How to Get Restaurant Recommendations on Google Maps Using the Revamped Browse Tab
Google Maps provides a route to where you are going, but now they can also help you taste all the best tacos in town.
The updated Overview tab, announced at the I / O in May , is now available for personalized advice on what to eat, drink, and do. Google Algorithm Lists and Human Curators can help you find the best burgers, pizzas, cocktails, and more in the area, and if you’re using an Android phone, it might even guess how much you like a new place before you set foot. at the door.
The new Explorer tab is expanding to Google Maps for iOS and Android, but if you don’t see it already, be patient. It will just appear in the app – you don’t need to update.
Tap the Browse tab to get started. First, round buttons appear that help you quickly find restaurants, cafes and attractions on the map. The More tab contains many other categories, from ATMs to hospitals and parks. But this is not news, although it has a fresh look.
Instead, scroll down a bit to find a side photo grid showing groups of places that Google thinks you might be interested in, depending on where you’ve been or what you’re looking for. Mine included Where the Locals Drink, Cheap Drinks, Cheap Food, Hamburger Restaurants, and Best Coffee, which … are all very accurate.
Scrolling down a little more, you’ll find a new Lists section, the best part of this update. Designed to help you find new places, listings are marked with a Google G if they are created with an algorithm or a photograph of the person who created them. I have a list of SF / East Bay beer stops curated by Kevin Foote and an algorithm-generated list of the best desserts: San Leandro – and, as you know, I’ve followed both of them.
When you click the Follow button on the list you are interested in, all the places in the list are marked on the map, so they will be visible whenever you view them. This makes it very easy to open the app, see at a glance what is nearby, and tap on a location to get directions or all the extensive business information Google Maps has (phone number, website, menu, opening hours, when it is busiest , photos, reviews, etc.).
If you have location history turned on, Google Maps will keep track of places you’ve already visited in the listings you follow, making Google Maps a little more like Foursquare. The app can even notify you when you are near a place that still needs to be struck off the list because it would be a crime to be right around the corner from the best tacos in town and not go try it.
These lists can come in handy in your city, and they can be a godsend when traveling to a new location. Before leaving, you can use Google Maps to find out where you are staying and then go to the Browse tab to find locally recommended locations. You will never have to resort to Waffle House again … unless you want to.
For Android users, Google Maps can even predict whether you will like a new restaurant or bar by giving each place you click a hit count from 1 to 100. To make it smarter, you can rate the restaurants you visit or tell Google Maps your favorite types of cuisine. It can be found under Settings> Exploration> Food and Drink on Android, but is not available in the iOS version.
Android users also get a new tab for you that lets you stay informed about new matches, newly opened restaurants or popular locations in your area. The app suggests areas you might want to keep an eye on, such as the area around your home, your office, and places you travel frequently, and you can go with them or customize your own. Then, while scrolling down the For You ribbon, simply tap the bookmark icon next to any suitable places to add them to your Want to Go list.