I don't think I have anything unique to add, but I'll join the chorus.

I try to never order anything they can make at home. I don't make good Indian or Ethiopian food yet, and the labor/time commitment make it cost effective to eat out anyway..

I'll try to get something that only I like, because it would go to waste/be unappreciated at home.

Otherwise: labor/time intensive things (croissants, Pho) or things that require small amounts of lots of ingredients (paella, sushi and certain sandwiches, as others have said) or special or wasteful amounts of equipment/ingredients (tempura, actually anything deep fried) or that I must ration myself to eat rarely and in single portions (prime rib, doughnuts, cheesecake, molten chocolate cake...).

I love cooking and think I'm good at making most things. I cannot cook a steak to save my life. So, I only eat that when I am out.

I eat broccoli rabe with Italian sausage at home because I like my version best. Many restaurants try to "fancy it up" when in actuality it should only be about 4 ingredients. Yummy. Can I write Yummy?

Anything that seriously stinks up the house gets eaten out of it. That means anything deep fried. And I love sauerkraut but it can stink up my house for a week, when cooked properly. Also, expensive pieces of protein. What if I screw them up?

my boyfriend is allergic to tilapia, so restaurants are the only place i'll eat it. i also don't think it's worth the effort to make sushi at home, restaurants will have much fresher fish than i could affordably get. i've also never attempted homemade dumplings, but i will buy those frozen.

as for what i won't order out? pretty much any italian food. my father used to own an italian restaurant so pretty much everything else pales in comparison. i also hate french toast that isn't my own, and scrambled eggs that aren't my own.

When I go to restaurants, I usually order things that I can't make at home - because they have obscure ingredients, or are difficult or time-consuming to make.

I don't order things I can make better myself. For instance, I love Indian food, but rarely go to Indian restaurants - because the curries and such I make at home are better and more interesting than what I've found in the restaurants in this city.

I order anything fish/seafood oriented, including sushi. Lamb and other non-mainstream proteins. Gnocchi. Deep fried items. I rarely make any of these things.

HOWEVER - I do order things I make at home to get ideas for improvement or tweaking.

I love going out for dim sum, because even if I could cook all those different dishes (which I can't, yet!) I would never be able to make them all at the same time. Also love Indian for the same reason, though I will occasionally make a bunch of Indian dishes and breads for a dinner party.

I feel like I'm wasting money if I order something in a restaurant that I could make better/cheaper at home. I love the experience of going out, too, but it just feels more satisfying when I'm getting something different that I couldn't make for myself.

I like ordering seafood out, especially delicate seafood like scallops. I rarely if ever cook this at home.

Even though it's my favorite food, I never order risotto out because it never comes out good. I don't know why.

Only eat Thai food at home, because mine is better than any restaurant out there and I always end up disappointed in restaurant versions.

Only eat fried chicken and BBQ out because I hate to fry stuff, and I'm a bad BBQ-er. Except for Thai BBQ, which I make at home.

out= tempura
in = pancakes

So sad to hear that people don't deep fry at home! I'm not saying it's particularly healthy to do so, but I can't imagine home cooking without my Fry Daddy!
Anyway.... In restaurants I love to order steaks or shellfish because I don't often prepare them at home and prefer to let the experts do it. We eat mostly vegetarian at home.

I always order curry out. I could make it at home but I won't subject my roommate to the permeating (and lingering!) aroma. I'm sure she appreciates that.

Also, I never order mac & cheese out because I've never found any place's that tastes better than my grandma's recipe. That's a sacred thing.

Lasagna - I'm too lazy to do it at home. :)

Asian food, certainly. There are a few things I make at home, and I invent my own completely inauthentic stir-fries, but for the real thing, I eat out.

Deep fried foods. I don't need to eat them at all, so they are a special treat, and I only eat them once in a while, and always out of the house.

Ethnic and regional specialties, that I am not as adept at cooking at home.

It runs the gamut --Ethiopian, Japanese, Szechuan, Vietnamese, Morrocan (even though I make fairly good Marrocan at home), Indian (it is hard to put together a compex meal at home!), even Czech (my dumplings are not as perfect), and German (love their salads!) French (they have stellar regional specialties), and Italian.

(and I never deep-fry, so that too!)

suez -- steak is really easy!

Salt and pepper first (fleur-de-sel)the steak first while the pan is heating; then when hot, add a nob of butter into the pan.

Cook steaks 4 minutes on one side, 3 minutes on the other (in a cast iron pan) on medium-high heat.

Then, let the steaks sit for 5-10 minutes on a plate under a peaked tent of foil, while you drain the fat out of the pan, add fresh butter and finely chopped shallots, sauté until soft, add red wine, and reduce.

Voilà! Easy-peasy! (make sure to choose a well-marbled steak, such as a nice strip loin for example).

Better than most restaurants, I guarantee!

it's ridiculous, but i love ordering omelets at diners. a big greasy (usually overcooked, always over-cheesed) omelet, wheat toast slathered in butter, mushy potatoes, and a bottomless cup of bad coffee. it doesn't make sense - i could easily make the same thing 10x better at home. i can't explain it, but i doubt i'll ever stop.

Home: never deep fry, authentic Chinese, raw seafood (I'll make avocado rolls, but not tuna rolls), Ethiopian, ground beef (it squeams me out)

Out: never salmon (I'm really picky about it), vegetarian dishes with a "roasted vegetable" theme (always boring), and unless the pastry chef has a reputation - no dessert

Restaurant/outside: anything fried (deep fried) since I don't do that at home.
Cuisines-wise: Ethiopian, Russian, India, sushi (I have an obsession of a perfect unagi which can only be found in this tiny cafe 80 blocks away from our house).

In: Everything is fair game to try (after I get my hand on a recipe) except for deep-frying :p I don't like the mess it leaves on the kitchen.

Mmmm...french fries only in a restaurant.

Oddly, I only make Indian and Chinese at home these days as we live in an area where it is impossible to get either that approaches edible. Not the breads though, we made beautiful Pooris once but frying at home is just not worth it and our Naan is always weird and puffy. Too much yeast?

Home only: pasta, pesto, burritos (if ever, enchiladas are better), oatmeal, usually pancakes, roasted potatoes, veggie burgers, polenta/risotto

Dining Out only: deep fried anything (fries, spring rolls, faux fried "meats"), dumplings (dim sum especially)

Anyplace anytime I can't resist guacamole, even though it's so easy and cheap at home.

I've also made rava-style dosa at home but the fun of a huge paper dosa just can't be rigged in my kitchen.

Am I the only one that tries to make curry and sushi? My sushi is pretty darn good, but my curry could use some work. haha. It's definitely worth the effort.
The only thing I won't eat out is CAJUN or CREOLE food in another state besides Louisiana. Yes, I am a snob.

Victory! I finally made a successful Indian dinner last night! (Authentic I dunno, but it was delicious.) After many unsuccessful tries with various cookbook recipes, I literally read the ingredients lists off of several packages of Tasty Bite and cooked them "in the usual manner."

When dining out I tend to gravitate to items I don't make at home.

We have been cooking more and more at home and expanding our culinary skills. Of course sometimes getting items for certain ethnic recipes becomes an issue because of our location.

Earlier this week we were discussing that some of the best food we have eaten in the 12-18 months has been our own creations. Because of our location we have found the places worthwhile to eat out at are few and far between.

out: sushi, mole and indian, and fries, whole fish
just for home: pasta (I feel like it's a waste of money and not as good when I get suckered into ordering it at a restaurant), salmon, fondue

on a side note so many people say risotto is a home dish, I think I need a good recipe/direction because I haven't been happy with how it's turned out at home

Japanese, Indian and any kind of fish/seafood = out only!

to be honest, i find this concept a bit weird. i just order what i want to eat and not worry about it. if it's something i'm especially interested in, i'll make a mental note and try to replicate it at home.

the only foods i only eat at home are scrambled eggs and mac and cheese. the former because i'm very particular about mine,e and i generally don't like "plain" eggs, and the latter because i make the best mac and cheese ever (smoked gouda, fontina, parmesan, pureed butternut squash, and some kick.)

When dining out...I'll always order fish or opt for a sushi restaurant since it's too much work to create at home...
Great question!

Happy Holidays...

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I will only have pan-fried ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms in restaurants. It's just too much work to clean, stuff, & fry them, and you have only a few minutes after frying to eat them, before they get cold and gross.
I will however, slice them and toss them on pizza or in sautes at home.