Local Advice Apps

Yelp is the essential app for many reasons. The main reason is its fantastic user base. There is simply tons of data. You can find not only good places to eat, but good churches to attend, good banks, and much more. There is even an augmented reality feature that lets iPhone 3GS and iPad 2 owners use their camera and be guided to a nearby Yelp reviewed spot. Yelp is a great universal app, and a must-have for any traveler.

UrbanQ is a pretty fantastic app. The service/app is smart. As you input your likes and dislikes it will customize its results for you. It can show you great restaurants, bars, live events and family events. The app is super easy to use and it is fun to jump into the app to like or dislike places. UrbanQ is a nifty app that can replace the need for Yelp for many people.

LocalMind is a great companion app. The service hooks in with Gowalla, FourSquare and Facebook location. The basic concept is you ask questions about locations that people have checked into. You can get info like how long is the wait there, is the food good, is the service good, etc. Anything that you want to know, real live human beings can answer. The app is easy to use and can be an invaluable resource.

Foodspotting will have you hungry in seconds. This app lets you visually see food from nearby restaurants. The users of the app take photos of their food and it is instantly viewable through the app. The app is sort of like Instagram, but just for food! A great app that may help you pick out your next restaurant.

UrbanSpoon is another popular restaurant finding app. You can spin the slot machine to randomly find a place. If you are looking for a nearby place, a certain price or cuisine then you can lock different spinners. There are some reviews, but not a ton. There is an iPad version of the app available too. UrbanSpoon makes picking a restaurant fun and easy.

CitySearch is a Yelp alternative. Yelp far surpasses this service and app in both content and elegance. The app is not as polished and full featured. The reviews are not as comprehensive. CitySearch is an okay app to have as a secondary source, but Yelp is the essential.