Google announced an interesting little tweak to its search results today that will highlight reviews from reputable critics and best-of list inclusions for bars and restaurants when you search in the Google app.
Say you are looking for a fancy place to eat in New York. Google already gives you plenty of information about any given restaurant, including when it’s the busiest and what other eaters thought about it.
Now, however, instead of having to rely on amateurs, you will also see reviews from Michelin, Zagat and other reputable publishers (I guess Zagat’s reviews are also crowdsourced, though its reviewers tend to be somewhat self-selected).
In addition, you’ll also see if a certain place is on a best-of list. Google is getting this data from the likes of Serious Eats, Eater and others.
For now, this new feature is only available in the Google app for Android and iOS. It would be nice to also see this information on the desktop, too, but it’s likely only a matter of time before it’ll be available there.
While there is plenty of value in using crowdsourced reviews, it’s also hard to beat the likes of Pete Wells and the Michelin Guide when it comes to deciding where to spend your hard-earned money on that $400 prix fixe dinner.