OpenTable has finally brought its restaurant reservation services to the iPad, taking advantage of the screen’s additional real estate to improve upon its app for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The OpenTable app offers the same search functionality as the iPhone version, including the ability to to search by restaurant name, cuisine type, neighborhood and current location. Users can search for open tables for their party within a specified geographic and time range, pull up a restaurant’s location on a map, and peruse the menu and diner reviews before making a reservation. The app automatically bookmarks recently-viewed listings to make the browsing process even easier.

On the iPhone and iPod touch, all of this functionality is available on separate screens. On the iPad, users can view restaurant information, reviews and related results at the same time; when searching by location, they can pull up a map right next to the list of search results (see preview below).

The portability of the iPad device will also change the OpenTable app experience. “We believe people will use the iPad in different ways than they do the iPhone,” Josh Garnier, OpenTable’s mobile product manager, reflected in a blog post. “When the iPad is used in the home, it tends to be a communal device. Like the TV remote, it’s something that is likely shared among friends and family while sitting on the couch. Because most dining decisions are communal, the iPad, then, is a terrific platform for planning where to eat tonight (and every night).”

Available here on iTunes, OpenTable app is free.

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