Zomato is a restaurant-discovery and food-delivery app: browse nearby restaurants, read menus and reviews, and order food for delivery or pickup. This guide covers what it does today, how to order, what it costs, whether it’s safe, and the main alternatives — so you can decide if it fits how you eat.
Quick answer
Zomato is a free app (Android and iPhone) for finding restaurants and ordering food delivery. It now operates mainly in India. You pay for your food plus delivery, taxes, and fees; the optional Zomato Gold membership can add free delivery and discounts. Restaurant dining-out and table booking have largely moved to Zomato’s separate District app.
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Who this guide is for
Anyone deciding whether to use Zomato, new users ordering their first meal, and people comparing food-delivery apps in their country.
What is Zomato?
Zomato helps you discover restaurants — menus, photos, ratings, and reviews near you — and order food for delivery or takeaway. Today the app is focused on food delivery and discovery; its going-out features (dining-out, table booking, events) have largely moved to a separate app called District. Zomato’s parent company was renamed Eternal Ltd in 2025, but the app you download is still called Zomato.
Quick facts
| What it is | Restaurant discovery + food delivery app |
| Platforms | Android and iPhone |
| Price | Free to download; you pay for food + delivery/taxes/fees |
| Membership | Optional Zomato Gold (free delivery + offers; price varies/promotional) |
| Availability | Now primarily India (exited UAE delivery in 2022) — check your app store |
| Dining / table booking | Largely moved to Zomato’s separate District app |
Key features
- Search restaurants by name, location, cuisine, price, and rating
- Menus, photos, ratings, and user reviews to help you choose
- Food delivery and takeaway/pickup
- Newer delivery options such as Food on Train (station/PNR delivery), Veg Mode, and scheduled orders
- Offers, promo codes, and the optional Zomato Gold membership
- For dining-out and table booking, Zomato now points you to its District app
How to order food on Zomato
General steps — the exact screens can change with app updates:
- Download Zomato from your app store and create an account.
- Set your delivery address and allow location (or enter it manually).
- Browse or search restaurants; filter by cuisine, rating, price, or delivery time.
- Open a restaurant and check the menu, ratings, fees, and minimum order.
- Add items to your cart and apply any valid offer/promo code.
- Choose a payment method, confirm the address, and place the order.
- Track the order in the app until it arrives.
Watch: how to order on Zomato
Embed the short walkthrough here. Fallback link: How to order and pay on Zomato. Video: Chris Tech Guide.
What does Zomato cost?
The app is free to download. You pay for your food plus a delivery fee, taxes, and sometimes a packaging/platform fee, which vary by restaurant and location. Zomato’s optional paid membership, Zomato Gold, can add free delivery on qualifying orders and extra discounts at partner restaurants. Gold pricing changes often and is frequently promotional, so check the current price in the app rather than relying on any figure you read online.
How to save money on Zomato
Look for first-order and restaurant-specific offers, apply valid promo codes at checkout, compare delivery fees between nearby restaurants, and only buy Zomato Gold if you order often enough for the free-delivery and discounts to outweigh its cost. Don’t assume a specific discount — offers change constantly.
Heads up: delivery fees, taxes, and minimum-order amounts can add up. Check the full total at checkout before you confirm.
Is Zomato safe?
Zomato is a mainstream app available on the official app stores. As with any food-delivery service: use a strong, unique password; review the data and permissions you grant; prefer in-app payment over sharing card details widely; and read the current privacy policy to understand how your data is used.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Ignoring delivery fees, taxes, and minimum-order amounts until checkout
- Not checking restaurant ratings, reviews, and opening hours
- Saving payment cards on shared or family devices unnecessarily
- Expecting dining-out/table booking inside the Zomato app — that’s now in District
Zomato vs alternatives
In India, the main rival is Swiggy; quick-commerce grocery delivery is handled by apps like Blinkit (a Zomato/Eternal sibling) and others. Outside India, you’ll generally use local apps instead — for example, former Zomato UAE users were moved to Talabat. The best app is usually the one with the most nearby restaurants, lower fees, and reliable delivery in your area, so compare a couple before committing.
What changed since Zomato’s early days: the app narrowed to food delivery and discovery; dining-out, table booking, and events moved to the separate District app (2024); the membership returned as Zomato Gold after the earlier Pro era ended; Zomato exited UAE delivery (2022) and pulled back from several other countries to focus on India; and the parent company was renamed Eternal Ltd in 2025. Older guides may describe features that have since moved or changed.
FAQ
Is Zomato free?
Yes, the app is free to download. You pay for your food plus delivery and fees, and optionally for Zomato Gold.
Where is Zomato available?
It now operates mainly in India. Zomato shut down food delivery in the UAE in 2022 and pulled back from several other markets — check your local app store.
Is Zomato Gold still available?
Yes. Zomato Gold is the current paid membership (it offers free delivery on qualifying orders and partner discounts). The earlier Zomato Pro/Pro Plus program ended. Pricing changes often and is usually promotional — check the app.
Can I still book a table or use dining-out on Zomato?
Those going-out features have largely moved to Zomato’s separate District app. The Zomato app itself is now focused on food delivery and discovery.
Is it safe to pay in the app?
It’s a mainstream app with in-app payment. Use a strong password, review permissions, and read the privacy policy.
Android or iPhone?
Both are supported — see the Google Play and App Store links above.
Sources & references
- Zomato on Google Play
- Zomato on the Apple App Store
- Zomato Gold (official)
- Zomato privacy policy — confirm the current URL
- District app (dining/going-out) — Zomato/Eternal · Eternal Ltd parent-company rebrand (2025), reputable news coverage
Where it operates, Zomato is a capable way to discover restaurants and order food. Check the current app and your app store for exact features, fees, and availability — and for dining-out, look to the District app.
