Did you know it’s easy to search for menus online? Viewing menus online allows you to see the menu before you walk into a restaurant or to learn the ingredients of your favorite dishes. Crowd sourcing websites such as Zomato are popping up all over the internet, making finding a great restaurant in your area easy and hassle-free. Here are 10 tips for researching restaurants on Zomato.
- Read the reviews.
Before going to a new restaurant, you should read the reviews. Many of us have a habit of skimming the reviews or just looking at the ratings. To find the perfect restaurant, you should actually read why someone loved the place. Reading the review will help guide you if you’re looking for a specific atmosphere or type of food. Maybe a restaurant is great at cooking steak, but their chicken leaves much to be desired. A review will inform you beforehand and also tell you of any customer favorites. - Create an account.
There are several reasons to create an account. One, you can save restaurants you love or want to try later, then you can pull these “collections,” as Zomato calls them, when you’re looking for somewhere good to eat. Two, you can write reviews of your own or comment on other peoples’ reviews. Three, you can rate restaurants you visit when you create an account, adding to the Zomato experience. - Use the collections sections.
Zomato editors and customers create “collections” on the website. The titles of the collections usually explain what is included. For example, most cities contain a “Trending this Week” collection, which lists the most popular restaurants in town from week to week. These restaurants will usually be some of the highest-rated eateries in your area. - Download the app.
If you’re on-the-go, you may not be able to access the website on your phone. Even if you can, it may be inconvenient to do so. Downloading the app will help you view menus while you’re out and about. You can do everything on it that you can do on the website—the app's just easier when you’re mobile. Plus, you don’t have to input your location. Simply turn on your GPS to see the best restaurants near you. - Read the menus beforehand.
Never go to a restaurant unprepared. Websites like Zomato will usually have a picture of the menu right on the website. You can click on the restaurant and view the menu as you would see it in person. There, you can discern prices and decide if it’s the right place for you. - Look for the bad reviews.
Looking at the good reviews will tell you what is great, but reading the bad reviews will help you understand where the restaurant fails. Maybe the atmosphere during the lunch hour is undesirable, whereas dinner is phenomenal. Zomato will inform you if a review is positive or negative. While positive reviews are great to read, look at a few negative reviews. Figure out what contributors don’t like about the place. - Ask questions.
If you are unsure about a restaurant, you can ask a question. A user must have an email address linked to his or her Zomato account before posting a review, so you will generally receive a reply fairly quickly. While a response may not come that night, you can expect it within a week, depending on the user. You can also ask questions or comment on reviews from other people. - Look at nearby cities.
Maybe all of the restaurants in your area look unappealing, or you’ve been to them before. You want something new, but your city hasn’t had anything pop up recently. Look at nearby cities. Zomato offers “popular” locations in the same area as your location. If none of those areas are near you, you can input the next city over for a whole new group of eateries. - Refine your search.
You’re looking for a restaurant with live music and alcohol, or maybe you want a place that is dog-friendly. Scratch that—you’d love a place that’s just open right now. You can refine your search using Zomato filters. Filters allow you to sort based on different factors. You can search by cuisine, establishment type, the cost for two, and much more. - Browse customer photos.
The restaurant sounds good, but you’re still unsure. Look at the customer food photos. Nowadays, people love to take pictures of their food and post them online. Zomato allows you to post a photo of your dish right on the website. Most places will have photos of the food. You can look at these pictures to help determine if the restaurant is perfect for you.