Searching to Rate and Discover

On our Product Ideas page, many of you have asked for ways to filter places on Hotpot.

All you mobile users may have noticed that on Google Maps for Android, you can already filter places by business hours and star ratings to help you find a great restaurant that’s open for business when you’re looking for places on the go. So filtering is definitely something that we think is important and we’re working hard to expose such filters elsewhere too.

In the interim, an easy way to filter your search results on your desktop computer, and one that offers maximum flexibility, is simply by modifying your query. Whether you’re looking for a favorite dish or a particular atmosphere, you can use search to define the types of places you rate and discover.


Search to rate
The Hotpot desktop app allows you to rate lots of places quickly. Have you been to every hipster coffee shop in your city? Try searching “hipster coffee shop” on Hotpot.

From there, you can easily go through and rate your favorite epic coffee joints.

Search to discover new places
Hotpot is integrated into the search feature on Google Maps, so you can search on Maps to find new places. Just like searching to rate, you can enter a more specific search query to filter your results on Google Maps.

Maybe you’re heading out on a family vacation to Austin, and you want to find good family friendly restaurants in the area. Try searching something like “family friendly restaurants.” If your friends have rated places in Austin, you’ll see their recommendations in your search results.

Search by dish
You can even search on Google Maps to satisfy your craving. I’m a sucker for brunch, and love French toast. I’m using Maps and Hotpot in my quest to find the best French toast in San Francisco.

Play around with your searches to find the types of places you like. Check out a few fun search queries and their results.

• Green eggs and ham
• Blueberry pancakes
• Quirky movie theaters
• Cheap Indian food
• Fit for foodies

Our Product Ideas page is live for one more week, so keep posting ideas, and we’ll keep responding!

Posted by Cecelia Stewart, Strategist for Google Places and Hotpot