You're looking for a restaurant to eat dinner at with your girlfriend. You pass by a restaurant which you've never been to, but your girlfriend says she's eaten there. You ask:
Is this place any good?
a place
You can call a restaurant a "place" in casual conversation:
You can also describe what kind of restaurant it is:
Have you been to that new pizza place up on 83rd Street?
There's this amazing Italian place we go to sometimes. I have to take you there.
And you can call a bar or dance club a "place" as well:
Do you want to have a drink? I know a place nearby.
Is (something) any good?
This question means "Is ___ good?" or "Is ___ good at all?"
Use "any good" in spoken English. Use it to ask about something that you don't know anything about, or that you don't have any bias on. Here's an example for asking about a movie that seems like it could be funny based on the previews:
Oh, you've seen it? Is it any good?
Just asking "Is ___ good?" makes it sound like like you expect the movie to be good, and you're just asking for agreement. If you and your friend were both really excited about watching a new superhero movie, you could ask:
Oh, you've seen it? Is it good?
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