Choosing a restaurant while in port shouldn’t be a game of chance. Thankfully, there are plenty of apps to make finding your next bite a quick and painless process. These apps -- many of which are free! -- let you dodge the tourist traps by locating places frequented by locals, asking expert chefs for their favorite places in town, swiping through photos, and even making reservations right from your phone. Here are the apps that every foodie should download before setting sail:
1. Best For Expert Recommendations: Chefs Feed
What You Get: This app asks famous chefs where they eat in port cities like Miami, New York, New Orleans, Montreal, Seattle, Los Angeles and London. It’s not quite as cool as calling up Mario Batali to ask him for his favorite taco place in New York City -- it happens to be Dos Toros -- but it sure comes close.
Available On: iOS® (free) devices.
2. Best for Reservations: OpenTable
What You Get: This is one of those rare apps that work (almost) as well abroad as they do at home. Browse OpenTable’s extensive catalog of restaurant ratings, menus, user reviews and screenshots to decide where to eat -- then make a reservation for free. With 20,000 restaurants across the U.S., Canada, Europe and even the Caribbean, this is a must-have app for cruisers.
Available On: iOS (free), Android™ (free), and Windows Phone® (free) devices.
3. Best For Discounts: Savored
What You Get: Planning to splurge on an unforgettable meal? This money-saving app can get you deals of up to 40 percent off at classy, high-end restaurants. Right now, it’s available in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Boston and, once you find your deal, you can make reservations directly through the app.
4. Best for Judging a Book by Its Cover: Foodspotting
What You Get: This handy social app allows you to be visual in your restaurant selection by using your phone’s GPS to show user-submitted pictures of nearby restaurants. Scroll through until a dish catches your eye, and then get directions to -- and reviews of -- the restaurant that makes it.
Available On: iOS (free), Android (free), and Windows Phone (free) devices.
5. Best for Finding Off-the-Beaten-Path Choices: LocalEats
What You Get: LocalEats helps you avoid chains and tourist traps by guiding you to the best kept local secrets. This app features little-known places in every major U.S. city, along with international destinations like Barcelona, Athens, Stockholm, Toronto and Vancouver.
Available On: iOS ($1.00) devices.
Want more? Check out our favorite app in the expanded piece on BonVoyageMag.com.
--
Thomas Faddegon is an Editorial Assistant at BonVoyageMag.com, a publication of Cruiseline.com.