When it comes to finding new restaurants while on the road or complaining about my favorite local ones, nothing quite beats Yelp. Now, the service's iPhone app is getting a bit more personal. The latest update supercharges Yelp's Nearby tab, providing personalized recommendations for restaurants immediately near you that meet your individual tastes.
Yelp’s Nearby feature will not only suggest new places that you may be interested in, but it will also list favorites that you and your friends have already posted glowing reviews about. The app takes into account factors such as what types of restaurants you check-in at the most, whether it is kid friendly and even whether your friends are currently eating at a local establishment.
Nearby isn’t a static feature – your recommendations will change from day to day, and even from hour to hour. If you take a look at the Nearby tab during dinner time to plan a date, the app will provide you with popular dinner options nearby. Check the app in the morning, and Nearby will instead be populated with a number of restaurants that specialize in breakfast and brunch. The app even takes into account the weather, suggesting restaurants known for outdoor seating when it’s bright, sunny and warm.
To give the supercharged Nearby tab a try, you’ll need to head to the iTunes App Store or download Yelp’s update to version 6.8 on your iPhone. The feature is not yet available for Android, though according to Yelp, it’s “coming soon.”
