Google Maps 'Popular Dishes' feature gonna get gourmands, gastronomes, and gourmets giddy
Eating is one of life's greatest pleasures. Whether it's a $1 hotdog or a $200 steak, enjoyment from food can be had with any budget. Hell, sometimes the food at a less expensive restaurant can be better than the fancy ones that charge a lot. Ultimately, it comes down to doing your homework on an eatery before going there -- reading online reviews, perusing the menu, and finding out which of its dishes are best.
Today, Google announces an update to its wildly popular Maps service that should prove to be very helpful. Called "Popular Dishes," the search giant is enabling the ability to discover the best food to order at many restaurants. In other words, it should reduce the possibility of you making a poor decision and spending your hard earned money on an unimpressive meal that you don't truly enjoy.
"Now Google Maps is making it easy to 'dish-cover' a restaurant's most crowd-pleasing meals with a new popular dishes feature. Simply pull up a restaurant on Google Maps to find its popular dishes in the overview tab. Feeling extra peckish? Dive into the menu tab to scroll through all the most-talked about meals, and tap on a popular dish to explore reviews and photos. In a country where you can't read the language? Maps will also translate the reviews for you too," says Ronnie Falcon, Product Manager, Google Maps.
ALSO READ: Google Maps for Apple iPhone and iPad now lets you follow your favorite places
Falcon further explains, "At the end of the day, this feature is made possible because of contributions from people around the world who want to help others using Google Maps. So if you want to pay it forward to the next diner, simply take a photo of your meal (before you've scarfed it down!) and add a dish name so others can know what's good on the menu. From getting you directions to helping you find a popular dish, Google Maps is there for your dining journey. You’ve heard of farm-to-table -- now we bring you from door-to-dish."
Are you excited to try this really cool new "popular dishes" feature? Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, you can start using it immediately -- as long as you are on Android. Yep, the bad news is iOS users will have to wait, as Google simply says it will come to Apple devices "in the coming months." Sigh.
Image credit: ShotPrime Studio/Shutterstock