Notice: I do my best to write all reviews as objectively as possible, but please understand if there is any bias in my reviews on this site.

The following is a guide explaining the meaning behind my ratings.  Ambiance and costs are rated separately, and any additional comments are also separate from the star ratings.

5-Star Criteria:

• Great/excellent meals that are worth the price and definitely not easy to make at home
• Fantastic, almost–if not completely–flawless service
• A current repeat customer OR plan to be a repeat customer

4-Star Criteria:

• Decent, filling food that would be a bit of a hassle to make at home
• Great staff, friendly, and not overbearing
• Very likely to return

• Food is of average quality; something that can be thrown together at home
• Decent job done by staff, and at the very least—friendly
• Will likely return if in the area, but may be a little too out of the way to go regularly

• Food is of mediocre quality, and may seem overpriced for what you get
• Service is somewhat lacking; difficult to get customer service OR overbearing, annoying staff
• Might return if nothing else is available or if management changes and I catch wind of improvements

• Food is of terrible quality—tasteless, unappealing, overpriced for the quality, etc.
• Service is poor to non-existent—rude, inattentive/negligent staff
• Will not be returning

AMBIANCE RATINGS:

Peaceful/somewhat dead, and little to no wait time.

Short wait, quiet, small crowd.

Mediocre wait time, semi-quiet, fair crowd.

Considerably long wait time, strained acoustics, generally crowded (but nothing a reservation couldn’t fix).

Loud, terrible acoustics, overcrowding.  Some restaurants may have an impossible wait time and obtaining reservations may be difficult or not offered.

COST RATINGS:

Very cheap and affordable, reasonably priced food.

Generally affordable, but might be a little expensive after tax.

Fair pricing, but may be more expensive than expected after tax and gratuity.

Pricey food; at least $30 – $50 a plate.

$50+; very expensive food and generally someplace you’d be more likely to go in honor of a special occasion.

OTHER COMMENTS:

Online Ordering?: 
Delivery?: 
Wi-fi?:
Kids Menu?:
Buffet?: 
Kosher-friendly?:  This should be self-explanatory; if I find out the restaurant is Kosher-friendly, I will say so here.
Vegetarian/Vegan-friendly?:  Same as the above case.
Recommended?:  I will either recommend or warn away from the restaurant, depending on my overall experience.

Other things to expect from one of my food reviews: I will note if there are particular items I would like to recommend, any warnings against potential items served–for example if a company uses a lot of nuts, I’ll write that so those with nut allergies can avoid them, and I will also write anything else that I think the reader may find relevant.