Houston, how do you decide where to eat?

Hey y’all — I’ve been working on something I think might resonate with the Houston food crowd.

A friend and I (he also started Vivino way back) are building a new app called Vota to help people figure out where to eat — but without stars, reviews, or influencer hype. Instead, it’s brutally simple: you get shown two local spots, and you vote for the one you’d rather eat at.

Truth BBQ or Gatlin’s? The Original Ninfa’s or Xochi? Tacos Tierra Caliente or Velvet Taco?

You pick what you prefer — that’s it.

The idea is: the more people vote, the clearer the local food map becomes. It doesn’t matter if you’re comparing a taco truck to a high-end spot — this isn’t about “objective quality,” just real preferences from actual locals.

We’re just getting started in Houston, so yeah, the list might be a little messy right now — some spots are missing or miscategorized. That’s fair, and we’re actively fixing things based on feedback. We’ve got a Discord if anyone wants to suggest restaurants or roast the design: https://discord.gg/qqbZxvAARC

The app’s called Vota, it’s 100% free on the App Store, and there’s no catch. We’re just trying to crowdsource a more honest way to find good food around town.

https://apps.apple.com/app/vota-restaurant-ratings/id6744969212

And yeah, I know this looks like an ad. You’re not wrong — but you’re also getting something out of it: recommendations from fellow Houstonians, not influencers or marketers.

Curious what y’all think.