If you’re an avid foodie like myself, chances are you’ve heard of Beli. This fast-growing app allows users to rate, bookmark and rank restaurants, but what sets it apart from other review platforms is its social aspect. By connecting with your friends, you can see where they’re dining through a scrollable feed, adding a unique, interactive layer to the app. You can even enter your school email to compare your activity with others at your university.
I find myself constantly using Beli to see what spots my friends frequent, plan my next reservation and proudly share my latest restaurant find. The app has redefined how I approach eating out while also strengthening my sense of community, even allowing me to rekindle friendships. One of my favorite features identifies overlapping bookmarks between you and your friends, which makes it easy to turn shared interests into plans. Using this feature, I noticed that a friend from freshman year also wanted to try the same restaurant as me, so I reached out and we quickly set a date. Instead of overthinking what to do or where to go, Beli removes the pressure from deciding where to eat next.
When searching for my next restaurant pick, I consider three major factors: the cuisine I’m craving, whether my friends have visited and the price of the meal. Beli’s greatest strength is its use of trust to encourage and validate new restaurant choices — and a friend’s recommendation can be far more trustworthy than a stranger’s, especially if you know you have similar tastes. I have taken advantage of the ability to read friends’ reviews of their experiences and see which dishes they’ve highlighted as favorites.
When it comes to my own ratings, I usually focus most on whether I would revisit the restaurant when formulating my review. That decision is dependent on several factors: the quality of the service, if the food seems worth the price and most importantly, how it tastes. There have been times when I have found the food to be phenomenal, but the portion-to-price ratio made it unlikely for me to return. In other cases, a great meal has been overshadowed by the restaurant’s poor service.
My Top 3 Boston-Based Restaurants
1) The Elephant Walk South End
Rating: 9.9/10
At The Elephant Walk, I ordered the Pavé de Saumon, and I absolutely loved how substantial this dish was. The salmon fillet was paired with a delicious butter sauce, buttered corn and an arugula salad. The fish was delectable, and I liked that it was free of the overly “fishy” taste that seafood can occasionally have. The dish is typically served with mashed potatoes, but I ordered it with the buttered corn instead, which I highly recommend as a substitute. The arugula salad offered a refreshing contrast and helped to balance the richness of the meal. I enjoyed the experience so much that I’m planning to return for my graduation dinner with a group of nine.
Rating: 9.8/10
Many of my friends had already tried this spot, revisited it and consistently rated it highly on Beli, so it had been sitting in my bookmarks for a while. When I finally tried it, it did not disappoint. I got the Miso Butter Cod, Akami Jelly, Blue Crab and Spicy Scallop handrolls. The Miso Butter Cod stood out for its depth of flavor, while the tobiko on the Spicy Scallop roll added the perfect amount of texture to the meal. The ponzu jelly on top of the Akami Jelly provided a bright contrast to the tuna flavor as well. The Blue Crab was still a delicious handroll, but it was a bit more straightforward compared to the other rolls. One thing to note: Matsunori is walk-in only. Though we arrived just a few minutes after opening, the wait for a party of three was close to an hour.
3) Sushi by Bosso Ramen Tavern
Rating: 9.8/10
Again, a lot of my friends had either visited or bookmarked this spot on their Beli, so I knew I had to try it out. I ordered the Tokyo Nigiri Set, which felt reasonably priced for the amount of nigiri served. My favorites in this set were the lean tuna and eel, two options I do not typically prefer, but the chefs at Sushi by Bosso Ramen Tavern blew it out of the park. What ultimately made the experience, though, was the incredible service and ambiance. Every time a new customer walked in, all of the staff called out to greet them, which is a classic Japanese tradition. As a final touch, complimentary green tea was offered upon request. It’s delicious toasted rice flavor rounded out the meal perfectly.