The iPhone pizza apps featured in this article are tried and tested methods of ordering your favourite pizza with minimum fuss. Of course some are designed to order all kinds of take-away, so if you’re craving Indian, Chinese, Mexican or something else entirely you’ll only be limited by your local selection. I can tell I’m going to be hungry by the time I’ve finished this.

Pizza Hut (US & AU)

Regardless of what you think of Pizza Hut food, there’s no arguing that they’ve got one of the best mobile apps, at least in the US anyway. Not only do they let you order food and locate restaurants but they also provide a bit of fun, allowing you to construct your meal from scratch as part of the process (or use the app in demo mode without ordering).

Don’t worry, there are quick ways of ordering too (favourites and previous orders) so if you’re in a hurry there’s no messing around.

Currently Pizza Hut have US and Australian apps, though the US edition is better kitted out at the moment. I’d also expect the UK and other parts of Europe to get a similar app before long. US residents can see the full line-up of apps (including Android, iPad and Windows Phone 7 versions) here.

Download: Pizza Hut US @ App Store
Download: Pizza Hut Australia @ App Store

GrubHub (US)

If you’re lucky to live in one of the 19 supported US cities then your pizza and other take-away needs will be satisfied with the official GrubHub app. Featuring more than 20,000 eateries from Los Angeles to Miami to New York, this app will serve up all kinds of food based on the local selections.

The app is loaded with features including GPS location detection, multiple address storage, the ability to quickly order past purchases with a few taps and the ability to save payment information for an even quicker checkout process. GrubHub also has an Android app which can be found here.

Download: GrubHub @ App Store

Snapfinger (US)

Snapfinger isn’t just another restaurant ordering and delivery app, but a listing for pretty much every restaurant local to you. What this means is that though you can’t order from all of the restaurants featured on the service, you do get fairly quick access to menus, phone numbers, prices and the full local selection when choosing where and what to eat.

Ideally this should help you make a more informed decision, even if you have to make a phone call to get what you want. That said, it’s easy to order from those restaurants that are compatible with the service, and of course you can search by cuisine in order to get your pizza fix. The app features more than 500,000 restaurant listings, local eatery discovery and handy features like repeat ordering and directions.

Download: Snapfinger @ AppStore

Menulog (AU & NZ)

I’m currently living in Melbourne, Victoria and have found this service incredibly useful over the past few months. Menulog makes it really easy to order a pizza from the finest local participating restaurants. By now I’ve found my favourite places and meals so ordering takes no time at all. Unfortunately the app is only available on the Australian app store, so my UK account is useless.

Never mind because it plugs into the same great service, providing the same selection depending on where you are. SMS confirmations are usually here within a minute or two, and new businesses are added each week. Now, if only the app were available internationally – for some reason the New Zealand edition is…

Download: Menulog (Home Delivery and Takeaway) @ App Store

HungryHouse (UK)

Unfortunately the UK’s selection of food ordering apps is a bit disappointing at the moment. There are great services like Just-Eat, which sets up many independent businesses with a way to make money online but no iPhone app. Step in HungryHouse, a mobile version of the popular website that features restaurants and deliveries from all over the country.

The service is still growing and at present operates best in large urban areas including London, the Midlands and the North West (Liverpool and Manchester). View more than 3,500 menus, filter by cuisine or simply use your iPhone’s GPS to find nearby restaurants. Even if the service isn’t up and running near you yet it might be worth keeping an eye on it.

Download: HungryHouse @ App Store

Domino’s (US, UK & AU)

Last but not least (or is it?) comes Domino’s, featuring 3 separate apps for 3 separate territories – the US, Britain and Australia. Domino’s Pizza is an entirely subjective experience, so if you like it you’re bound to enjoy being able to order it from your phone. The US version (pictured) appears to exhibit the best design, with the recently launched Aussie version looking considerably better than its British cousin.

Of course all of the apps allow you to order pizza, sides and whatever else you want from Domino’s. That’s the point here, though the UK version does seem to be poorly designed and inferior to the other two.

Download: Domino’s Pizza USA @ App Store
Download: Domino’s UK @ App Store
Download: Domino’s Australia @ App Store

Conclusion

If you thought ordering food in your web browser was easy then your iPhone will delight you. The ability to order anywhere you like, choose delivery times or simply plan ahead is great. Of course this could all have been accomplished with a simple phone call, but that’s no fun now is it?

Hopefully more and more services will launch mobile apps (especially in the UK, which already has some leading online ordering services – but few apps) in the near future to provide an even better selection than we’ve got now.

Do you know of any great iPhone pizza apps for ordering pizza? How about web services? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Image credit: Shutterstock

After all, you’re sitting in front of a computer right now, right? Relax and place your order easily and quickly without even getting up from your desk.

No more waiting in line, waiting on the phone, or waiting to pay. Here’s 5 sites to order food online.

OrderLunch

You can get your breakfast, lunch, or dinner online at OrderLunch. Start out by searching for restaurants near you by entering your ZIP code and specifying if you’d like to either pick it up or have it delivered.

From there, the list of restaurants will be displayed, containing information like the food type, price, customer rating, and distance from your location. Hit the “Place Order” button to proceed to schedule your order and browse the restaurant’s menu to add any of the food items of your choice to your shopping cart. It’s as simple as that.

If you’re a frequent user of OrderLunch, the website also offers rewards for every order you place and you can redeem your points for prizes, including free meals or travel vouchers.

Foodler

Foodler is another great site that allows you to order food online from local restaurants. Start by either entering your address or picking an area by choosing your state and selecting a city or school campus. Restaurants that are currently open and delivering are displayed on top. Below that are the places that are closed, but you’re still free to schedule a future order.

Next, enter your address if your order is a delivery and a comprehensive menu awaits you. Add your menu selections to the cart and proceed to checkout.

GrubHub

GrubHub is another way to conveniently order food online. Enter your location or browse restaurants by city or cuisine to place an order. The only downside is that the website only serves select U.S. cities, but the result is more in-depth restaurant information. Scans of the menus are even available.

Learn more about GrubHub in the MakeUseOf Directory.

Live On The Go

Live On The Go is a free service for ordering and paying for food in advance. Simply type in your location to find a restaurant near you. The restaurant selection page lets you specify if you want pickup, delivery, catering, or curbside locations, along with cuisine type and distance.

The actual restaurant menus have a clean and simple layout, allowing for easy navigation and clearly displayed prices. Select a menu item to add it to your order and checkout.

Campusfood

For students, you won’t have to study on an empty stomach again with Campusfood. Just select your state, campus, and you’re ready to start ordering from any of the restaurants near your school. Simply browse the online menu to build, specify, and schedule your order before checkout.

Pizza lovers, be sure to check out Desktop Dining ““ The Best Places To Order Pizza Online.

Do you order any of your meals online? If so, where do you order from? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit: massdistraction

Urbanspoon lets you browse local restaurants, review them, and you can even let the restaurant iPhone app pick a place for you to visit through the amusing random restaurant “slot machine” function. Urbanspoon first lets you pick a city (it supports most major cities in the US) and then allows you to select a neighborhood or suburb to search in detail. From there, you can shake the phone and, after playing a fun slot machine noise, it’ll pick a random type of restaurant and cost for you along with a restaurant that meets that criteria. You can lock each category column as you please, which can help if you’re only looking for a really cheap restaurant, for example. The search tool that Urbanspoon uses also lets you filter out restaurants by things like hours open, chain availability, distance from your current location and popularity among other users.

Urbanspoon also allows you to rate and review the restaurants you visit so that other iPhone/iPod Touch users can see what you think. You can write a short review or just select weather you like or don’t like the location. In addition to reviews, you can call and map the restaurants you find as well as add photos of them, see reviews from “critics” online, set them as a favorite for later review and even look at blog posts about the restaurant on the internet.

Urbanspoon also has a browse tool which lets you simply browse for restaurants by food type, features the restaurant has or popularity of the restaurants in your area. Food types that you can browse for include everything from bagels to smoothies and barbecue to buffet and the features that you can browse through include things like weather a restaurant has free wifi, live music, happy hour or delivery. Another handy part of the browsing feature in Urbanspoon is the ability to see what restaurants in your area local blogs and newspapers are talking about most. The app also has a “scope” tab where you can look at a map of nearby restaurants.

Urbanspoon requires that you create an account to review restaurants, add information to existing ones, save your favorite restaurants or other common tasks. Creating an account is free though, and you’re able to connect to Facebook to register. Also, because the application is free, small ads are placed on some of the pages to cover the costs but they aren’t very obtrusive or annoying while browsing. Finally, Urbanspoon isn’t limited to just restaurants- it also features cafés, bars and more and ties into the Urbanspoon website at urbanspoon.com.

Do you use the Urbanspoon restaurant iPhone app or a similar application when looking for a restaurant on-the-go? What other favorite iPhone or iPod Touch apps do you use? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Most iPhone users relish being able to use our iPhone to get things done. We’re always wondering if there is indeed “an app for that” – iPhone apps for free, from mapping directions, getting movie previews, to iPhone food ordering apps.

I’ve tried ordering food using the traditional website structure of a few restaurants, but the iPhone web-formatted user interface for ordering food on those sites took more time than it was worth. The Chipotle iPhone food ordering app is the first of its kind that I’ve seen that makes ordering food very simple.

You can tell the app developers put a lot of thought in how to make the user interface relatively easy to use and aesthetically appealing. The application is built in a hierarchical manner, whereby a limited list of menu items in which you click to further drill down into additional menu items for more levels of details.

To order food using the app, you of course have to set up an account that includes your credit card. Based on the feedback the application has received, it is better to create your account online rather than through the application.

After clicking the application”˜s opening screens and using the location feature to find the Chipotle nearest to you, you have a few ways to get started creating your order.  If you want a reminder of Chipotle”˜s menu offerings, you click the Food menu button at the bottom of the application. This presents you with clean single-page photos and a short description of Chipotle’s main menu offerings. Granted, because Chipotle is not like say IHOP, with three or four dozen menu offerings, the application is not crammed with too much information. Chipotle”˜s main entrée offerings are presented in 8 pages, in which you slide from page to page with a swipe of your finger.

Clicking the Order Now button on any one of main entrée or chips pages will take you to the Create New Order section. The resulting menu presents you with a list of six menu categories: Burrito, Bowl, Soft Tacos, Crispy Tacos, Salad, and Sides and Drinks. Clicking one of these categories leads you to another menu page where you select for example the type of Burrito you want to order. Prices for those items are also listed. You click the plus button to add to your order. You can just as easily click the minus button if you change your mind.

After clicking the Continue button, you are presented with a broad list of side items that you can add to your order, or your “bag”. So basically, the application is designed for you to easily build your order by clicking through the menu .

Once you’ve selected what you want, you click the Add to Bag button. You’re then presented with two input spaces, one for giving a name to your order (for example, Lunch) and “any special instructions” you may have. The reason you give this order a name is because when you are presented with your itemized order, you have the option to save that order as a Favorite, which is very convenient for making future orders.

Clicking the resulting Checkout Now button will present your order with the subtotal price. After clicking the Checkout button you have to log into your account. Ordering food using this app is almost faster than doing so in the restaurant itself, especially if you have to wait in a long lunch or dinner line.

Now once you arrive to pick up your order, you may experience a little breakdown in the process. Some users of the app have complained that when they arrived to a selected restaurant their order was either not ready or never received. I didn’t experience that problem, but I can imagine it happening. This breakdown doesn’t sound like a problem with the application itself, but perhaps what is done with orders when they are received. A Chipotle franchise may be overtasked and orders may be mismanaged. That’s a customer service issue that needs to worked out at each establishment.

But as for the application itself, I don’t think the process can be simpler. Are there other iPhone food ordering apps that you recommend and find accessible? Are the ones that you find very difficult to use?

Luckily for me, OpenTable’s got my back. OpenTable is a massive (and still growing) system of restaurants, foodies and tools for helping you find the right restaurant as well as always getting a table.

First, you’ll see this screen below (which looks an awful lot like a parking screen for an ad company, but really isn’t). Pick your locale ““ most major American cities are well-represented by OpenTable, as are a number of international cities. Then, you can refine your search even more: by a more narrow location, by type of food, or even by date and time (eliminating any restaurant that might be closed when you want to eat).

If you still can’t decide, let the users of OpenTable help. Every restaurant you’ll see has reviews from OpenTable users who have been there, and the site even aggregates some of the most popular and best-reviewed restaurants in a variety of categories, from “Good for Groups” to “Best Ambience.” Of course, there are also tons of “Best ____ Food” lists as well, for every locale you choose.

To further aid you in finding the right restaurant, every listing comes with useful information: price range, accepted cards, whether there’s a bar or not, where to park, and lots more, all based on giving you as much information as possible to make your food run even better.

Once you’ve narrowed it down to the perfect spot, you choose your date, time, and size of party that you want a table for. OpenTable then does a search, and looks for the best available reservation times, and comes back to you with some options. I tried a place for Sunday brunch at 12pm, and got three reservation possibilities back in only a few seconds.

Choose your reservation time, log in (you can create a temporary account, or create a free account on OpenTable for this part), and you’re done! OpenTable sends you an email confirming your reservation, and you’re all set. Cancelling or changing your reservation is easy, as is exporting the event to your Outlook calendar.

OpenTable also lets you publish your reservation information to Facebook, or send invitations by email to your event ““ this makes OpenTable into a one-stop event planner, at least for the basics.

The reason OpenTable’s so great, as I see it, is that it’s better than you at knowing what’s going on. It’s connected directly to all the restaurants, so its information is as up-to-date as the restaurant itself, and reservations are made internally and easily, rather than OpenTable just acting as a middleman. Your reservation is always certain, and always correct.

OpenTable makes a once-annoying and complicated process extremely simple. Just log in, click, and you’re set ““ no phone calls, no guessing game about when to arrive; OpenTable does the work for you, and you just show up when you’re supposed to. That’s my kind of dining experience.

Are there other great apps that making eating even better? If you know any, please share them with us in the comments.

Other foodie articles on MakeUseOf are:
3 Recipe Sites For The Post Fast Food Era
Desktop Dining – The Best Places To Order Pizza Online
FOOD Love: Top 5 Recipe Websites

Photo: wallyg