How to Extract Restaurant & Menu Data Using the Zomato API

In a world where decisions are driven by data, access to accurate and real-time information has the potential to make businesses stand out. It certainly does in the food and hospitality space. Whether developing a restaurant discovery application, food ordering aggregator, or a competitive pricing analysis tool, restaurant and menu data is paramount.

One of the most widely used sources of that sort of information—particularly in India and certain international markets—is Zomato, a restaurant discovery and food ordering platform. By way of its developer-friendly API, Zomato enables applications to access a vast amount of restaurant data, from location to menu to ratings and everything in between.

In this blog, we're going to walk you through how to retrieve restaurant and menu data from the Zomato API, its limitations, and give alternatives where necessary.
Source: https://www.3idatascraping.com/zomato-restaurant-data-scraping-services/

What is the Zomato API?
Zomato's API is a restful service exposing its restaurant database containing listings, daily menus, customer reviews, images, and cuisines. It's suitable for developers who want to enrich applications or dashboards with real-time restaurant and menu data.
Why Use It?
• Rich, location-based restaurant listings
• Details like ratings, cuisines, price range
• Location suggestions based on user query
• Integration-ready for food-related apps
Note: As of recent updates, Zomato's free developer program is limited and access to the API might require formal partnership or approval.

Getting Started with the Zomato API
Step 1: Get an API Key
To access Zomato’s endpoints, you’ll need an API key:

1. Visit developersdotzomatodotcom
2. Sign up and register your application.
3. Generate an API key from your account dashboard.
   This key will be included in your header for authorization in every request.

Key Zomato API Endpoints for Restaurant and Menu Data
Zomato’s API offers several endpoints. Below are the most relevant ones for restaurant discovery and menu extraction:

1. /locations and /cities – Identify Locations
   Before querying for restaurants, identify the city or area where you want to extract data.
   Returns:
   • city_id
   • city_name
   • country_id
   You’ll need the city_id in further queries.

2. /search – Search Restaurants by City, Keyword, or Cuisine
   This is the core endpoint for finding restaurants based on filters.
   Parameters:
   • entity_id: The city or location ID
   • entity_type: Use "city" if querying by city
   • q: Search query (e.g., pizza, Chinese, biryani)
   • count: Number of results per call (max 20)
   • start: Index to start listing results from
   Returns:
   • Restaurant ID (res_id)
   • Name, address, location
   • Cuisine type
   • Price range
   • Ratings and photos

3. /restaurant – Get Detailed Restaurant Info
   Once you have a restaurant ID, this endpoint provides comprehensive information.
   Returns:
   • Restaurant name
   • Phone number and email
   • Opening hours
   • Cuisines
   • Average cost for two
   • menu_url (link to the digital menu page)

4. /dailymenu – Get Today’s Special Menu
   For restaurants offering rotating daily menus:
   Returns:
   • Menu items (if available)
   • Prices
   • Item descriptions
   This endpoint is available only for select restaurants.

Sample Python Script to Fetch Data
Here’s a Python example to search for restaurants in a city and extract menu-related data:
pythonCopyEditimport requests

API_KEY = 'your_zomato_api_key'headers = {
'Accept': 'application/json',
'user-key': API_KEY
}

Step 1: Search for Restaurants def search_restaurants(city_id, query):

url 
    'entity_id': city_id,
    'entity_type': 'city',
    'q': query,
    'count': 5    }
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
return response.json()

Step 2: Get Restaurant Details def get_restaurant_details(res_id):

url 
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
return response.json()

Examplerestaurants = search_restaurants(4, 'sushi') # 4 = Bangalore for item in restaurants['restaurants']:

res_id = item['restaurant']['id']
details = get_restaurant_details(res_id)
print(details['name'], '-', details['location']['address'])

Menu Data Caveat
While Zomato provides a menu_url for most listings, the API does not provide structured menu data (in JSON) for all restaurants.
Workaround Options:
• Use the menu_url field to link users to the Zomato-hosted menu.
• Scrape the menu page using HTML parsers (with proper permissions and ethical considerations).
• Partner directly with restaurants for structured menu exports.
• Use third-party scraping tools or data providers that specialize in food-tech.

Rate Limits and Usage Policies
Zomato places API rate limits to prevent abuse. The free tier offers:
• Up to 1000 API requests/day
• Max 20 records per query in /search
For commercial-scale access, you’ll need to contact Zomato for enterprise licensing or partnership agreements.

Legal and Ethical Guidelines
If you're extracting data for public or commercial use:
• Review Zomato’s terms of service and developer policy.
• Avoid violating rate limits or using data without attribution.
• Do not store or reuse scraped content without explicit permission.
• Provide credit if you link back to Zomato-hosted menus or reviews.

Use Cases for Restaurant & Menu Data
Restaurant Discovery Platforms
Apps and websites that help users find restaurants based on location, cuisine, and price.
Competitor Price Monitoring
Track pricing patterns across restaurants to adjust your offerings dynamically.
Food Delivery Aggregators
Fetch location-based restaurant menus and integrate them into delivery services.
Data Analytics & Market Research
Analyse cuisine trends, average pricing, reviews, and peak dining times for business intelligence.

Alternatives to Zomato API
If Zomato’s API limitations restrict your project, consider these alternatives:

1. Yelp Fusion API
   Best suited for restaurant data in North America. Offers business details, reviews, and photos.
2. Google Places API
   Provides location-based restaurant listings, though limited menu data.
3. Swiggy & Uber Eats (Unofficial)
   Public APIs are not available, but data can be extracted through partnerships or third-party services.
4. Custom Web Scraping
   Use tools like Beautiful Soup, Puppeteer, or Selenium with caution and in accordance with legal frameworks.

Final Thoughts
Accessing structured restaurant and menu data can fuel a wide range of applications—from hyperlocal food discovery to pricing intelligence and delivery automation. While Zomato's API offers a rich set of tools, it comes with some limitations, particularly around menu depth and rate limits.
By combining Zomato API access with ethical scraping, strategic partnerships, or third-party services, you can build high-impact applications that serve modern foodies, restaurateurs, and digital entrepreneurs alike.