How We Review Restaurants
The editorial methodology behind every review, ranking, and list on Where To Eat Dubai. Published openly so you know exactly what a recommendation on this site is worth.
1. How we visit
Every restaurant on this site has been visited in person by a member of our editorial team. We visit anonymously whenever possible — bookings in private names, no advance notice to the restaurant, no identification on arrival. If we are recognised during the meal, we note it in the internal file for that review and revisit anonymously before publishing a ranked placement.
For reviews of tasting menus or hotel fine dining where anonymity is unrealistic, we state so clearly in the review and factor it into our judgement.
Minimum visits before a review is published: one full meal for a simple dish-focused restaurant; two or more separate visits for any restaurant considered for a ranked position in a best-of list.
2. How we pay
We pay in full for the vast majority of meals. When a meal is hosted, comped, or otherwise provided at no cost, we disclose it in the first paragraph of the review. Hosted meals never earn a ranked position on a best-of list; only a standalone review, clearly labelled.
We accept no payment, product, gift, or hospitality in exchange for coverage. Affiliate links to booking partners (where used) are disclosed as sponsored links; they do not influence editorial placement.
3. What we score
Every restaurant is scored across six dimensions on a 0-5 scale:
| Dimension | What we're measuring |
|---|---|
| Food | Taste, seasoning, sourcing, technique, consistency across courses. |
| Service | Pace, attentiveness, product knowledge, recovery when things go wrong. |
| Atmosphere | Room, noise level, lighting, comfort, arrival and departure experience. |
| Value | Quality delivered against the price paid — not whether a restaurant is cheap. |
| Consistency | Whether the quality we experienced is reproducible on a different night. |
| Distinctiveness | Does this restaurant have something to say that the next one doesn't? |
Composite scores are rounded to the nearest half-star for public display. The full six-dimension breakdown is visible on every individual restaurant review.
4. How we rank best-of lists
Ranked lists (e.g., "The 20 Best Restaurants in Dubai Marina 2026") are ordered by composite score, with distinctiveness breaking ties. A restaurant must have been visited by our team at least twice to qualify for any ranked position.
We do not accept payment for placement on any list. No advertiser, PR firm, restaurant, or partner can influence position. Sponsored content, when we run it, is labelled "Sponsored" and appears only in clearly demarcated slots that never sit inside editorial rankings.
5. Conflict of interest
Editors disclose any personal, financial, or professional relationship with a restaurant, its owners, or its suppliers. A conflicted editor is assigned a different restaurant; where the editorial pool is small, we publish the conflict transparently and flag it at the top of the review.
6. How we update
Dubai's restaurant scene changes monthly. We revisit every restaurant on every ranked best-of list at least once every 18 months. When a restaurant changes head chef, menu, or ownership, we re-review on priority. Every review carries a "Last visited" date so you know how fresh the recommendation is.
7. Corrections
We correct errors openly. If we publish incorrect pricing, an inaccurate dish description, a wrong address, or an error of fact, we correct it in place and append a short correction note with the date. Email hello@wheretoeatdubai.com with any correction you'd like us to make.
8. What we do not do
- We do not publish paid reviews.
- We do not offer restaurants a "preview" or right to approve copy before publication.
- We do not accept threats of legal action as a reason to remove a fair review.
- We do not sell our newsletter list.
- We do not recommend a restaurant we have not personally visited.
Contact
Questions about this methodology, a restaurant you think we've got wrong, or a correction to request: email hello@wheretoeatdubai.com. More on our editorial team and lead editor, or how our scoring translates to star ratings.