Whether you just moved into a new city or are passing by with a moving truck, you’ll get hungry soon enough. But where do you go? Here are a few tips for finding restaurants in a new city!
Try Specialized Websites
Most restaurants are on popular sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon that specialize in restaurant reviews and recommendations. These sites collect addresses, hours of operation, menus and more. Yelp allows anyone to review restaurants, bars, food, and nightlife locations. Urbanspoon has a “Talk of the Town” section where the most reviewed and blogged about restaurants are highlighted, as well as featuring critic reviews and tweets from restaurants.
Utilize Mobile Apps
You take your phone with you everywhere you go, and you even text and take pictures while you’re eating so why not download free apps that will help you find a restaurant to have dinner, drinks or dessert at?
- Urbanspoon: You can “shake” it up by first narrowing your choices down to an area, price range, and type of cuisine and then seeing a variation of choices that fit your criteria. You can browse based on ratings, popularity, and distance. Mobile articles, wish and favorites list, and browsable guides for restaurants in your area are accessible through the app.
- Yelp: You can “check-in” and share it on Facebook and Twitter, the app offers mobile deals, and the “nearby feed” will automatically find locations close to your mobile location. You can upload photos of your food right from your phone to the site, and make reservations using OpenTable without leaving the Yelp app.
- OpenTable: You can make reservations in over 30,000 restaurants and 530 million diners, including international locations.
Take Tips From Locals & Social Media
What better way to make new friends in a new city and exploring your new neighborhood than by taking advice from locals?
- Ask co-workers for recommendations of places you should (and shouldn’t) visit!
- Take mental notes on which places look like they’re in demand, if there’s a line outside a restaurant it must be worth the wait.
- Check out a restaurant’s Facebook page to see what customers are saying. Search through hashtags on Twitter if you’re looking for a great #happyhour or the #bestChinesefood in town.
- Read local blogs from foodies for more insight.
How do you find restaurants to eat at in a new city? What suggestions do you have for trying out new places? Post your ideas in the comments below!
