Why did the tourist bring a map to the restaurant?

This joke plays on a clever bit of wordplay, taking a common idiom and twisting it into a literal scenario. The setup immediately makes us picture a tourist earnestly trying to find a notoriously hard-to-locate eatery, perhaps one hidden down a winding alley or in a secret basement. Our brains are primed for a geographical explanation, so the punchline delivers a delightful surprise by shifting gears entirely.

The humor stems from the double meaning of "out of this world." While we usually use this phrase to praise something as exceptionally good or amazing, especially food, the joke's setup tricks us into thinking about its literal astronomical interpretation. Tourists frequently rely on maps to navigate new cities and find highly-rated restaurants, making the initial premise entirely relatable. The joke then expertly subverts this expectation, turning a practical travel tool into a prop for a cosmic culinary adventure.