Every place in Locally comes from someone who lives in that city. Not from a ranking or a list of the most reviewed spots, but from people who eat there on a Tuesday, stop there for a drink after work, and would send a friend there without thinking twice.
Who suggests the places?
Locals. People who live in each city tell us where they actually go: the trattoria their family has used for years, the bar where the owner knows their order, the courtyard they cut through on the way home. They know their own neighbourhood better than any guidebook, so that is what we ask them about.
What they tell us travels with the place. Open a place in the app and you get their tip: what to order, when to go, what to look for once you are inside. It is the advice you would get from a friend who lives there, which is the whole idea.
What makes a place worth suggesting?
One question decides it: would you send a friend there? That rules out a lot. Places that exist mainly for visitors don’t make it, and neither do big chains. A small local group with a few addresses of its own can stay, because locals go there too.
Do we leave things out on purpose?
Yes. Being complete is not the goal. Plenty of famous names are not in Locally, because the people who live nearby don’t go there and wouldn’t send you either. The same goes for the map: if a neighbourhood has nothing a local would recommend, it stays empty.
How do the lists stay current?
Cities change, and so do the lists. Locals keep telling us about new places, and when a place closes it comes off the map. Every article in this journal keeps track of the places it mentions, and if one of them closes or changes its hours, we update the article.