How to Write a Food Review

Avoid telling staff members that you are a food critic or reviewer. You want to get the same experience as any other patron, as many restaurants will give you special treatment that may change your review if they know you're a critic. Instead of telling them you are there to review their food, simply head inside and take a table, acting like any other customer. The Association of Food Journalists even suggest that you avoid large culinary events (grand openings, staff parties, etc.) so you don't risk being approached by chefs looking for a good review.

• If you are an established reviewer you should make reservations under a different name.
• You should still bring a notebook or small recorder with you to take notes, though you can also take them on your phone. To write a great review, you should be taking notes.

Make some notes of the restaurant's logistics. Did you need a reservation, and how far in advance was it set up? Where is the restaurant, and what is the neighborhood like? How was the parking? These facts will make up a very small part of your review, but this information is essential to help potential customers find the perfect restaurant for their night.

Describe the atmosphere and ambiance when you walked in. Give your reader a feel for your experience. Does the wait staff treat you like family or an old friend, or is the place elegant and classy? What is the dress code like? What kind of atmosphere is in the restaurant? Be creative in the description -- a good food review is not just about the menu, it is about the entire experience.

• Do the decorations create an appealing ambiance?
• How are people enjoying their meals? At large, talkative tables or many small, intimate dates?

Make some notes on the service. Avoid thing like, "the service was good/bad." You want specifics. The best way to get them is by asking questions. While you don't want to pester people, a good waitstaff will know what foods go well together, if there are any allergens in the dish, and the basic presentation of the dish. Most importantly, a good waitstaff is there when you need it -- when water glasses get low, when a fork is dropped, and when you're ready to order your next course.

Order from a wide swath of the menu. You will not be able to eat everything on the menu. You should, however, touch as many sections of it as you can. Be sure to get a drink, an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert to get a sense of the kitchen's full capabilities. If you can, come with a group of people and have everyone order something different (beef/fish, the soup/salad, sauteed/simmered) to get a good idea how the kitchen handles the entire restaurant.

• As a food reviewer, you need to try everything you can to get a good idea of the restaurant.
• What you order is, of course, a matter of personal preference. However, asking the servers for recommendations is a great way to see what the kitchen and staff are proudest off. Most servers have tasted everything on the menu with the chef's guidance, so they should be able to help you order and determine what you're eating.

Note the presentation of the dish. As soon as the food reaches your table, make some notes on the appearance. Is it clean and beautiful or messy and tired? Remember, a food review is about the experience, not just the taste, so you need to capture all of these details.

• If you are at a restaurant that allows it, try and snap a quick picture with your phone. This will make it much easier to write about the appearance later.

Enjoy your first few bites. Savor the first few bites, sampling everything on the plate before writing anything else down. Eat slowly and enjoy the meal before trying to get too critical.

• Make sure you eat the dish the way it was intended first-- don't pick out any ingredients or try things separately until later.

Write down your initial impressions with specific detail. Use adjectives and clear language when making your notes. "I liked the use of rosemary" is not as helpful as "the rosemary crust was light and herbal and perfect complemented the soft, fluffy potatoes." That said, this is just the time to take notes, so don't worry about getting the language perfect.

• Writing down specific details now about why you liked/disliked a dish will make your writing much, much easier later.

Sample the individual parts of the meal. This is where you start to get into the specifics of a good food review. Try each part of the meal separately, checking for the following criteria:

• Texture. How does the food feel in your mouth? Again, be specific, as there is a variety of textures, all of which can be good or bad.
• Spices: Are the spices consistent throughout the meal? Can you tell what some of the spices are?
• Complexity: A hard one to describe, complexity is a measure of the variety of flavors in a food. A good cook doesn't just go for "lemon-flavored" or "garlic & pepper," they go for a nuanced, unique taste to their food. Do the individual parts of the dish come together to make something new or better than the sum of their parts?

Sample everything on the table. If you're with other people, make sure you taste their dishes as well and make a couple of quick notes. This is the best way to get a full idea of the menu and the restaurants strengths and weaknesses.

• Be sure to write down the exact name of each dish for later reference. Your reader will want to know what to order or avoid.

Make specific notes as you eat. A good review is rooted in fact, so make sure you're armed with facts. Of course, all food reviewing is inherently subjective, but that doesn't mean should only comment on what you liked and didn't like. It might be easiest to make your notes after you finish the course or as you eat, depending on your company. Either way, you should not rely on your memory to remember everything -- true food critics write notes.^[3]

Ask questions as they arise. If you're curious what was in a sauce, how something was prepared, or where certain high-profile foods (meats, expensive cheeses, etc.) came from, feel free to ask. At high-class restaurants the waitstaff is trained to know about the food they serve, so they should be happy to give you an answer.^[4]