Discover the Best Urbanspoon Alternatives for Your Dining Needs
Urbanspoon, once a popular IAC/InterActiveCorp-owned restaurant information and recommendation service, played a significant role in helping users find and book dining experiences. With its popular iPhone application and website, it competed directly with services like OpenTable, even launching its own online reservation system. However, as the digital landscape evolves, so do the tools we use. If you're looking for a fresh perspective or more tailored features, exploring a robust Urbanspoon alternative is a smart move.
Top Urbanspoon Alternatives
Whether you're a seasoned foodie, a casual diner, or someone looking for very specific restaurant information, there's an alternative out there for you. Here are some of the best options that pick up where Urbanspoon left off, offering unique features and comprehensive guides.
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is a fantastic Urbanspoon alternative, offering a comprehensive platform to plan and perfect your trips, including dining. With over 60 million reviews and opinions from real travelers, you can find the best places to eat, sleep, and play. It's available across multiple platforms including Web, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, Windows Phone, iPad, and Apple Watch, making it highly accessible for any user looking for a robust travel guide.
Yelp
Yelp stands out as a strong Urbanspoon alternative, providing a fun and easy way to discover, recommend, and discuss local businesses, including restaurants. Users share their recommendations, offering insights into what's great (and not so great) in various cities. It's a free service available on Web, Android, iPhone, HP webOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone, iPad, Apple Watch, Kindle Fire, and Pebble, making it incredibly versatile for finding local eats.
openMarkers
For those interested in a collaborative and open-source approach, openMarkers serves as an interesting Urbanspoon alternative. This project aims to create open points of interest globally, allowing users to add or vote for their favorite places and discover top-rated locations. It's a free, open-source web-based platform with features like user-generated content, in-app voting, nearby search, and is based on OpenStreetMap for robust points of interest (POI).
AroundMe
AroundMe is a highly practical Urbanspoon alternative for instantly finding nearby amenities, including restaurants. It quickly identifies your position and helps you locate the closest options. Available for free on Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, iPad, and Apple Watch, AroundMe offers location-based features, social bookmarking, and social networking capabilities, making it easy to find what you need on the go.
Eat Kid Friendly
Parents and caregivers will find Eat Kid Friendly a unique and valuable Urbanspoon alternative. This free web service, also available on Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, and iPad, creates a community where users can actively analyze and review restaurants based on their kid-friendliness. If dining out with children is a priority, this specialized platform provides tailored insights.
In2city
In2city offers a commercial web-based Urbanspoon alternative where you can find and read opinions on thousands of hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. Beyond dining, In2city also provides world news, lifestyle, leisure, technology, health, and more, making it a broader resource for local information with location-based features and news.
MealDB
MealDB is a straightforward and free web-based Urbanspoon alternative designed to help you find places to eat, bars, and cafes nearby. Wherever you are, MealDB aims to tell you the best restaurants, bars, cafes, and nightclubs around you, focusing on location-based recommendations for quick and easy discovery.
Foodspotting
Foodspotting presents a visually-driven Urbanspoon alternative, serving as a guide to good food and where to find it. It emphasizes sharing the foods you love through a visual platform, often integrated with Foursquare for location and sharing. It's a free service available on Web, Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone, perfect for those who eat with their eyes first.
Starbucks
While not a direct restaurant finder in the broader sense, the Starbucks app serves as a specialized Urbanspoon alternative for coffee lovers. This free iPhone app helps you locate your closest Starbucks and explore beverage options. It's an essential tool for dedicated Starbucks patrons needing quick access to their preferred coffee shop.
inviita
inviita offers a unique, mood-based Urbanspoon alternative for travelers. This free iPhone app instantly creates personalized tours that match your mood, in any city worldwide. While broader than just dining, its location-based features can certainly guide you to unique culinary experiences as part of a larger exploration.
With a diverse range of options available, from comprehensive travel guides to niche, family-friendly or visually-driven platforms, you're sure to find an Urbanspoon alternative that perfectly aligns with your dining discovery needs. Explore these options and find the best fit for your next culinary adventure!