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Off the Wall

You Can Now Search Yelp with Emojis (For the Spelling-Challenged)

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I was sure this would totally mess with Yelp's head, but much to my surprise, Yelp has directed me to The Path of Tea, Teahouse Tapioca and Tea, Té House of Tea and PI Teahouse. Good job, Yelp.

Both the beer mug and the two beer mugs that appear to be toasting to something return a number of nearby bars, all of which, to my knowledge, serve beer. Also, Spec's and D & Q Mini Mart, which sell beer but are not bars.

Here we have wine bars, wineries and wine merchants as well as restaurants like Boheme and The Pass, both of which serve wine. Not as specific as we'd like, but a valiant effort nonetheless.

I imagine emojis like the hamburger are the ones most intended to be used with Yelp. This search turns up Hubcap Grill, Sparkle's Hamburger Spot, Lankford Grocery & Market and Stanton's City Bites.

A little less specific than hamburgers, the french fry icon causes Yelp to suggest Barnaby's, Coreanos, Sparkle's Hamburger Spot and Hubcap Grill, which leaves me to wonder: Where is Whataburger?!

This search is surprisingly accurate. First up, Goro & Gun, followed by Nippon Japanese Restaurant, Fat Bao (which serves ramen from time to time) and Kata Robata.

Fail. Rather than directing me to ice cream or frozen yogurt shops exclusively, Yelp first suggests I try Luigi's Pizzeria. Then, it recommends Tasti D-Lite, followed by...Green Seed Vegan?

Now we're back on track. I've got Not Jus Donuts Bakery, MMM...Cupcake, Tiff's Treats and Maison Burdisso, all of which appear to be bakeries. And now I'm wondering where the cupcake emoji is...

Apparently the flan emoji is not flan, but actually custard. Searching with that image brings up Connie's Frozen Custard, Ritters Frozen Custard and Freddy's Frozen Custard.

This story continues on the next page.

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Kaitlin Steinberg