The 100-point rubric

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Food — 25 points

Flavor, seasoning, ingredient quality, and whether the cooking shows real intent. The biggest slice of the score, because it’s why you came.

Hospitality — 20 points

How the room makes you feel. The welcome, the warmth, the sense that they’re glad you’re here — not performing glad, actually glad.

Staff & Service — 15 points

Timing, knowledge, grace under pressure. Do they read the table? Do they recover well when something goes wrong?

Ambiance — 15 points

Light, sound, space, comfort. Does the room match what the food is trying to say?

Proficiency & Execution — 10 points

Consistency and craft. Is the menu engineered well? Does the kitchen nail it when it’s slammed, not just when it’s slow?

Cleanliness — 10 points

Dining room, bar, restrooms — the whole picture. Non-negotiable.

Value — 5 points

Not cheap — fair. Did what you paid feel right for what you got?

What the scores mean

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• 85–100 — Approved at the pass. Exceptional. The kind of meal you plan trips around.
• 70–84 — Worth a visit. Solid to very good, with something holding it back from the top tier.
• 55–69 — Mixed. Highs and lows. Go in knowing what to order — and what to skip.
• Below 55 — Not approved. We can’t recommend it. The review will tell you exactly why.

The credibility rules

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• We pay for every meal. Anonymous, unannounced, full price. If anything is comped, the visit doesn’t count toward a score.
• No byline, no favors. Nobody here trades coverage for perks. Restaurants can’t buy a review, a re-score, or a spot on any list.
• The methodology is public. This page — every weight, every rule. If we ever change it, we’ll say so.
• Two-visit minimum above 85. No restaurant scores above 85 until we’ve eaten there at least twice, on different days.
• Factual claims are documented. Prices, hours, dish names — checked at the time of the visit and noted in the review.