We all have that one friend who always knows where the hot new restaurant in town is. They plan every birthday dinner because quite frankly, they’re qualified and have tried every restaurant in their respective city. I, too, have that friend and sometimes wonder, how do they it?
If you’ve ever wanted to be the go-to person when it comes to places to dine out in your city, read on. Here are five go-to restaurant and dining apps.
1. Trip Advisor
System: IOS and Android
User: Dining and Entertainment Seeker
Although technically a travel app, Trip Advisor makes an excellent reference for those looking for tips on where to dine. Trip Advisor was created to showcase the best attractions that a city has to offer, which makes it a great place to find top-rated restaurants where you live. With 3.8 million restaurants in its database and more than 600,000 attractions, Trip Advisor makes a great app to find places to eat, as well as places to hang out after. Through trip advisor, you can find nearby restaurants and read or write reviews on the places you’ve been to. For those who like to travel, Trip Advisor is also a great app to have because it allows you to find restaurants in cities across the globe.
2. Foodspotting
System: IOS and Android
User: The Mealtime Adventure Seeker
Foodspotting takes dining while social networking to a whole new level. Users are able to follow other users and view images taken at various nearby restaurants. The concept is similar to Tinder, but only with food. Users are encouraged to try the best dish a restaurant has (not to simply find the best restaurant). When you see an image you like, simply click on it to view directions on how to get to the restaurant where the meal was featured. Users can mark the item as “want," “tried," or “loved” and can view marked items at a later date by filtering by categories. The concept of Foodspotting rests on a community of users actively uploading meal images. Therefore, the list of restaurants in the app’s database is slightly less robust than desired. With that being said, Foodspotting made the list because of its creative concept, and the app's ability to inspire users to try a new dish based on other user’s experiences.
3. Zagat
System: IOS and Android
User: The One that Wants The BEST in Dining
The Zagat app is marketed towards those who want the best dining experience possible. With an easy to use interface, Zagat allows users to look up restaurants by cuisine or restaurant type, (think sushi vs. steakhouse, burgers vs. private room). Restaurants are rated on their food, décor, service, and cost, which is a great way to allow users to have an idea of what they are getting into before making it to their destination. Perhaps the coolest thing about Zagat is the editorial content. Articles about buzz-worthy restaurants, the latest openings, and featured lists along with course ratings and reviews, allow users to learn more about the culture of the restaurants they are thinking of going to as well as the neighborhood and city itself. Currently, the Zagat app is available in 21 cities. If you want the best, you have to learn to be selective.
4. Urban Spoon
System: IOS and Android
User: Low Maintenance Meal Seeker
Urban Spoon is a basic dining app that assist users with finding places to eat in a given city. The app allows users to browse by neighborhood, read reviews, create wish lists, mark favorites, and view guides created by the nation’s top chefs. Urban Spoon has enough places to dine in their database (over a million) to provide a more than suitable list of restaurants to choose from. Where Zagat’s goal is to find the best that a city has to offer, Urban Spoon makes users work a little to find the local hidden gems.
5. Open Table
System: IOS and Android
User: Ready to Commit
Open table is a simplistic and user friendly app that allows people to make a dining reservation. It’s ease of use, available date and time listings, and notifications make it the go-to app for those who are ready to commit to a dinner location. Although it doesn’t have ma lot of bells and whistles or a fancy new concept, it makes the list based on its reliability. When you make a reservation using Open Table, you don’t have to worry about if it went through or about waiting a long time for a table. Simply make a reservation and show up, it’s that easy.
