Best apps to decide where to eat with friends

Choose the app that matches how your group likes to decide. Swipe apps such as ForkYes, Sawa Eats and Tenders deal out nearby restaurants and stop when the group matches. Restaurant Roulette picks at random. Palytt Rooms lets you add the candidates, vote on places and dates, and lock one pick; invited friends can vote in a browser without installing the app.

We make Palytt, so read this with that in mind. Descriptions of other apps come from their US App Store listings, which we checked on October 10, 2026. We compare what each listing says; we have not tested every app, and we have not measured how well any of them find restaurants where you live.

Which kind of group decision app fits your friends?

Most apps for this job use one of three methods:

• Swipe to match. Everyone swipes through a deck of restaurants and the app stops when the group agrees, or ranks the results. This is fast, and the app brings the options.
• Spin to pick. You build a list and the app picks one at random. It ends the argument but ignores how much anyone wants a place.
• Vote and lock a plan. You or the host propose a few places, the group votes, and the host confirms the winner and, if needed, a time.

Swipe suits a group that has no idea where to go. Voting suits a group that already has two or three candidates, for example after someone suggested places in the chat.

How do the swipe apps compare?

All of these describe a session you start and friends join. Check how each handles people who haven't installed it.

• ForkYes: you create an outing, set a location and filters, and invite your group. Everyone swipes Nope, Maybe or Yum, and the app ranks the results. Its listing mentions filters for price, distance and availability. First released in March 2026.
• Sawa Eats: you start a session and share an invite link or code. The group swipes on nearby restaurants and the app confirms when everyone picks the same place. Its listing describes a custom map boundary, cuisine and price filters, dietary filters such as vegan, halal and gluten-free, and a history of past decisions.
• Tenders: you create a room, invite friends and swipe. Its listing says no account is necessary and that friends join by link or QR code. The listing's last update was in April 2022, so confirm it still works on your phone.
• DinnerSwipe: built for two to four people who each swipe the same deck without seeing each other's choices. Its listing says no account is needed for anyone. It is new, released in August 2026, with only a couple of ratings.

Which apps pick at random or suit two people?

• Restaurant Roulette: you search nearby, add restaurants or enter your own, then spin a wheel. It can filter by food category, price and distance. Its listing's last update was in April 2024.
• Dinner Decider: you and a friend each rate six places and the app shows the shared result. Its listing says group support is an in-app purchase.

If you only need a tiebreaker between places you already have in mind, the free restaurant picker on Palytt's site works without an app: add your list, remove places that miss a hard requirement, and draw from the rest.

How does a Palytt Room work for deciding?

A Room is a shared space for one meal. The host adds restaurant options, invites the group and, if the time is open, proposes dates. Each person votes, and the host locks the plan.

The part that matters for mixed groups is guest voting. An invited guest can open the Room link in a browser, enter a display name, accept the Terms and Community Guidelines and vote without creating a Palytt account. The invitation must be valid and the decision still open; once the plan is confirmed, restaurant voting closes.

Because Rooms live inside Palytt, the group can also look at dish details and friends' ratings where they exist before choosing what to order. That is context for the table, not a score for the group: a Palytt personal match score is individual and appears only when there is enough evidence from that person's taste.

What should you check before choosing one?

• Who has to install it? If one friend refuses to download another app, favor an option that lets guests join from a link. Tenders and DinnerSwipe say no account is needed; Palytt guests vote in a browser.
• Where do the restaurants come from? Swipe apps generate a deck for a location. Palytt Rooms and the restaurant picker start from your own shortlist.
• How recently was it updated? Some listings have not changed in years. A recent update date is not a quality guarantee, but an old one is a reason to test before the night you need it.
• What does the group care about? Dietary filters, price and distance matter more than the swiping mechanic once the options are on screen.

How can Palytt help?

Palytt helps a group agree on a place and then helps each person choose a dish. Add your shortlist to a Room, invite everyone, vote, and lock the pick; friends who have rated dishes at that restaurant add context for ordering. Read how it works on the decide where to eat page.

It is not a swipe deck. Palytt will not generate a list of every restaurant near you for the group to swipe on, it does not take reservations, and dish information and friends' ratings are available only where people have shared them. Palytt is free for iPhone and iPad; an Android app is not available yet.

FAQ

What is the best app to decide where to eat with friends?

There is no single best app. Swipe apps like ForkYes and Sawa Eats are quick when nobody has a candidate, while Palytt Rooms suit groups that already have a shortlist and want a vote. Pick based on whether your friends will install an app.

Is there an app that picks a restaurant randomly?

Yes. Restaurant Roulette builds a list of nearby or entered restaurants and spins a wheel. If you want a random draw without an app, Palytt's restaurant picker lets you add your own shortlist and draws from the places that remain.

Can my friends vote without downloading the app?

With Palytt, yes: invited guests can open a Room link in a browser and vote without an account while the invitation is valid and the decision is open. Tenders and DinnerSwipe say in their listings that no account is needed.

Do these apps work for large groups?

Check each listing. DinnerSwipe is described for up to four people, Dinner Decider's group support is an in-app purchase, and Tenders says friends can be added by link or QR code. Palytt Rooms are designed for a group around one table.