Apps for tracking restaurant recommendations?

August 15, 2012 9:53 AM

Is there a good app for tracking restaurant recommendations?

I am constantly coming across restaurants in Chicago that I want to try, and I need a way to keep track of them so I remember to actually try them out. I would love an iPod/iPad app of some sort that would allow me to enter the restaurant name, location, and some notes about it (where I heard about it, what it's known for, whether I should eat there when I'm at work or home or for brunch or dinner or whatever). I need to be able to easily search or sort the restaurants so I can pick based on location or type of meal or similar. I currently don't have an iPhone, so it needs to be a standalone app that doesn't require access to the internet to work.

Most apps I've found are for tracking what you actually eat, and I don't care about that. The app I've been using is Epicure - I'm using the Lite version but I only get to put in 10 places. I'm willing to purchase the full app if it's the best option I'm going to find, but it's a little cumbersome and doesn't have a separate entry place for the address (so my notes & address are all in one block).

Any others I should look at?

posted by bibbit to Technology (7 answers total)

I am curious too. I've used Dinevore to track restaurant recommandations, but there is no app for it ...yet. And it's mainly an NYC thing from what I gather, now that I'm in Chicago there are a lot of restaurants they haven't added yet.
posted by melissam at 10:17 AM on August 15, 2012

I use Evernote Food App. Ostensibly it is for listing what places you have been to but you can use it both ways. Since it lets you add your own tags (and sort by them) it is very flexible. I tag places I have not been to yet with a future tag. You could also add neighborhood tags, etc.

There is a comments area to add notes, plus you can separately add a map and address.
posted by travis08 at 10:29 AM on August 15, 2012

What I've been doing is starring places in Google Maps that I want to check out. I like it because if I'm planning an outing and looking up an address or neighborhood I can see at a glance what restaurants around there I'm interested in trying. There's no notes function, but when I see a listing I can usually remember why I wanted to go there.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 10:57 AM on August 15, 2012

The Yelp app has a bookmarks feature. You can add bookmarks on your web browser or through your phone. Plus that yelp reviews are at least informative, if you have a good filter, and provides location, phone and website information.
posted by sandmanwv at 11:19 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Note: I haven't tried to see if the Yelp app 'caches' data and doesn't require a data connection, you could load it when at home with wifi.
posted by sandmanwv at 11:21 AM on August 15, 2012

Urban Spoon is definitely my favorite.
posted by AbsolutelyHonest at 11:26 AM on August 15, 2012

I use Evernote for all of my stuff like this -- things to read, things to watch, places to eat. I keep a separate notebook for each of those categories, and use the Evernote web clipper when I come across a web page with something I want to remember. I like having everything in one place.
posted by mudpuppie at 12:26 PM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]