Upon arrival in a new city or country, that first drink or meal is always important. More often than not, travelers have excitedly hurried to a trendy neighborhood or must-see landmark without really thinking of where they should go for food or a beer.
Then when they feel that first pang of hunger or desire for booze, they look around to see a variety of restaurants and bars, all of which look like tourist traps they’d immediately regret entering. With appetites growing, the pressure to find food can quickly intensify. The decision has to be right, too, as this is the meal that the rest of your food will then be judged against.
The internet is here to help.
There are now a number of apps that give visitors the definitive lowdown on where they should go. Which ones are worthy of being downloaded? Take a look below at the six best apps to find bars and restaurants while traveling, all of which will ensure that you make the best culinary and nightlife decisions while you’re away.
World of Mouth
World of Mouth might not give users every restaurant that’s available in their vicinity, but it will let you know the most acclaimed. Described as the ultimate insider’s guide to the world’s best restaurants, its list of more than 20,000 recommendations in 4,500 destinations has been curated by renowned chefs, cuisine critics, and food lovers from across the globe. More than that, they have specific lists that reveal the best pizza to try in New York, ramen to slurp in Tokyo, and tacos to consume in Mexico City. Rather than give each place a score that’ll help you speedily decide the best restaurant to gorge at, Word of Mouth’s experts provide precise and vivid descriptions of what you can get and why you should go. New aficionados are also being added on a daily basis, as its eclectic and all-knowing community keeps on growing. [iOS, Google Play]
Untappd
Untappd is the definitive app for beer lovers. Not only does it point drinkers in the direction of bars, pubs, and breweries with extensive beer collections from 75 countries worldwide, it also allows them to search through drinks and read descriptions so they can pick the best one to gulp. This also makes it a good app for locals to have at their disposal, as they can keep an eye on the beers they’ve already drunk and what they want to try next. Its review system can be a tad unreliable and hard to navigate, but its map feature and beer lists ensure you’re able to pick and choose which bars and breweries best suit you. [iOS, Google Play]
Mapstr
People who love to plan every minute of their travels in the weeks leading up their holidays will adore Mapstr. It allows users to save the places they want to visit to their own unique map, and lets them label and organize those locations with specific tags and colors so they know which days to go, which places, and how vital it is that they go there. Mapstr’s maps are also accessible offline, a bonus for international travelers looking to save on cellular data usage. Plus, it includes reviews from only its users—some 4 million users in 90 countries—which ensures their ratings haven’t been faked. Mapstr makes it easy to share your list of saved places with friends and family, so you can show off where you went and let them know that you basically became a local. Then, when you want to be transported back to your travels, you can go back to the map and relive your experiences all over again. [iOS, Google Play]
HappyCow
If you thought things were tough for travelers without dietary restrictions, spare a thought for people who are vegan or vegetarian, or who have to learn how to say “gluten-free” in various different languages. For them, HappyCow is a must-have travel app that has been providing a list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants the world over for 25 years. While it might cost people $3.99 to use, its huge list of more than 220,000 listings in 185 countries includes bakeries, food trucks, hotels, farmers markets, and juice bars. Plus you can filter and organize them by price, cuisine, vegetarian friendliness, and popularity. Its community section also allows you to connect and communicate with fellow users and easily check out their recommendations. [iOS, Google Play]
Pao
Pao is described as the best app to discover hidden gems in the world’s biggest and best cities. Its 100,000 users have uploaded more than 60,000 local places in 500 cities, each of which inform people where they can eat, drink, stay, and play. Pao helps travelers discover not only the hippest bars and restaurants, but also the go-to music venues, coffee shops, galleries, beaches, and hiking trails. It shows who has been boasting about being in these locations, as well as the information you need to get there. Its quick-finds menu also gives recommendations to indecisive travelers, letting them know there are speakeasies, museums, ice cream spots, and other surprises nearby. Unfortunately the app is available for iPhone only. [iOS]
Yelp
There’s a very good reason why Yelp is one of the top choices for finding out what’s nearby. It has a very easy-to-use interface, which allows you to define your options based on cost, reviews, location, and your specific desires. Sure, the customer reviews can sometimes be a little unpredictable, as people find the oddest reasons to hate a place. But there’s usually enough description, pictures, and information for people to make an informed decision. While at this point it really feels like it should be in more than 219 cities and 35 countries, it’s at its most comprehensive when used in the United States. Tripadvisor’s app can be a good alternative when you’re abroad, but its frustrating map and even more unreliable reviews mean you need to be extra diligent when using it. [iOS, Google Play]
