Google Maps releases its first Fan-Favorite Dining Lists
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Google Maps releases its first fan-generated dining guide.Phot courtesy of Google Maps
Google Maps announced the launch on Thursday of its first Fan-Favorite Dining Lists built on real-world reviews, ratings, and aggregated direction requests. The lists have been curated for 10 cities considered global hot spots over the last year: Atlanta, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Montreal, New York, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle, and Tokyo.
The lists highlight the most-loved dining destinations, trending bites, and go-to spots in these cities. Through the live interactive hub at mapsfanfavorites.withgoogle.com, users can choose a city and target different categories, including Essential Stops for a meal, beverage, or treat; Top Picks for Occasion, such as celebrations, good vibes, or cheap eats; and specific items Trending in Reviews, like matcha, beignets, or ube.
Users can also discover the top trending foods and beverages in each city — those that have generated the most mentions in reviews. Froyo rules in New York, increasing 320%year over year, while Montreal craves cinnamon buns, and Tokyo, mochi. While matcha is up worldwide, its close relative, hojicha, rose 114% in London. And Seattle is big on dosas, with a 136% jump year over year.
“Our first-ever Fan-Favorite list spotlights top local restaurants and culinary trends across 10 cities — made possible only by Google Maps and the billions of people who use it to find, review, and rate places to eat,” said Andrew Duchi, director of product management at Google, in an email.
The Fan-Favorite Dining Lists are the latest play by Google Maps to steer diners to a restaurant. Users can also say or type what they’re craving into the app — like a smashburger and a shake — and the platform analyzes photos, reviews, and menus to find a match. Google Maps also allows a customer to order delivery through Uber Eats, Toast, and Square — a feature integrated into Ask Google, an agentic AI chatbot in the Maps app.
Another Maps feature is the “know before you go” tips section. The Maps community of insiders provides intel on how to snag a hard-to-get reservation, where to park, what dishes to order, etc. when a user searches for restaurants.
The 2026 Fan-Favorite Dining List was selected based on information from Google Maps from September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026, including reviews and ratings from the Local Guides community, aggregated searches for directions, and a final verification process.
