My wife and I visited Germany for the first time this summer. Not knowing the language well, we decided to get adventurous and try one of the little taverns out in the countryside for dinner. One small place we drove by had a parking lot completely full of cars about 5:30 p.m. Wow, we thought, look at that place! It's popular with locals so the food must be great.
Well, the food was very good, and we were congratulating ourselves on our great find after leaving the restaurant when I noticed a sign by our parked car. The parking lot was a "park and ride" location for commuters. Most of the cars there were not patrons of the restaurant!
Sometimes you just get lucky.
Never had bad food in Germany ("on the economy"), from Die Post in Fulda, to the little base "food hut" in Bad Kissingen to Gasthouses in Rotenburge on the Taube, Munich, Wurzburg, and Nurnberg. Except for sauerkraut, I love German food.
Had bad food in Paris, but it was my sister's fault. Never go to a "Greek" restaurant in Paris. Really disappointed, since the food in Paris is supposed to be exceptional. Even the specials at McDonalds (we didn't eat there - it was packed!) looked better.