Bookatable

Headquartered in London and acquired by Michelin in 2016, Bookatable has become one of the leading restaurant reservation platforms around, offering more than 9,000 establishments worldwide. Its content is available in eleven different languages and currently serves over 200,000 diners each month in helping them find and book their ideal meal out. Their free smartphone app operates on both Android and iOS, meaning diners can reserve tables on the go as well as whilst they are sat at their desktops.

Searching for somewhere to grab a bite is easy on Bookatable, simply requiring users to enter their location and hit go. After a quick load, they will be taken to a new page where they can view all restaurants, or pick from different categories to help narrow down results. One of my favourite categories here is the ‘Dine for £20 and Under’ option as it gives a whole host of different establishments where you can get cheap deals, such as two courses and a glass of wine, or three courses and a cocktail, which are offers that would normally be hard to find in the centre of London. ‘Restaurants With A View’ is another good category, especially for a romantic meal.

I also particularly enjoy referring to the Bookatable Blog, which offers customers useful food-related articles on everything from fine dining reviews to exclusive competitions and the chance of winning free meals for two in affiliated establishments. If I ever find myself lacking imagination for where to eat out, I will often resort to the ‘Top Ten’ lists that are included on the blog, as these usually feature great suggestions and can help inspire your palate.

The only issue I found with Bookatable was the lack of search filters once you have selected your location. Whilst the themes and categories help narrow down the options, you can only select cuisine type when the results are listed. I felt as though filters, such as price range, review score and ambience, would have been good additions to the website and perhaps have made it more comprehensive as a platform.

David Jones

I am a professional travel writer and travel enthusiast who traveled the world twice, so I am sharing my firsthand knowledge about everything related to travel and spending time abroad.