It's All About The Food!
For many travelers, finding out about the quintessential foods and where to find them is a high priority. Here are some of our favorites, although if you become a (free) member of this website, you can ask for recommendations and feedback from other like-minded travelers (and see how what they say compares with what you find here).
Here are traveler-friendly platforms—ranging from mainstream giants to niche specialists—that excel at steering you toward memorable meals on the road. I’ve noted what each is best for and why it’s handy when you’re away from home.
For best results, use both the general sites and destination sites together:
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Local/ Destination intel first: lean on Tabelog in Japan, Dianping in China, or SquareMeal in the UK to surface spots locals actually rate.
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Cross-check buzz: look at Resy Hit Lists or Time Out’s heatmaps to see what’s trending right now. Or check with other website members at xyz.
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Verify availability & deals: finish on OpenTable, TheFork, or Chope to lock in a table (often with a discount).
Blend at least two sources—one editorial/curated and one reservation-driven
General
Google Maps / Google Travel “Explore”
Google keeps folding new food-focused smarts into Maps: AI-generated dish summaries, trending lists, and shareable “Lists” that sync across devices. It’s baked into navigation, so you can pivot from “directions” to “find a noodle shop within five minutes of here” without switching apps. blog.googleblog.google
Yelp
Still powerful in the U.S. (and increasingly abroad), Yelp’s 2025 update adds AI Review Insights that distill sentiments on flavor, service, and vibe—great when you’re skimming hundreds of comments in a new city. The annual Top 100 Places to Eat list is a quick way to target local favorites. The VergeFood & Wine
Trip Advisor Restaurants
Tripadvisor’s massive review base feeds its yearly Travelers’ Choice awards and city rankings, letting you sort by budget, dietary needs, or “Hidden Gems.” Because it spans lodging and sights too, you can plan an entire evening—hotel door to dessert—inside one platform. TripadvisorNew York Post
Eater City Guides & Heat Maps
The Infatuation
Think of it as a friend who eats out constantly and writes candid, approachable reviews. The Infatuation’s city sections (NYC, London, LA, Miami, etc.) are broken into use-case guides like “Best Solo Dining” or “Where to Impress for Under $50,” handy when you’re juggling travel budgets and moods. The Infatuation
Taste Atlas
Part encyclopedia, part bucket-list tracker: TasteAtlas maps 11,000+ traditional dishes and 24,000 restaurants worldwide, complete with city and regional rankings. Great for deciding what to eat (goulash in Budapest, ceviche in Lima) before you decide where.
Happy Cow
The go-to app for vegetarian, vegan, and allergy-conscious travelers. It flags fully plant-based venues and rates omnivore spots with solid veg options. Offline saving means you can still find tofu scrambles in rural rail stations without data. HappyCow
Open Rice
If you’re headed to Hong Kong, Macau, or much of Southeast Asia, OpenRice is the local king. You’ll get Cantonese-language reviews, voucher deals, and cash-free “OpenRice Pay” at thousands of eateries—features global apps often miss. OpenRice Hong Kong
Eat With
When a restaurant table isn’t enough, EatWith matches travelers with home cooks, supper-club hosts, and small-group food tours. Book a Sicilian rooftop dinner, tapas crawl, or pasta-making class—and leave with local friends as well as a full stomach. eatwith.com
Halal Trip
A full travel suite for Muslim travelers that combines halal-certified restaurant maps, nearby mosque locators, prayer times, and user food reviews in one app—making it far easier to meet dietary and faith needs on the fly.
Google Maps / Google Travel “Explore”
Google keeps folding new food-focused smarts into Maps: AI-generated dish summaries, trending lists, and shareable “Lists” that sync across devices. It’s baked into navigation, so you can pivot from “directions” to “find a noodle shop within five minutes of here” without switching apps. blog.googleblog.google
Destination-Specific
US-Centric
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Zagat – the comeback print+digital guide still crowdsources its famous 30-point scores for major U.S. cities, giving a quick read on “Food,” “Décor,” and “Service.” The Infatuation
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Resy Guides & “Hit List” – every month Resy’s editors publish city-specific Hit Lists spotlighting the buzziest new openings you can book right in the app. Resy | Right This Way
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OpenTable Diners’ Choice – analyzes millions of verified reservations and reviews to generate fresh “Best Overall,” “Most Booked,” and thematic lists in each metro. support.opentable.com
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Bon Appétit “Hot 10” / Best New Restaurants – the magazine’s annual and seasonal round-ups surface trend-setting independents coast-to-coast. Bon Appétit
Europe-Centric
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TheFork (LaFourchette) – 55 000+ bookable restaurants in 12 European markets, searchable with 20 million verified reviews and frequent discount deals. TheFork
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MICHELIN Guide Online – official digital home of all starred, Bib Gourmand and “Selected” venues, plus newsy city deep-dives and maps. MICHELIN Guide
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Time Out City Guides – locally written “Best of” food lists and new-opening heatmaps for dozens of European capitals and break-out towns. Time Out Worldwide
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SquareMeal (UK & London) – independent guide that releases Top 100 lists for London and the wider UK alongside detailed reviews and booking links. Square Meal
Asia/ Pacific-Centric
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Tabelog (Japan) – 870 k+ venues with granular ratings and the user-voted Tabelog Awards; indispensable for hunting that perfect ramen or sushi counter. 食べログ
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Dianping (China) – “China’s Yelp” covers 300+ cities, offering English interface, GPS search, and coupons on 20 million+ reviews. Google Play
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Chope (Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong & beyond) – browse, book, and earn rewards at 13 000+ restaurants across Asia, with constant promo codes. Chope
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Rakuten Gurunavi (Japan) – English-friendly “gourmet navigator” with 50 000+ listings, reservation tools, and foodie articles covering everything from kaiten-zushi to kaiseki. GURUNAVI