TikTok on Wednesday announced Must Eat, an in-app restaurant guide that lets users browse dining recommendations, leave reviews, search nearby businesses on a map and call to make reservations¹.

The Verge reported that the feature is built on 40 million posts, reviews and comments about dining already on the platform, and that it is initially available in New York City, Los Angeles and the Bay Area¹.

At a launch event this week, TikTok US CEO Adam Presser called Must Eat "the compilation of all of the conversation that's happening on the TikTok platform"¹.

Must Eat is split into two tabs, "everyday eats" and "elevated dining," and users can sort and filter by rating, distance, cuisine type and what is currently open, according to The Verge¹.

Each restaurant page links to TikTok videos about the business, and diners can bookmark places to save them for later¹.

TikTok said restaurants cannot pay to be featured in the recommendation lists¹.

The Verge said Must Eat sits between crowdsourced review apps such as Yelp and more curated city guides, and that it expands earlier in-app booking tools such as TikTok Go for hotels and attractions¹.

Featured New York spots named in the report include Golden Diner and hard-to-reserve restaurants Semma and Via Carota¹.

In a press release cited by The Verge, TikTok said 27 million U.S. diners last year went to a restaurant, cafe or shop for the first time because of the platform¹.

It was not independently confirmed how rankings are generated beyond existing posts and user reviews, or when Must Eat will expand beyond the first three regions¹.