Yelp

Traditional food critics are officially obsolete. If you’ve ever eaten at a lousy restaurant and want to let the world know just how terrible the wait staff is, Yelp is for you. The site offers everyday people the opportunity to rate and review their favorite (and least favorite) local businesses, bringing word of mouth into the digital age. But it’s not restricted to just restaurants: Shopping, nightlife, hotels and even religious services are all fair game at Yelp. The reviews can be fun and quirky reading, too; one restaurant was panned because “suddenly, out of nowhere my colleague’s chair spontaneously fell apart,” while another review noted how the rustic interior “might have caused me to have the unabashed impulse to pounce on my dining partner, which would have been wildly inappropriate in at least seven ways.” With more than 5 million reviews so far, chances are you’ll find a business or two in your neck of the woods, and if you’re away from your computer, a Yelp app for the iPhone and iPod touch makes all of the sites ratings and reviews available to you no matter where you are. It also helps you find businesses nearby, so you’ll always know where the nearest gas station is.