There are a about a handful of exceptional restaurant-finder apps out there helping match diners with a choice place. Some use algorithms based on dining awards, food critic reviews, location, and price, while others like Yelp and Urbanspoon rely heavily on customer reviews and ratings.
Dining app LocalEats is one of the former. Well-rated, and not a new app, it’s a tried and tested, and highly rated mobile app that diners everywhere are finding helpful, especially while traveling.
One of the hardest things for trekkers to do is find great local food, especially when traveling to a locale for the first time, and even more specifically, for business. Many just don’t have time to research dining options, yet find later that it’s one of the top items of travel regret.
Dining apps are making it easier for us to find what we are looking for while on the go, practically eliminating the chance for compunction.
Meaning of Local
One of the great things about traveling is getting to know the locals through their food. Every small town in America has its own flare, flavor, and homegrown traditions. Big cities are no different.
In fact, we’ve found that one of the best things when in a big city is the ability to find all kinds of local “global” cuisine, and not just done well, but done near true to its home of origin. After all, what is true local food in America, this big melting pot of a nation? It’s everything—from all over.
Now, if you think about a Philly cheesesteak, or deep-dish pizza from Chicago, or a po'boy from New Orleans, that’s what you might associate with the term “local American.” These foods are completely a part of the scenery, where the flavors, textures, and identity of a place come together with just a bite—when you know exactly where you are by taste.
Do a search online for pizza in Chicago, and you will come up with hundreds of places, many of them so-so places not rave-worthy. And, looking at Yelp, you will find some local run-of-the-mill places on top-rated lists. But, ask a food critic from Chicago, and they can tell you no pizza is created equal, not even there. Still, so many people think that if you want to taste the best of local cuisine, ask the locals. That’s not always the outcome though.
Because there is local cuisine, and then there is world-class local cuisine.
App LocalEats has sifted through all of that noise for you. For instance, when visiting Chicago, it’s practically guaranteed that if you like pizza, you will enjoy eating pizza from a world-class pizza place.
But, if you have lots of time, that’s when you hit the pizza parlor in the neighborhood where your college friend—the one who insists “you gotta try this pizza!”—grew up. Then you'll have time to take a look around, get a feel for the neighborhood, delving into a little bit of your friend’s history and heart.
Start in Print
Local eats began as a print guide, taking information from local newspapers, magazine reader polls, restaurant critics, including local businesses, and professionals. The guide grew to over a thousand U.S. cities and towns, helping travelers find the best in local dining experience.
LocalEats does not include any chain restaurants in their searches; the focus is on local restaurants that are what they tout, “only the best restaurants in the world.”
