Yelp, who? 4 ways Google Maps can help you find your next meal – and order it

Google has expanded the ways its Maps app can be used for dining, highlighting conversational ordering and publishing its first fan-favorite dining list. The company announced in August that Ask Maps, its Gemini-powered chat tool, could interpret conversational prompts to find restaurants serving a desired food and place an order through Toast. Toast was then the only named ordering partner. Users can now also order through Square and Uber Eats.

Beyond ordering, Google points to the Maps Explore tab, which surfaces restaurants trending with other Maps users, and a Know Before You Go section inside individual restaurant listings. That section collects information contributed by users in Google reviews, such as dress code, menu restrictions and parking availability.

The new fan-favorite dining list compiles trends among Maps users in 10 cities: Atlanta, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Montreal, New York, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle and Tokyo. It records shifts in trending interest over the past year, including a 216% rise for cheeseburgers in Tokyo, a 78% increase for the Mexican beer cocktail Michelada in Santiago, and a 75% spike for ube, a purple yam native to Southeast Asia used in desserts and drinks, in Melbourne. The list also groups the top places users request directions to within a city by meals, beverages and sweet treats, and notes spots for celebrations, atmosphere and value.

Why it matters: Product teams building food, travel or local discovery features should note that ordering inside Maps now reaches three fulfillment partners rather than one. The trend data, tied to named cities and percentage changes, also gives a concrete read on how social media drives cuisine interest across markets.