If Goodreads fell in love and had a baby with Yelp, it would be the food reviewing app Beli.
And oddly enough, Beli is actually the result of a love story.
App creators Judy Thelen and Eliot Frost met in New York City after finishing their respective undergraduate degrees, developing their relationship around trying new restaurants around the city. They struggled, however, to find an app that gave reliable reviews or allowed them to rate the places they tried, leading them to create Beli in 2021.
Beli allows users to keep organized lists and maps of everywhere they’ve been and want to try, follow their friends and find personalized restaurant recommendations.
McCormick senior Gillian Nieh, a self-described lifetime foodie and matcha connoisseur, downloaded Beli in its early days.
Nieh said she enjoys the app’s feed feature, which allows users to see where friends have recently eaten and their thoughts on the experience. When looking at a specific restaurant, users can see how their friends rated the restaurant and the dishes they recommend.
“It’s fun to just see where people are eating. I think it’s fun to have the feed of my friends and see their photos and reactions,” Nieh said. “Another thing that I find really fun is when you are searching for a restaurant, you can see what your friends thought of it.”
When users log a new restaurant on Beli, the app allows them to add the date they visited, pictures, notes and dishes that they tried. Beli then asks users how much they liked the restaurant compared to other restaurants they’ve already ranked, picking one by one which establishment they preferred.
Each restaurant a user logs is added to a comprehensive list, allowing them to view their top places. Based on that ranking, the app assigns each restaurant on the user’s list a Beli “score” unique to the user.
Medill junior and former Daily staffer Zoe Chao has 744 restaurants ranked. She enjoys being able to document everything and provide recommendations using her rankings.
“I have a digital diary of everywhere I’ve been. If my friends ever need recommendations, I can refer them to my Beli and just have them just search up what I’ve eaten,” Chao said. “I personally love my palate, and I trust that I can give good recommendations.”
After downloading the app just last year, McCormick junior Nicole Payton already has 236 restaurants ranked on Beli and said the app helps her give better recommendations.
For avid food enthusiasts, Payton recommends Tomate Fresh Kitchen and Union Squared in Evanston, and Aba or Ēma in the greater Chicagoland area.
Both Chao and Nieh recommend Maxwells Trading, an Asian-influenced American restaurant in downtown Chicago.
The recommendation feature of Beli allows users to see recommendations from people they know and don’t know, broadening their culinary horizons.
“I also love seeing all of my friends rating their favorite restaurants, and then comparing and seeing what we each liked,” Payton said. “Also, just getting recommendations from other people, whether I know them or not.”
Chao, like many Beli users, grew up trying new restaurants and cuisines with her family. Eating good food always reminds her of the good memories she’s made eating out with her family, she said.
Looking to find a similar community on campus, Chao joined Spoon University. Many “spoonies,” as magazine members refer to each other, are on Beli, and Chao enjoys the way it allows them to connect, she said.
“Finding that sense of love for food, a community that loves food at Northwestern and then finding that same community with obviously other people on an app,” Chao said. “It’s awesome to see, and it’s awesome to be a part of and feel like a bigger community.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Open Tab: Wafflavor serves up delectable treats but leaves a thin impression
— Open Tab: Cross-Rhodes brings rich Mediterranean fare to Evanston
— Open Tab: Pinto Thai invites diners to slow down and share authentic dishes
