Appetising apps to help you find good food

Nine food apps that make eating out in the UAE a simple yet informed affair.

Foodspotting.com lets users post photos and reviews of specific dishes at restaurants worldwide.

It’s 11pm. You’ve just picked your mum up from the airport. She’s exhausted and starving but you just can’t bring yourself to take her through the drive-through at McDonald’s for her first meal in the UAE. If only you had an app for that. Grab your smart phone. Now you do. Here are nine worthy food apps to help you navigate the ever-changing culinary scene in the UAE that you (and your mum) will be happy you downloaded.

Search restaurants in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates by cuisine, location and theme. Book a reservation and get a promo code for an average of 25 per cent off your meal (some restaurants offer a discount of 40 per cent). A booking comes with a Dh5 fee paid through your mobile. Discounts arrive via text. Show it to your waiter when you get the bill.

Cost: free

Good for UAE newbies and travellers. This app highlights the best restaurants in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, as chosen by residents. A quick search in Abu Dhabi directs me to Hakkasan, Finz and Bord Eau. Dubai’s guide features Ossiano, Manvaar and Pierchic. The app lists several notable quick-bites and cafes as well. Dubai’s guide includes Ravi restaurant and Jones the Grocer, while Abu Dhabi’s guide suggests Lebanese Flower and Café Arabia. It also highlights people’s favourite hotels, activities and shopping venues. With 57 international cities, it’s also a good one for your next holiday.

Cost: free

If you don’t do this already, reading reviews of restaurants before dining out is a good habit to start. Zomato’s restaurant finder app lets you browse recommendations, menus, maps and pictures at restaurants in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. You can filter recommendations by cuisine, brunches, outdoor seating, shisha availability and more.

Cost: free

There are more than 200 restaurants participating across the UAE in this food delivery app. You can browse by restaurant, location or cuisine; pull up menus and place orders quickly online for a variety of restaurants including Subway, Burger King, Lazeez, Sushi Central, Royal Orchid, Al Habasha (the first Ethiopian restaurant in Dubai) and many more.

Cost: free

Foodict Gourmet Food Dictionary (foodict.com)

This comes in handy when venturing into unfamiliar cuisines. If you’re unsure of a word or term on a menu, check Foodict for a quick definition. It’s not perfect, but it’s one of the better food dictionary apps. It has 2,100 definitions available for food terms and words you’re most likely to find in a restaurant. The definitions are short and sometimes nondescript, but it’s a decent app when you’re wondering what “coulis” means (a thick sauce of puréed and strained vegetables or fruits). Only compatible with Apple devices.

Cost: Dh15

Evernote Food (evernote.com/food/)

If you love food, this app is for you. You can quickly find, save and even book reservations at restaurants anywhere in the world. It also helps you document and remember the food you love. Whether the dish came from a restaurant or your mum’s house, you can create your own personal food diary using photos, notes, location and more. You can also explore and save recipes to your personally customised cookbook. It’s a fun app for people who love to eat.

Cost: free

All Recipes Dinner Spinner (allrecipes.com)

This app was named one of the 50 best apps of 2012 by Time magazine. It requires you to want to cook your own meal, but it streamlines the process. Simply type the ingredients you have on hand into the spinner to reveal loads of recipes. You can filter recipes by dish type, how much time you want to spend in the kitchen and even dietary restrictions. If you have chicken in the refrigerator and want a low-carb, low-sodium main dish prepared in 20 minutes or less, you’ll get a variety of recipes, making it so much easier to answer the question, “What’s for dinner?”

Cost: free

Select your region, browse the menu, place your order and pay on delivery. It’s similar to Talabat, but includes more than 500 restaurants and features more home-grown eateries. In Abu Dhabi, for example, the app directs you to restaurants like APi CAE, De Thali and Haveli Indian Cuisine (a hidden gem in Khalidiya). This app is the one you need when your mum wants tasty, local food at 11pm, but is too tired to stop anywhere on the drive from the airport. Key in your order online and, with any luck, the food will be there before you get home.

Cost: free

Foodspotting takes food reviews to another level. Rather than just a review of the restaurant as a whole, users post photos and reviews of specific dishes at restaurants worldwide. The photos are generally high quality and offer future diners a glimpse of what they can expect before they order.

Cost: free