ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Google reveals its first fan-favorite food list.
- The list compiles trends between maps in 10 cities.
- Google is also highlighting deeper Gemini integration with Maps.
Google continues to update Google Maps for use beyond simple navigation, with AI-powered features that help you find places to eat and even order food. It basically gave you more reasons to not use other apps like Yelp and instead make Maps your first stop when deciding what to eat.
Also: Apple Maps vs Google Maps: One is much better
Now Google is revealing more ways Maps can help you find a new favorite place to eat, satisfy a late-night craving, or get a better sense of a restaurant before you book a table or go out to eat.
1. Conversation order out
In August, Google announced that Ask Maps, its Gemini-powered chat tool, would understand conversational requests to help you find restaurants you like and place an order via toast.
At the time of the announcement, Toast was the only officially named Google partner, but now users can also place orders through Square and Uber Eats.
Also: Using Gemini for free? You will quickly be limited to its weakest AI model
2. Discover trending spots
Google Maps’ Explore tab can help you find restaurants near you that are trending with other Maps users. I find that the restaurants on the trending tab in and around Atlanta are the ones I’ve seen in the latest viral videos on Instagram or TikTok.
3. Know Before You Go Highlights
When you drag a restaurant to Maps, the Know Before You Go tab highlights important information that other users have contributed in their Google reviews. I usually find information about a dress code or menu restrictions here.
Most importantly, when I’m looking for a new place in Atlanta, I check this section to see what other users are saying about a restaurant’s parking situation (or lack thereof), which is very useful.
4. Fan-favorite food list
With so many users providing reviews, tips, and insider knowledge about local restaurants, Google has compiled its first fan-favorite dining list, complete with the dining trends of Maps users in 10 global cities: Atlanta, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Montreal, New York, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle, and Tokyo.
The list illustrates how social media is influencing global food trends, inspiring people to try cuisines, snacks and drinks from around the world when they pop up in their city. I’m sure you or someone you know wanted to go somewhere specific because it was on TikTok. For example, Google’s list shows that cheeseburgers, an American culinary staple, had a 216% increase in trending interest in Tokyo, Japan, over the past year.
Also: 10 Google Maps settings I change to improve its usability
On the other hand, the Michelada, a Mexican beer cocktail, experienced a 78% increase in trending interest in Santiago, Chile. From the other side of the world, Ube, a purple yam native to Southeast Asia used in desserts and dessert drinks, saw a 75% spike in trending interest in Melbourne, Australia.
Google’s list also categorizes the top places Maps users search for directions in a specific city, divided by food, drink and sweet treats. In my hometown of Atlanta, restaurants in Midtown that line the city’s tree-lined Beltline Trail or that are in buzzy downtown areas dominate the top places to grab a meal.
Each city on Google’s list shows the most popular places that users go to celebrate an occasion, catch a great vibe, and get the most bang for their buck.
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I visited some of the restaurants and cafes that made Google’s list in New York and Chicago, and most of the lists in Atlanta. Although locals consider some places tourist traps, they have stellar reviews and are popular with everyday people.
From my perspective, these restaurants capture the culture and vibe of the cities they are in, promising great food, a good experience and a way to sample the flavors of immigrant communities that settle in large metropolitan areas.
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