[ghaff]

I put Yelp in the category of often (maybe even usually) better than sticking a finger on the map. Or just finding some minimally acceptable place. But, I agree that it's not great and, for me at least, a lot of reviewers seem to have very different priorities than I do and there often do seem to be a lot of weird complaints.

[arkades]

I find Yelp a very reliable source of tourist traps.

If you’re not in an area where that’s a risk, it’s not a good way to find -good- food, but it’s a good way to find the best local mainstream food. If the local mainstream best is mediocre... yeah, it’ll be 5 stars on yelp.

[ghaff]

I don't really disagree with that. It's also a reasonably good way (most of the time) to avoid really bad choices. I certainly don't love Yelp but it's often better than alternatives when traveling. It's not like I find asking for recommendations at a hotel necessarily yields great results either.