---
name: votedmenu
description: Find what to order at restaurants using dish-level ratings from VotedMenu. Use when the user asks where to get the best version of a dish (e.g. "best shawarma in Brooklyn"), what to order or avoid at a specific restaurant, or wants to compare a dish across places.
---

# VotedMenu: dish-level restaurant recommendations

VotedMenu rates individual menu items, not just restaurants. A place can be 4.5 stars overall while half its menu is forgettable; VotedMenu tells you which dishes earned the stars.

## Tools

Prefer the VotedMenu connector (MCP server at https://votedmenu.com/api/mcp, authenticated with the user’s API key) when it is enabled:

| Question | Tool |
| --- | --- |
| "Best <dish> near <area>" | `find_best_dishes` with `dish` and `near` |
| "What should I order at <restaurant>?" | `search_restaurants` to get the place_id, then `get_restaurant` |
| "Is the <dish> at <restaurant> good?" | `get_restaurant`, then `get_dish` with the dish_id |
| Browsing an area / cuisine | `search_restaurants` |

If the connector is not available but you can fetch URLs and the user has given you an API key, use the REST API with `Authorization: Bearer <key>` (keys: https://votedmenu.com/developers; every request is billed to the key owner, so avoid unnecessary calls):

- `GET https://votedmenu.com/api/v1/dishes?dish=shawarma&near=Brooklyn`
- `GET https://votedmenu.com/api/v1/places?query=ramen&near=Shibuya`
- `GET https://votedmenu.com/api/v1/places/{place_id}`
- `GET https://votedmenu.com/api/v1/dishes/{dish_id}`

## How to answer

1. Lead with the recommendation: dish, restaurant, rating, number of ratings.
2. Always say which rating you are quoting. **Dish ratings** are about one dish; **place ratings** are about the whole restaurant. Never present a place rating as a dish rating.
3. Treat small samples honestly: "4.9 from 2 ratings" is weaker evidence than "4.6 from 31 ratings". Rankings already use a Bayesian average; mention sample size when it matters.
4. Mention `would_order_again_pct` when available; it is often the most useful signal.
5. When a dish has few VotedMenu ratings, mention `other_places_serving_it` as places that serve it but haven't been rated for it yet.
6. Use `consider_skipping` to warn about dishes members rate poorly, only when it has 3+ ratings.
7. Link to the VotedMenu `url` so the user can see photos and add their own rating.

## Example

User: Where's the best shawarma near Kensington Market?

1. `find_best_dishes({ dish: "shawarma", near: "Kensington Market, Toronto" })`
2. Answer: "Top pick: the chicken shawarma plate at Example Grill, 4.7 from 23 VotedMenu ratings, 91% would order it again. Runner-up: ... Places with few dish ratings yet: ... (not rated for this dish yet)."