Want to find a highly rated restaurant near you, but don’t want to sort through Yelp or Eater heat maps? You might want to try Map of the Best, which analyzes scores from Michelin, James Beard, Gayot and elsewhere to find you the most excellent options in the area.
Developed by an as-yet anonymous, coding-oriented food nerd, Map of the Best scans data on thousands of restaurants worldwide, making it an excellent tool for voracious travelers. The search function is as simple or as complex as you want to make it. By default, it scans all the restaurants that have received ratings from Michelin, James Beard, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, AAA, Gayot, Forbes, Google and Gambero Rosso, the Italian food-and-wine magazine. That will turn up a lot of results around the world. Then you can narrow things down by picking a price range, the number of reviews, specific star ratings and even type of cuisine.
That last filter is quite flexible. If you specify you’re looking for Indian food, for instance, other search boxes pop up for North Indian, South Indian, modern Indian, and Indian vegetarian. Same with Japanese, which also offers authentic Japanese, Japanese contemporary, modern Japanese and Japanese steakhouse. That’s a nifty detail that might help you find niche restaurants you’ve never thought of before.
How does Map of the Best perform in the Bay Area? Well, on a search of highly rated restaurants around Walnut Creek, you’ll find the “Peruvian cuisine gem” Parada, the “Bold flavors, small plates” Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar, “Tokyo in Walnut Creek” at Sasa and several other options.
In San Jose there’s the “Wine-centric Portuguese eatery” Adega, “South Bay’s beloved BBQ spot” Henry’s World Famous Hi-Life and… well, you get the idea. Give Map of the Best a whirl – who knows what buzzy gems are lurking in your own neighborhood? (H/t Maps Mania)