If you want to eat at good restaurants even when you are unfamiliar with the place, you should consider going on a culinary walking tour. This way, you can sample various dishes as well as decide which places you like or what kind of food you prefer. You will also be able to ask the guide for recommendations based on your likes and dislikes.
You can also read the publications as well as posts which are posted by local food bloggers. This will inform you of places you would otherwise not know. You can then use Google Maps to help you locate these places as most of these gems are normally not known to the general populace.
You should ask people like the hotel concierge, cab drivers, employees or people who you meet and encounter. This can serve as an icebreaker as well.
You should search for regional options. This is the best way to experience the place and the cuisine rather than sticking with the cuisine you are used to getting at home.
You should not eat near tourist attractions, and it is better to eat where there are good neighborhoods rather than those places which are crowded with tourists.
You should get various apps which tell you how and where you should go for food along with pictures and recommendations as well.
If you see people waiting in long lines it means that the meal must be really good there, else they would not have wasted their time.
If you are traveling with kids and when the host is ruffled to see kids, then you should not visit that place as it may not be very kid friendly. One way to know if the restaurant is kid friendly is when you can see a lot of strollers in front of it.