When looking for a meal in a new place, many of us have used Google Maps to see if there are any good restaurants nearby. This app not only allows you to see reviews of local eateries, but also allows you to upload photos of what you eat. Unfortunately, even if you see an appetizing photo, you can't see it on the label.

That wasn't the case before, but that is starting to change: as discovered by 9to5Google, Google Maps is beginning to pair user photos with different items on restaurant menus. Descriptions vary, but at least it seems to be able to tell what is in the photo.

Additional information available includes pricing, indications such as vegetarian, and more detailed descriptions of what is shown. In addition, there is an option to jump directly to the menu so you can learn more about what the restaurant has to offer.

9to5Google notes that these appear to be automatically generated, relying on a mix of object recognition and user captions to label each photo. Google notes, however, that this information is not actually verified by Google and that this type of system is known to make mistakes.

This is likely why Google's system has an option to suggest edits. This includes suggesting edits to existing information, marking what is there as wrong, pointing out offensive dish names or that the dish in question is not actually on the menu, etc.

The current drawback is that few restaurants actually offer this feature. And not all such restaurants display auto-generated labels on photos of their food. In fact, using the latest versions of Google Maps on Android and iOS, we could not find a single restaurant with this new auto-generated food caption.

So it may be some time before this service is offered. But when it does, it should make deciding where and what to eat a little easier. At the very least, you will know what to expect when your plate is brought to you.

This is just one of many new features that Google Maps has added over the past few weeks to improve its service. These include support for Bluetooth beacons to track drivers in tunnels, adding 3D buildings to the interface during navigation, and giving drivers more control over their location history. Expect Google to keep up this pace. Especially in the face of increasing competition from the likes of Apple Maps.