Restaurant Finder
A discovery and food-journal experience that connects open geographic data with the personal story of where you’ve eaten.
The question
Finding somewhere to eat and remembering the places you enjoyed are parts of the same journey. I wanted to bring discovery and visit history together without paid discovery services.
The approach
I used OpenStreetMap Overpass search, Nominatim geocoding, client-side cuisine ranking, and an adjustable search radius. Visit history and ratings stay in local storage.
What I built
A zero-cost discovery prototype with a personal food journal and passport-style stamps designed to encourage return visits.
The decisions
behind the interface.
Start with open geographic data
Overpass supplies restaurant discovery and Nominatim resolves locations. Leaflet provides the map interface, connecting the project directly to my GIS background.
Let people define nearby
An adjustable radius and client-side cuisine ranking make search reflect the visitor’s context instead of a single fixed definition of proximity.
Make history feel personal
Local visit history, ratings, and passport-style stamps turn a search utility into a record of places explored.
Account for cost and credentials
After evaluating LLM cost and credential risks, I selected scripted guidance. The prototype can communicate the intended experience without a public API key.