How does Harry identify tourist trap restaurants in New York?

Harry cross-references Tripadvisor (heavily tourist-weighted) against local review sources — Google and Yelp, which skew local. When Tripadvisor is significantly higher than local ratings, or when the review demographics are heavily tourist-skewed, Harry flags the restaurant. These places aren't necessarily bad; they're just priced for visitors who won't be back.

What is a tourist trap restaurant?

A tourist trap restaurant is one that charges premium prices for food that locals know isn't worth it. The telltale sign: Tripadvisor loves it, Yelp is cooler, and nobody who lives nearby goes there twice. The food is fine. The location is great. The bill is optimised for people who won't be back.

NY · Tourist trap index

Tourist trap restaurants in New York.

Places where Tripadvisor loves them and the locals don't. Not necessarily bad. Just optimised for people who won't be back. Harry tracks the divergence so you don't have to.

How Harry spots them

Methodology, in two rows.

Tourist skew	When the review base is heavily tourist-weighted — short visits, one-off trips, no local context — the scores drift upwards. A bad meal when you're on holiday gets rounded up. Harry counts that.
TA vs local	Tripadvisor skews tourist; Yelp and Google local skew resident. When Tripadvisor significantly exceeds local ratings, the gap is a signal. It means locals know something the tourists don't.

Flagged in New York

11 places with the tourist divergence signal.

Where the locals actually go

No divergence signal. Local and tourist ratings agree.

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