Quick Answer: There are loads of ways to find great spots on rec'd — search for something specific, browse your personalised feed, explore what the people you follow are recommending, or import places you've spotted on social media.
1. Search for places
The quickest way to find somewhere specific or explore a particular cuisine or area.
How to use it
Tap the search bar at the top of the screen and type what you're looking for. You can search by:
- Restaurant name — "Padella", "Dishoom"
- Cuisine — "Japanese", "Mexican", "Thai"
- Neighbourhood — "Soho", "Peckham", "Shoreditch"
- Vibe or occasion — "Date night", "Brunch", "Rooftop"
- Combinations — "Italian Soho", "Cheap eats Dalston"
Results will show you matching restaurants along with who recommended them and key details like price range and cuisine.
📸 SCREENSHOT: Search bar with an example query typed in (e.g., "Italian Soho")
📸 SCREENSHOT: Search results page showing matching restaurants with creator attribution
Tips for better searches
- Keep it simple — one or two words usually works best
- Try vibes, not just cuisines — searching "cosy" or "buzzy" can surface great results
- Check the filters — narrow results by price, distance, or dining style after searching
2. Follow people and browse their lists
One of the best ways to discover places on rec'd is through the people you follow. Every user can create lists of their favourite spots, and you can browse them all.
How to use it
Finding people to follow
You can follow creators and friends in a few ways:
- From your onboarding — You'll be suggested creators during signup based on your taste
- From the Explore tab — Browse featured and suggested creators
- From a venue card — See who recommended a place, tap their name to view their profile
- By searching — Search for a specific username or name
📸 SCREENSHOT: A creator's profile page showing their bio, follower count, and rec count
Browsing someone's lists
Once you follow someone, tap into their profile to see their lists. Creators and users organise their recommendations into themed lists, for example:
- "Best brunch in East London"
- "Date night spots"
- "Under £15 lunches"
- "My go-to takeaways"
Tap any list to see every restaurant in it, then save individual places or the entire list.
📸 SCREENSHOT: A user's profile showing their lists (e.g., themed list tiles)
📸 SCREENSHOT: Inside a list showing the restaurants it contains
Your following feed
When someone you follow creates or updates a list, saves a new restaurant, or follows a new account, it'll appear in your personal feed on the Explore tab (more on that in section 5).
Tips
- Follow a mix — Creators for curation, friends for personal recs
- Check list descriptions — Creators often explain what ties a list together
- Save entire lists — If a list matches your vibe, save it all in one tap rather than adding places individually
3. Explore "Featured In" lists on venue cards
When you're looking at a restaurant, you'll often see other curated lists it appears in — this is a great way to fall down a rabbit hole of discovery.
How to use it
When viewing a venue card, scroll to the bottom and look for the "Featured In" section. This shows you all the lists that include this restaurant.
For example, if you're looking at a pasta restaurant, you might see it featured in:
- "Best Italian in London" by @cripndip
- "Affordable date nights" by @recd
- "Carb heaven 🍝" by @dudu.eats
Tap any list to explore the other restaurants in it. If you like one place on a list, chances are you'll like the others.
📸 SCREENSHOT: Bottom of a venue card showing the "Featured In" section with multiple lists
📸 SCREENSHOT: Tapping through to one of the featured lists
Why this is useful
This is how you go from knowing one good restaurant to discovering ten more. The "Featured In" lists connect you to curated collections from creators and the rec'd team that share a common theme — whether that's cuisine, neighbourhood, vibe, or price point.
4. Import places from social media
Spotted a restaurant on TikTok or Instagram? Don't just screenshot it and forget — bring it straight into rec'd.
How to use it
Importing from Instagram
- Go to Profile → Settings → Import saved places → Instagram
- Connect your Instagram account
- rec'd will scan your saved posts for restaurant content
- Review the matches and tap "Import"
📸 SCREENSHOT: Instagram import screen showing recognised restaurants from saved posts
Sharing from social media directly
When you see a restaurant post on Instagram, TikTok, or anywhere else:
- Tap the share button on the post
- Select rec'd from the share sheet
- rec'd will try to match the restaurant automatically
- Confirm the match and it's saved to your list
📸 SCREENSHOT: Share sheet on a social media post with rec'd highlighted as a share target
Manual search after spotting something
If the share function doesn't work or you just saw a place on someone's story:
- Open rec'd
- Search for the restaurant name
- Save it to your preferred list
Tips
- Import your Instagram saves regularly — New saves won't auto-sync, so come back and re-import when you've saved more places
- Use the share button whenever possible — it's faster than searching manually
- Check that the match is correct — Sometimes restaurant names are common, so make sure rec'd has found the right location
5. Browse the Explore tab
The Explore tab is your main discovery hub and has two feeds: a general rec'd feed and your personal feed.
The rec'd feed
This is curated by the rec'd team and the wider community. Here you'll find:
- rec'd lists — Curated collections like "Best new openings this month" or "London's top 10 pizza spots"
- Highlighted venues — Standout restaurants we think deserve attention
- Events — Pop-ups, supper clubs, and food events happening in your city
- Seasonal picks — Timely recommendations like "Best rooftops for summer" or "Cosy winter warmers"
This feed is the same for everyone and is a great way to see what's trending and what the rec'd community is buzzing about.
📸 SCREENSHOT: Explore tab showing the rec'd feed with curated lists, highlighted venues, and events
Your personal feed
Switch to your personal feed to see activity from the people you follow. This includes:
- New lists created — When someone you follow makes a new list
- Lists updated — When they add restaurants to an existing list
- Restaurants saved — When they save a new spot
- Accounts followed — When they follow someone new (a good signal for who else to follow)
- Events — Associated events from profiles you follow
Your personal feed is unique to you — it's shaped entirely by who you follow. The more people you follow, the richer this feed becomes.
📸 SCREENSHOT: Explore tab showing the personal feed with follower activity items
📸 SCREENSHOT: Toggle or tab switcher between rec'd feed and personal feed
Tips for the Explore tab
- Check the rec'd feed weekly — New curated lists are added regularly
- Use your personal feed daily — It's the quickest way to see what's new from people you trust
- Follow more people — If your personal feed feels quiet, follow more creators from the rec'd feed or suggested accounts
- Tap into events — Pop-ups and supper clubs often sell out fast, so staying on top of the Explore tab helps you get in early
Quick comparison
Discovery method | Best for |
Search | When you know what you want — a cuisine, area, or specific restaurant |
Following people & lists | Building a personalised feed of recommendations from people you trust |
Featured In lists | Finding more places like one you already love |
Social media import | Saving spots you've seen on Instagram or TikTok before you forget them |
Explore tab (rec'd feed) | Seeing what's trending and exploring curated collections |
Explore tab (personal feed) | Keeping up with activity from people you follow |
Common issues
Problem: "My personal feed is empty" Solution: You probably haven't followed enough people yet. Go to the Explore tab, check out the rec'd feed, and follow creators whose recommendations look interesting to you.
Problem: "Search isn't showing the restaurant I'm looking for" Solution: The restaurant might not be on rec'd yet. Try searching by a slightly different name or check the spelling. If it's still not there, it may not have been recommended by anyone on the platform yet — as rec'd grows, more venues are added all the time.
Problem: "I don't see a 'Featured In' section on a venue card" Solution: Not all restaurants have been added to lists yet. If a venue is new to rec'd or hasn't been featured in any curated lists, this section won't appear. Check back later as creators are always building new lists.
Problem: "The social media share to rec'd isn't working" Solution: Make sure rec'd is enabled in your phone's share sheet. On iPhone, scroll to the end of the share options, tap "More", and toggle rec'd on. On Android, rec'd should appear automatically if installed.
Problem: "I want to see more of a specific type of recommendation" Solution: Update your taste preferences in Profile → Settings → Taste Preferences. The more specific you are about your flavours and palate, the better rec'd gets at showing you relevant content.
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