TikTok expands into restaurant guides with ‘Must Eat’ feature

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TikTok has long been a go-to place for discovering new spots, with viral videos helping local restaurants attract new customers. Now, TikTok is making it easier for users to find their next favorite restaurant with a new feature called “Must Eat.”

Introduced Wednesday, the community-driven guide highlights restaurants getting attention on the platform, bringing food recommendations from across the U.S. into one place.

The move puts TikTok in more direct competition with platforms like Yelp and Google Maps. But instead of relying mainly on search results, maps, and traditional reviews, TikTok is building on what it already does well: connecting people with restaurants through recommendations shared by other users.

“Must Eat” uses more than 40 million posts and comments to pull restaurant recommendations and curated lists together in one place. Users can browse restaurants by city and filter results by cuisine, price, rating, and location, making it easier to compare options before heading out.

The recommendations are split into two categories: “Everyday Eats,” featuring casual favorites and neighborhood go-tos, and “Elevated Dining,” highlighting restaurants for celebrations, special occasions, or a night out.

Additionally, select restaurants can be booked directly through TikTok via OpenTable.

The feature is launching first in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Users can find it through the search bar, the Local feed, restaurant pages, and location links attached to videos featuring participating restaurants.