There’s one question most people ask themselves (or their significant others) every day: “What should we do for dinner?” For such a simple question, the answer can be really elusive…especially if you’re not having any particular food cravings. Thankfully, there are tons of iPhone apps out there that can help you figure out what to eat tonight. One app that is pretty comprehensive in this arena is MyPref.

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

MyPref helps users decide where they want to eat. The app records your food preferences, helps you find restaurants near you that are cooking what you’re in the mood for, and even alerts you to nearby deals that can save you money.

Pros

• Has tons of search options: word-based search, visual browsing of dishes by type, or meal deals from nearby restaurants
• Works with or without Facebook login (but Facebook login is required to check-in at restaurants, add photos, or “Pref” a menu item)
• Simple interface that integrates a map view with search functionality and visual images of food
• Includes menu and prices for most restaurants!

Cons

• Restaurant listings by location seem limited: I scrolled down to the very end of my results, and that only gave me the closest listings within 2.73 miles. That’s great for if I’m walking, but feels limited if I’m willing to drive.
• Search lacks specificity: a search for “Ethiopian” will bring up Ethiopian food, but also coffee shops that serve Ethiopian blends
• Visual search by food “genre” seems to be lacking some basic categories: there’s a burger, pasta, sandwich, seafood, and Indian category….but where are the categories for Chinese, sushi, or Mexican?
• Not all menus include prices

Discussion

Restaurant listings by location seem limited: you get more widespread results if you use specific keywords, but if you want a general overview of all the restaurants near you, you might be disappointed.

I scrolled down to the very end of my results, and that only gave me the closest listings within 2.73 miles. That’s great for if I’m walking, but feels limited if I’m willing to drive. I wish unlimited scrolling was enabled on that part of the search function in the app.

A lot of people I know hate apps that require Facebook login to make full use of the app. We’ve all been burned by Facebook logins in apps that spam our feeds, or share more information than we intended to. Thankfully, the use of Facebook login in MyPref isn’t strictly required…unless you want to check-in or “Pref” a given menu item.

Overall, I think the interface here is solid. There’s a nice balance between the map view and the various visual/category views. It’s maybe not the sleekest app I’ve ever seen, but it’s solid

Conclusion and download link

If you like to eat, then there’s no reason not to have this app installed on your phone. Whether you want to eat locally or try someplace new during your travels, this helpful app is a useful tool…even if you don’t want to use the Facebook functionality. MyPref may not be the most appetizing name for a food app, but it gets the job done.

Price: Free

Version reviewed: 2.1.1

Supported OS: Requires iOS 4.3 or later

Download size: 8.6 MB

MyPref on Apple App Store