Now you can use Explore to discover the flavors of Brazil

The countdown to the 2016 Rio Olympics is underway and the Google Maps team is making moves to ensure that Rio residents and Olympics tourists are able to navigate and explore the city. Whether you’re a Rio local looking to expand your palate beyond your favorite neighborhood restaurants or a traveler wanting to choose from all the restaurant options nearby, you can now look to Google Maps’ Explore feature for local suggestions when in Brazil.

The Explore experience in Brazil is very much like the experience here in the US and is available on both iPhone and Android. Simply open Google Maps on your mobile phone and tap “explore food & drinks near you” at the bottom of the screen. Depending on where you are and time of day, a category (breakfast, lunch, coffee, dinner and drinks) is preselected for you. Google Maps will share lists of food and drink locations around you, ranging from “best breakfasts” to “waterside dining”. Once you find a list that fits your needs, just tap on the list to see suggested locations. Then swipe right or left to see more options and tap “read more” or the arrow at the bottom of the screen to select a venue and get more details. Of course you'll see these on-screen prompts like "explore food & drinks near you" in the language you’ve set as primary on your mobile phone.

For those of you not heading to Rio this summer, you can still use Explore to discover new places around the world. Explore is also available on Android and iPhone in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. And it was just recently made available in Australia and Canada as well.

Posted by Bryan Cheng, Product Manager, Google Maps