Published in the March 28 – April 10, 2018 issue of Morgan Hill Life

Anna-Liza Anderson

Every city has a downtown where locals and visitors gravitate toward. The expectation is that there is plenty to do, most importantly places to dine.

From a quick stop, to ordering out, to dining alfresco or inside, the most important thing is that each restaurant satisfies a craving or social gathering between friends and family coupled by a meal that is cultivated by a positive experience.

Whether you’re a local or visitor coming to a town looking for a place to dine, it’s not always easy to choose the perfect place, let alone know where to go.

And even when you’ve targeted a location, you become overwhelmed with options ranging from Mediterranean, Italian, American, Thai, Mexican … you name it.

In such circumstances, unless you’ve had the pleasure of dining in one of those establishments, it becomes difficult to choose.

Downtown Morgan Hill is no stranger to locals and visitors in that same predicament. They host some of the best restaurants in town and are very well known to the community. But with the increasing growth of residents and visitors, there is still a good population unfamiliar to what downtown dining has to offer. And in addition, with new restaurants opening in the area, locals are sometimes not aware. For example, there are four new restaurants that will open in downtown soon.

It’s situations like these where apps/websites like Yelp with more than 60 million registered users become the affirmation of where to dine. And because reviews cannot be altered by the restaurants themselves, Yelp has cultivated their community as a trusted resource among those looking for places to dine or just simply letting you find out: “Where’s the nearest steakhouse?” or “Where can I find an establishment that serves brunch?”

And in speaking of Yelp, if you do a search of places to dine in Morgan Hill, you will find that most restaurants that populate on the top of the list are hosted in the downtown district. With restaurant ratings an average of four stars, this exemplifies the quality and satisfaction that our restaurateurs deliver to their patrons. It’s also no surprise that many of these restaurants have been around for years as local landmarks in the business.

There are so many excellent dining options in downtown Morgan Hill to choose from. Familiarize yourself with the culinary options available to you.

So, the next time you’re looking for a place to grab that quick bite, host a business lunch, have a date night, or throw that unforgettable celebration, Yelp it.

This online service makes the difficult decision of where to dine in Morgan Hill a much easier one. You’ll never know what exciting eatery you’ll stumble upon — and your taste buds will thank you.

Anna-Liza Anderson is a member of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association board.