How we choose

We go. Nothing gets in off a press release, a PR list or someone else's roundup. A place is only eligible once one of us has actually been.

We pay. No freebies, no invites, no comped tasting menus. If we didn't pay for it, it can't tell you anything about whether it's worth your money.

We argue. The test is simple: would we send a friend there and stand by it afterwards? Most places don't clear it. The guide stays short on purpose.

The room matters. We care about design — rooms, light, chairs, the feel of a place — because eating out is more than the food. That's the lens the whole guide is built through.

Places leave. When somewhere slips, it comes out. A guide that only ever grows isn't a guide, it's a graveyard.