The Trap of Nostalgia

Eating at places you've outgrown isn't loyalty—it's a tax on your palate.

15 September 2026

We cling to restaurants the way we cling to old friends, out of obligation rather than desire. That trattoria where you had your first decent pasta? It still makes that same competent cacio e pepe. You still order it. You still feel nothing. The kitchen hasn't evolved because it doesn't need to—you keep coming back anyway.

This is where nostalgia becomes expensive. Every meal at a restaurant you've outgrown is a meal you could have spent discovering something that actually excites you. The chef isn't getting better. You're just getting older, mistaking familiarity for comfort.

Real loyalty means recognizing when something has stopped serving you and walking away without guilt. The restaurant will survive. You won't waste another evening pretending the food tastes the way you remember.