LocalEats for iPhone useful, but no definitive dining resource
Magellan Press has released LocalEats for iPhone, a 99 cent application (App Store) designed as an extension to the Where the Locals Eat series of print dining guides and website.
The application currently focuses on delivering profiles of the top 100 restaurants in the 50 largest U.S. cities. Users can find restaurants ?Near Me? via the iPhone?s GPS technology, check out choice eateries in a specific neighborhood, or peruse the "Best Of" specific local cuisines.
Each listing in the digital guide is accompanied by a detailed description, review briefs and ratings from major publications, options to call for reservations or visit the restaurant?s website, and driving directions.
Although Magellan says it will soon expand LocalEats to additional communities across the country, the application currently serves no use to iPhone owners located outside major cities. For instance, the application's ?Near Me? feature turned up absolutely no results for restaurants located in a suburb just outside Manhattan.
For those iPhone owners who do live within a major city, the application serves as an efficient way to locate and contact nearby restaurants when on the go or in a hurry. However, prospective buyers should be aware that the application requires a connection to the Internet to display and download data, and therefore feels somewhat sluggish. Some restaurants listings also currently lack review and description information entirely. More screenshots after the jump.
The application currently focuses on delivering profiles of the top 100 restaurants in the 50 largest U.S. cities. Users can find restaurants ?Near Me? via the iPhone?s GPS technology, check out choice eateries in a specific neighborhood, or peruse the "Best Of" specific local cuisines.
Each listing in the digital guide is accompanied by a detailed description, review briefs and ratings from major publications, options to call for reservations or visit the restaurant?s website, and driving directions.
Although Magellan says it will soon expand LocalEats to additional communities across the country, the application currently serves no use to iPhone owners located outside major cities. For instance, the application's ?Near Me? feature turned up absolutely no results for restaurants located in a suburb just outside Manhattan.
For those iPhone owners who do live within a major city, the application serves as an efficient way to locate and contact nearby restaurants when on the go or in a hurry. However, prospective buyers should be aware that the application requires a connection to the Internet to display and download data, and therefore feels somewhat sluggish. Some restaurants listings also currently lack review and description information entirely. More screenshots after the jump.
Comments
You can restrict searches by cuisine, neighborhood, and price range and it uses your location to find restaurants nearby.
I usually end up cross referencing results with Yelp since it is a free app on the iPhone as well and gives quick user ratings for restaurants.