Menupages iPhone App: It’s about time!

How long have I waited for you?

There are many websites I frequent that make me think – “This website is great. How come they do not have an iPhone App? They should have an app. It’s a no brainer. I don’t understand. My mind can’t compute.”

For months on end, this thought would pass through my mind every time I would visit these sites to the point of frustration when no app seemed available. Menupages was one of those websites as well as NPR (They have an app for that!), IMDB (They have an app for that!), NY MAG (The mobile site does not cut it for me), and Metacritic (…..). Well, today, one of my many prayers has been answered.

Menupages finally has an iPhone app….

I do not know who referred me to this site years ago; I cannot even remember when I began to use it. I just know that this site has been a godsend ever since I moved to New York a few years ago. For the uninitiated (new resident and tourist alike), the navigation of NYC’s food options can be a bit daunting though manageable in time. On numerous occasions, Manupages has directed me to restaurants that easily became favorites of mine. The reason why Menupages trumps many restaurant websites is found in its name – it has menus. It has one thing to know if a Thai restaurant has good reviews for both service and food. It is a better thing to know whether this restaurant has fried calamari and fried banana with ice cream (some Thai restaurants in NY don’t). It not only helps to know what is on the menu before you step out the door.

For quite some time, I relied upon the Yelp iPhone app religiously to get an idea of a restaurant’s service and the food based on user-based reviews (more honest and direct than your local newspaper food critic). Yet, there are times that I sit down and peruse the menu while in the restaurant only to learn that the food was not what I expected , or the food that I expected was nowhere to be found. Don’t get me wrong. I still love me some Yelp App. I will just be sure to use both the Menupages and Yelp app in tandem when making an informed food decision.

Understandably, the Menupages app may have a few kinks and quirks to work out in version 1.0, but I am confident that frequents updates will make this a solid and relevant app from now and next day. If you are familiar with their menupages homepage as well as restaurant-based apps such as Yelp, you will have no problem becoming comfortable navigating this app.

My only gripe with this app and the website for that matter is that it does not include any restaurants in Queens. If anyone has had the pleasure of venturing out to Astoria, Elmhurst, Flushing, Jackson Heights, and Woodside; you know that most of the ethnic food fare in this overlooked and underrated borough far outdistances the trendy restaurants that you would find in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Hopefully, Menupages will come to their senses because I have had the best Filipino, Spanish (from various countries), Indian, and Thai food in Queens. I do not lie.

In any case, I am happy. All is well in the app world today.

Share and Enjoy: