Keep hunger at bay, the smart phone way

Zomato

One of the fancier apps, Zomato lets you explore places to eat or order from around your area/city. You can check out a restaurant’s menu, the cost, figure out where it is located, get directions on the map, see pictures of the decor/food/drinks and also read reviews of other patrons. You’re also provided with contact information to make a reservation or order delivery/take away. The user-friendly and easy–to-use UI makes the app a breeze. I just love the “Open Now” feature, because it’s tough to hunt for a place that sells muttai veechu parotta at 6 a.m. otherwise!

Burrp!

The Burrp! app is pretty good when it comes to locating restaurants as well. It includes similar features as that of the Zomato app; however, the feel and look of the UI is slightly less sleek. My favourite feature is the notification I receive every time a new restaurant opens or a food festival is up. It even sends you dry-day alerts, which make planning the weekend super convenient.

Foodpanda

You’re sitting at your desk and realise you worked through lunch. You need your grub, and you need it now. Calling and ordering would just disturb the rest of your colleagues, plus you’re not really in the mood to yell out just how you like your sandwich in the middle of the office. Just open the Foodpanda app, check out the restaurants close to you, decide what you want, how you want it, order and pay online. Easy-peasy. Plus, you get pretty decent discounts and coupons.

Just Eat

Just Eat works pretty much along the same lines as Foodpanda, although the UI experience is slightly less gratifying and the options available are lesser. You’ve also got to be careful while browsing through options as the cuisines and the restaurants providing them may not exactly match.

Dinein.in

Specific to the Chennai food scene, Dinein.in’s number of options available is excellent, as is their service. However the feel and look of the UI is only marginally better than that of a high-schooler’s latest project. The app will do in a pinch, though. So there you have it — the post-modern man’s food-scavenging tools. You’re welcome.