My tastebuds are digital

Food-Tech is changing the way we taste (+ my top 5 rated restaurants of all time)

Mar 11, 2025

I woke up yesterday to a push notification on my home screen, half asleep I pressed down to read, “a friend of yours has ranked a restaurant you loved!” a 6.4?

Said “friend” was my boyfriend, and to provide context nobody asked for- he’s not a social media guy, I certainly didn’t know he had numeric opinions on past meals, and he couldn’t care less about the opening of a new restaurant. Where was this coming from?

I called him with the intent to argue over the intricacies of why the restaurant should be an 8.0 at the (very least) for the stuffed octopus alone, and to better understand the sudden imputus for the app being downloaded onto his 5-app-iphone. My genuine eye rolls and scoffs throughout our conversation led me to realize we really are in the age of Food-Technology.

If I heard this conversation with no context 3 years ago, I would have thought we were progressing into something black mirror-like. It seems like satire, and the phrase ‘food-tech’ may have just been made up by me, but more normal than not nowadays we’re finishing our meals with technology for dessert.

Photos, posts, recommendations…how others share a meal digitally says so much about them. What did they order? How did their tastebuds react? How could they possibly think that restaurant deserved a 10? I guess the mystery of living life on earth in a single body as we know it will never reveal if our taste buds are at all similar to one another (because how could anyone seek out a tuna melt?)

This isn’t really me pointing out how people rank restaurants, but more the new way that we perceive them with the statistically common question of “what would you rate this place” being asked as you exit a restaurant by your dining-partner. It’s also the the behavioral shift of remembering to taste and enjoy what’s on your plate before sharing it with the internet. A new definition of “Phone Eats First” so to speak.

Purveyors of Food-Tech

1. Beli

I’m not writing about Beli to introduce you to Beli- I’m sure you’ve already met. What was a restaurant snob’s secret archive has now become a household name. I used to think I was part of a niche group of users who this app was *made for*, but my 600 phone contacts with accounts now says otherwise. I think I love it?

My lowest and highest rankings of all time

Beli is arguably the pioneer of integrating technology in your everyday dining experience by seamlessly encouraging historic and present rankings of every place you’ve ever gone- from the tiny ice cream shop on your 2022 Mexico vacation to the new restaurant you just paid the check at.

My favorite part is the addictive ranking formula which is a game of ‘this or that’ when trying to decide where the restaurant currently being ranked falls amongst your leaderboard. “What’s your Beli Account?” has also become one of the top comments on my social accounts, allowing random strangers to vet how good my taste really is.

If you must know, it’s linked here .

Similar to the concept of “Yelp Elite” that I remember hearing about in my later teen years, Beli also has their own intimate supper club hosted by their founders for power users. I’ve seen the outtakes from their events at incredible restaurants like 4 Charles and Monkey Bar, which seems to be the award of highest honor when reaching a certain ranking status within the community. [How do I get invited]

2. ResX

Contrary to popular belief of someone who writes about restaurants, I almost never have a reservation anywhere going into the weekend. The way I dine is like flying standby- I only go if I get a resy notification, walk in and put my name down, or get lucky using the ResX app.

ResX is the cooler, free Dorsia. The fact that people are spending $600 for a table at Torrisi on Dorsia is frankly ludicrous, however, the offering up of free, unused reservations to the community that you’re no longer able to make is what makes ResX both harmless and genius for those who care the slightest bit more about getting a hot table.

Their interface is simple, you can upload a reservation, claim a reservation, and now you can see what reservations you missed out on. If you pay $8 a month you have access to “premium” tables, but I’ve gotten a few great ones (Lilia, Theadora, and Claud) on the free plan just fine, no need to pay.

Table One is another helpful reservation app if there is a spot you want to go to so badly that you’re willing to have 40 notifications invade your phone at random spurts of the day in order to get a 5pm spot.

3. The Corner App

My friends at the Corner App have created a unique search engine focused around specific cravings for local restaurants, cafes, and nightlife called ‘vibe search’. A few examples of things to feed the search bar could be: ‘spots to co-work from, ceremonial grade matcha near me, places I can walk into’, and really anything descriptive to match the niche situation you’re looking for.

I found myself naturally opening the Corner App last weekend to discover a new spacious cafe called Silence Please after getting rejected from two cafes with my laptop and zero seats in sight- (one of the most agonizing and sweaty experiences New York can provide you).

So much space to work and write at Silence Please!

The app is also quite visual and really utilizes the map, bringing forward photos of places popular within the community in your close radius, which is quickly being picked up in other cities such as Seoul and Tokyo, so could come in handy for chatty recs from locals when visiting a new city.

Side note- I’m curious about Marble

Marble is a dating app that allows you to post and join reservations from other single people as the starting point of the date. I’m not single, but think it’s an interesting concept and would love to meet friends this way. I’m super curious if anyone has used the platform and has successfully requested a date with someone based on a reservation they posted?