Changing the zoom level will typically show these missing results. For example, I just checked my neighborhood. There are 5 restaurants within a few hundred feet of each other rated 4.5+ stars. With my filters set to 4.5+ stars, when I zoom out a bit, 4 of the 5 restaurants disappear, and I instead see a handful of 4.1 and 4.3 star restaurants. One of the 4.3 star restaurants is literally next door to a 5 star and 4.5 star restaurant, which are hidden at that zoom level.

It could also be recent ratings; I think it is reasonable to weight old reviews lower than new ones given restaurants can change a lot over the months and years.

Perhaps. But then why not just say “no results found”? Because that might give the impression to the “average” user that Google is broken and isn’t solving their problem. To the more sophisticated user, Google is just meddling where they shouldn’t.

Google is proving the central limit theorem by catering to the average.

Google long ago decided that "No results found" is never an acceptable response. Same with regular Google search. It will just choose arbitrary things to show you instead.

It's one of the things that has reduced the usefulness of these tools.

100%. Couldn’t agree more.

But this isn’t true

Your search - "abcdfksosifjdjwkdkwotmdnwkqk" - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

Make sure that all words are spelled correctly. Try different keywords. Try more general keywords.

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“No results found on Google Maps

Try searching for something else or in a different area”

I miss googlewhacking. :(

At least here where I live, Foodora and similar have ruined what was left of the Google ratings for any place offering take-away, because there's ton of 1 star reviews which concerns the transport.

At least viewing the most recent comments and reading the comment that goes with it helps figuring out if it might be a decent place or not... at least sometimes.