How to Get on Google Maps' Fan-Favorite List (2026)

It's Thursday afternoon, an hour before service. Your supplier forwards you a link: Google Maps has just published its first Fan-Favorite Dining List. Two places on your street made it. You didn't. Your food is just as good, your rating is fine, and nobody at Google ever asked you anything. So how did they choose?

Here's the honest answer: there's no form to fill in and no fee to pay. Google built the list from what diners already do on Maps: the reviews they write, the ratings they give and the directions they ask for. In this post you'll learn what Google has actually said about how the list works, what it hasn't said, and a simple weekly routine that strengthens those same signals for your restaurant, café or bar, whether or not you're in one of the ten cities.

In short

• You can't apply. The Fan-Favorite list is built from Google Maps data: reviews, ratings and direction requests.
• What diners write matters. Google tracked which dishes people mention in reviews, not just star ratings.
• It covers ten cities for now, but the same signals shape how every restaurant shows up on Maps.
• The fix is a routine, not a trick: ask every table, ask while the meal is fresh, and make leaving a review take one tap.
• Never buy, reward or filter reviews. It breaks Google's rules and, in many countries, the law.

What Google Maps' Fan-Favorite list is

On 8 October 2026, Google announced its first Fan-Favorite Dining List, a yearly roundup of the restaurants and dishes Maps users loved most. Diners can browse it on an interactive hub at mapsfanfavorites.withgoogle.com and save the lists in Google Maps.

The 10 cities and what's on the lists

The first edition covers Atlanta, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Montréal, New York, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle and Tokyo. According to Nation's Restaurant News, each city is split into categories such as:

• Essential Stops: a meal, a drink or a treat you shouldn't miss.
• Top Picks for Occasion: for example celebrations or cheap eats.
• Trending in Reviews: specific items people talked about more, like matcha or beignets.

Google also highlights the most-navigated-to dining spot in each city and the top-reviewed places for big portions and small bills.

The trends Google highlighted, and what the numbers mean

Google grouped the year into three food trends: classic treats, matcha and earthy flavours, and crispy, golden comfort food. Some of the headline numbers: frozen yoghurt mentions in New York reviews up 320%, mochi in Tokyo up 168%, dosas in Seattle up 136%.

Notice what those numbers measure: growth in how often a dish is mentioned in reviews. Not sales, not visits. That's the most useful clue in the whole announcement for a restaurant owner.

How Google picks the restaurants

The three signals Google names

Google says the list "taps into Google Maps' reviews, ratings, and aggregated searches for directions." Nation's Restaurant News adds that the data ran from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, that reviews and ratings from the Local Guides community were an input, and that there was a final verification step.

In plain terms, three things counted:

1. Reviews: what people wrote, including which dishes they named.
2. Ratings: the stars.
3. Direction requests: how many people actually asked Maps to take them to you.

What Google hasn't said

Be wary of anyone claiming to know the formula. Google hasn't published how the signals are weighted, whether there's a minimum number of reviews, what the verification step checks, or whether the list will come back next year or expand to more cities. Anything beyond the three signals above is a guess.

Can you apply? (No, and that's good news)

There's no application, nomination form or paid placement. That sounds frustrating, but it means the list rewards something you control every day: how many guests leave a review, how recent those reviews are, and how much they say.

So treat the list as a scorecard. Even if you never appear on it, the same signals feed into how your restaurant shows up when someone nearby searches "dinner near me".

Why dish mentions in reviews matter

Google reads what diners write, not just the stars

A review that says "Great food, lovely staff, 5 stars" helps your rating. A review that says "The crispy pork belly was the best I've had, and the matcha tiramisu is worth the trip" does more. It tells Google, and the next diner, what you're known for. The "Trending in Reviews" category exists because Google is counting exactly those mentions.

Detail also helps you outside the list

Specific, recent reviews are more useful to people deciding where to eat, and they give search and AI tools more to work with when someone asks for "the best ramen nearby". Review volume still matters too; we covered the numbers in how many Google reviews you need.

Not in one of the 10 cities? Why this still affects you

Most restaurants aren't in Atlanta or Melbourne, and this year's list won't mention them. But the list shows what Google Maps can already see for every business: how often people talk about your dishes, how happy they are and how many people head your way. Building those signals now costs nothing and pays off in everyday search, whatever Google publishes next.

A weekly routine for more recent, detailed reviews

Most happy diners never leave a review. Not because they didn't enjoy the meal, but because nobody asked at the right moment and it felt like effort. Here's a routine that fixes both, and stays inside the rules.

Ask every table, every day

Make asking part of service, like bringing the bill. Ask every guest, not just the ones who seem delighted. Asking only happy guests is called review gating, and it skews your reviews in a way Google and regulators don't allow. A few honest four-star reviews among the fives also make your profile more believable.

Time the ask while the meal is fresh

The best moment is when the experience is still vivid: as the bill lands, or in a short follow-up the same evening or the next morning. Wait a week and the details are gone. Our guide to review request timing goes deeper.

Use open prompts, never scripts

You want detail, but it has to be the guest's own words. Instead of telling people what to write, keep the conversation open:

• "What did you order tonight? How was it?"
• "If a friend asked about this place, what would you tell them?"

Guests who have just talked about the dish they loved tend to mention it when they write. Never hand out sample wording, ask for specific keywords or write a review for a guest. That's no longer their genuine experience.

Put a QR code where the bill lands

Make it one tap. A small card with a review QR code on the bill folder, the table or the counter catches guests while they're still sitting down. Our Google review QR code guide covers placement and printing. For takeaway and delivery, print the QR code and short link on the receipt or bag.

Reply to reviews, and mention the dish back

When someone praises the short rib, thank them and mention it: "So glad the short rib hit the spot, it's been on the menu since we opened." It shows future guests you're listening and reinforces what you're known for. Use our Google review response templates to keep it quick, including for critical reviews.

What will get you into trouble

Once the list makes headlines, some owners will reach for shortcuts. Don't. These are the common ones:

• Free desserts, discounts or prize draws for reviews. Google's guidance on getting reviews says offering incentives in exchange for reviews is "strictly prohibited".
• Staff quotas such as "five reviews per server per week". They push staff towards pressure and incentives.
• Asking only happy tables or steering unhappy guests away from Google.
• Buying reviews or writing them yourself. The FTC's rule on fake reviews bans fake reviews and paying for reviews in the US, and the UK and EU have similar rules. More on that in Is it illegal to buy Google reviews?

Google removes reviews that look manipulated, and it can restrict your profile. Losing reviews you earned honestly is a far bigger setback than missing a list.

Keep your listing ready for the directions signal

Direction requests only count if people trust your listing enough to set off. Check these once a month:

1. Hours, including holidays and kitchen closing times.
2. Menu, with your best-known dishes named the way guests say them.
3. Photos of the dishes people rave about, the room and the entrance.
4. Categories that match what you are, for example "Ramen restaurant" rather than just "Restaurant".
5. Address and pin that bring people to your actual door.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply to Google Maps' Fan-Favorite list?

No. Google hasn't published any application or nomination process. The list is built from Google Maps reviews, ratings and direction requests, plus a final verification step.

Which cities are on the 2026 Fan-Favorite list?

Atlanta, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Montréal, New York, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle and Tokyo. Google hasn't said whether more cities will be added.

Will the Fan-Favorite list be updated every year?

Google calls this its "first" Fan-Favorite Dining List, which suggests more editions, but it hasn't confirmed a schedule. The 2026 list used data from September 2025 to August 2026.

Can I ask customers to mention a specific dish in their review?

Ask open questions about their meal, but don't tell guests what to write or give them sample text. A review has to describe the guest's genuine experience in their own words.

Does being on the list improve my Google ranking?

Google hasn't said so. What we do know is that more recent, detailed reviews and an accurate listing help people choose you, whether or not you appear on any list.

How many Google reviews does a restaurant need?

There's no official number. Look at the top three restaurants in your local map results and aim to match their review count and how often they get new reviews.

Can I offer a free dessert for a Google review?

No. Google prohibits incentives in exchange for reviews, and in the US the FTC rule also bans paying for reviews. Ask every guest, make it easy, and leave it there.

Start with tonight's service

You can't apply for Google's Fan-Favorite list, but you can earn its signals every night: ask every table, ask while the meal is fresh, and make leaving a review take one tap. That's where we come in. Trustaroo gives each location its own review QR code, a printable card, an Apple Wallet pass your host can show from an iPhone, a short link for WhatsApp or SMS, and automated follow-up emails with delays you choose.

Start collecting reviews with Trustaroo