Zomato Releases Free Public API

Online restaurant guide, Zomato has released a Public API, allowing developers to create apps integrating content featured on Zomato, reports Penn Olson. According to Zomato, developers will be able to offer updated information such as restaurant listings, location coordinates, reviews, discounts, photos, menus across 18,000 listings from its website,

within their apps through the API. It has also provided an API Sandbox, where developers can test their requests. The API is free to use.

It looks like Zomato is keen on building a complete ecosystem surrounding its restaurant guide service. This will enable developers of local search apps to integrate the service, facilitating users, while Zomato’s role will be greater in the hyper-local space, in the coming time. The fact that Zomato’s own apps use the same API, coes as an assurance to developers. Zomato also intends to promote apps that feature its API on its website and via its social media presence. It presently lists MapMyIndia, MakeMyTrip, MyCityWay and MateOnGo on its API page.

The API includes:

– Data fields available for each restaurant – Restaurant Name, Phone Number(s), Address, Timings (Unstructured), Cuisines, Bar (Yes/No), Pure Veg (Yes/No), Credit Cards Accepted (Yes/No), Buffet Details (Yes/No), Cost for two, Zomato Ratings, Editor Review, Upto 2 complete latest user reviews (where available), Geo-location with an accuracy of under 5m (where available).

– APIs to search on basis of location name, location coordinates, restaurant name, cuisine, address, attributes, dishes available. These search APIs will result in JSON/XML (or any other format which is added later) output which has to appropriately parsed on the application to present the information to the user in form of search results.

– APIs to get a list of cities Zomato is available in.

– APIs to get a list of cuisines that are available in a particular city.

– APIs to fetch reviews for a particular restaurant. Developers will also be able to push restaurant reviews from their users.

How To Get The API Key

Developers will be able to request for a limited API key on Zomato’s website, and can submit their apps to Zomato, which will check if it confirms to its guidelines, after which it will grant an unlimited API usage key.

The API key although unlimited, comes with a Fair Usage Policy of 30,000 requests per day, however Zomato says that its flexible with the limits. Also, Zomato prohibits local search companies, that own their own local information data, to use the Zomato API to update or replace their data.

Zomato had recently raised Rs 13.5 crore in its second round of funding from Info Edge, which it intends to use to scale operations, enhance user experience on its web and mobile products, and increase market reach. It had also introduced an Events section.

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