How To Write a Thorough Restaurant Review

Writing a restaurant review is relatively easy... as long as you know the right points to hit for all of your readers. Sure, you've got the basic "good service, good food, good price" elements, but there is so much more to at least touch upon when writing a restaurant review. This guide will help you write a more in-depth restaurant review that will please even the pickiest of readers. Simply answer the questions in detail, using full and complete sentences. Be as descriptive as possible. (And, yes, feel free to be insulting during a bad review. This is, after all, a personal review. Let that magnetic personality shine through!)

1. What type of food do you like to eat? What type of restaurants do you enjoy?
This may seem like a silly way to begin a restaurant review, but it gives your reader a good grasp of the type of person you are. It especially gives your reader an understanding of what type of cuisine you prefer. For example, a vegetarian may not want to read a review written by someone who prefers BBQ joints to anything else. Or, someone who frequents Country Clubs may not want the advice of someone who lives on McDonald's. You get the idea. You can also mention how often you go out to eat, and what you usually expect to pay for a meal.

2. Give the details of the restaurant you are reviewing.
Where is it located? Is it hard to find? Is it a long drive? Do you have to make reservations in advance? How long is the wait on a weeknight? On a weekend? What hours is the restaurant open? Of course, you don't have to answer all of these questions. It's more or less a guide. There may even be some questions that I left out that you would want to ask in this section.

3. What is the dress code?
Perhaps this seems like a silly question to ask in a separate paragraph, but dresscode is something that many restaurants take seriously-- or it may be something that you want to warn potential patrons of. Of course, you don't have to write a dress code for chain restaurants, like Applebee's or Outback, but it's a good idea for places that have never been reviewed before or that are one-of-a-kind.

4. Describe the atmosphere.
Is it kid-friendly? Is it dark? Is it fancy? What is the decor like? Is it loud? The atmosphere of a restaurant is very important to me. My friends and family know that I like low-key restaurants, where I can share an intimate conversation. Some people prefer noisy, trendy spots. A lot of your readers care about whether or not it is kid-friendly. Even if you don't have kids, you should mention this.

5. Describe the menu.
You certainly don't have to list everything on the menu. You do, however, want to mention the different courses that they have. Do they serve appetizers? Do they serve desserts? What is the selection like? Are there any specialties? What are your recommendations? Is there a kids or a seniors menu? Are they vegetarian friendly? Is there an "early bird special" or a special "complete dinner" menu? What is included with the meal? Is there anything that people should avoid?

6. What did you order?
This paragraph can be included with the previous one, or you can separate it for a more thorough and organized review. This is to show the experience that you had with your own food. What did you order? Was is served at the appropriate temperature? Be sure to be descriptive here. How did the food taste? What was the quality of the food?

7. Describe the service.
From beginning to end, describe the service that you encountered during your visit. If you called, you should mention the details of the phone call. Were the servers and hosts polite and helpful? Did they go out of their way to ensure a good visit? Were they friendly? Was the service efficient? If there is a specific server that was AWESOME, feel free to mention their name. (Mentioning someone in a bad light is usually not a good thing... Unless they give you a silly name that is obviously not theirs, like "Lonestar" or something.) Did you have to wait a long time for anything? If you think that things should have been done that weren't done, mention them. What would you have done to make things better?

8. Price
How much did you spend on your bill? Is the price comparable to the food and service? What is the average price per person? What does the price include?

9. Overall / Conclusion
How was your experience with the restaurant you visited? Would you ever go back? Why or why not? Would you recommend this restaurant to anyone? What type of person would enjoy this restaurant?

That should do it. By answering those questions or just following the guide I laid out for you, you should be able to write a detailed, well-rounded and thorough restaurant review. Good luck!