Specialty guides, flawed as they are, are essential for their consummers (and much more reliable than Google or Yelp).

It’s unlikely to find a specialty cafe by chance
Bumping by chance into a specialty cafe is unlikely — for each true specialty cafe, there are 100 cafes* and 500 restaurants* — and the main streets are usually taken by large brands. As a tourist without a specialty guide, you’re in trouble — even in a place like London. *2021 data. Specialty coffee market expanded after the pandemic, but the orders of magnitude still hold.

Google or Yelp provide false ‘specialty’ results
For products like Yelp or Trip Advisor, “specialty coffee” is a meaningless label (anyone can create it, or add to it). Even shawarma places can be labeled as “specialty cafes” (see photo). In contrast, specialty guides are reliable — results are carefully curated by experts.