Thanks to Facebook and Foursquare, we've long been able to see what our friends say they like and where they want to be seen. But in the same way that everyone claims to love Almodóvar films while Transformers 2 makes $400 million, what people say they like isn't exactly a true reflection of our habits, according to Mint.com.

Mint launched as a personal finance website in 2007, compiling bank and credit card accounts in one place for users to track spending and make budgets. But now it's taken the spending data from its four million users and aggregated it anonymously by location and spending category — so we can see what our friends and neighbors are really spending their money on.

The results may surprise you. Starbucks and McDonalds predictably snagged the top two spots in food & dining, but Taco Cabana came in third, well above fellow late night favorite Whataburger at No. 23.

No. 5 Kroger narrowly edged out eighth-ranked H-E-B in popularity, although users spent 25 percent more at H-E-B with an average purchase of $48.84, also putting it above Central Market (No. 63, $42.76), Randalls (No. 29, $34.66) and Whole Foods Market (No. 67, $40.62). But when it comes to grocers spending the most per trip, Costco (No. 35) was the undisputed champion with an average purchase of $112.51.

Other surprises in the top 10 were Spec's Liquor at No. 6 — more popular than any grocery store except Kroger — and Houston-based The Kolache Factory at No. 8 (well above No. 47 Shipley Do-Nuts) which tells us that the CultureMap staffers aren't the only Houstonians who have trouble starting the day without a kolache or two.

Based on these rankings, it's clear Houston Mint users love comfort food and Tex-Mex. The Black-Eyed Pea, Houston-based Luby's, Chili's and local Barnaby's Cafe were the among top dine-in restaurants, just ahead of Taqueria Arandas, Chuy's, Escalante's and El Rey.

In the burrito wars, Mission Burrito (No. 17) crushed Chipotle (No. 34) and Freebirds, which didn't make the top 335, and Grand Lux Cafe scored an upset by outranking The Cheesecake Factory.

And when it comes to Westheimer coffeehouse cafés, Empire Café (No. 59) has a lead on Brasil (No. 64) with both eclipsing Agora.

The list, predictably, is made up of chains, chains, and more chains (popularity isn't broken down by location). But despite this, a few local stand-alones made a mark. Hobbit Cafe, Miyako, Mi Luna, Breakfast Klub and Shiva were a few solo shots that landed spots in the top half of the 300-plus list — which makes us question if there is a correlation between Mint.com users and the Rice Village/Upper Kirby area.

When it comes to landing big bills, Westside steakhouse Taste of Texas is tops in restaurant with an average tab of $100.69, with Hugo's and Backstreet Cafe just behind.

With only four million users contributing data, the list is certainly incomplete. Are you surprised by the results? Where would Mint say you get food the most?

Hat tip to CultureMap columnist H-Town Chow Down for bringing the Mint data to our attention.