Our Independence Pledge
We pay for every meal we review. No complimentary visits, no sponsored rankings, no "promoted" content disguised as editorial. We have turned down restaurant PR invitations. If we accept an invitation, we revisit the restaurant anonymously before publishing. Our rankings reflect genuine experience, not marketing spend.
This is fundamental to who we are. In an industry where many guides accept payment for placements or favorable coverage, we remain committed to one principle: you can trust that our reviews are based on real meals, real experiences, and an honest assessment of value.
The 5-Point Scoring System
Each restaurant we review is evaluated across five dimensions. These combine to create a total score out of 100. This framework helps us assess restaurants fairly across price points and cuisines, from a small shawarma stand to a Michelin-level tasting menu.
Food Quality
Technique, ingredient quality, flavour, consistency, and creativity. This is the most heavily weighted category—great food is the foundation of a great restaurant.
Value for Money
Does the bill reflect what you received? We apply this equally across all price tiers. An AED 35 biryani that's exceptional scores as highly as a AED 2,000 tasting menu that earns every dirham.
Service
Knowledge of the menu, attentiveness, appropriate speed, and warmth. Service should enhance the dining experience without becoming intrusive.
Atmosphere
Design, noise levels, comfort, and whether the setting matches the restaurant's concept. Atmosphere should complement, not overshadow, the food.
Consistency
We revisit highly-rated restaurants 2–3 times before publishing to ensure the experience we had wasn't an anomaly. Consistency matters.
Visit Policy
Anonymous Visits Only. We never announce ourselves as reviewers. This allows us to experience the restaurant as any customer would—same service, same food quality, same setting.
Minimum 2 Visits. We visit every restaurant at least twice before publishing a review. This ensures we're not judging a restaurant on a single off night.
Extra Visits for Top Scores. Restaurants scoring 85 or above receive three or more visits. At this level, consistency is critical, and we want to be absolutely certain before recommending them as truly exceptional.
Annual Updates. We update reviews yearly or when significant changes occur—a new head chef, change of ownership, major renovation, or substantial shift in menu or pricing. You'll always see a "Last Visited" date on every review.
Reader Suggestions Welcome. We accept restaurant suggestions from our readers, but we make all visit decisions independently. A suggestion doesn't guarantee a visit or review, but we do take them seriously.
What We Never Do
Our editorial standards are non-negotiable. Here's what you'll never see from Where To Eat Dubai:
Accept free meals in exchange for positive coverage. We pay for our meals.
Allow restaurants to read reviews before publication. Editorial independence means final say rests with us.
Change scores based on advertiser status. A restaurant's ad spend has zero bearing on its review score.
Use AI to write reviews. All reviews come from real visits by real people who ate real food.
Rank restaurants based on PR relationships. We have no PR partnerships that influence editorial.
Accept commissions for "book a table" clicks. Our links are informational only, never affiliate.
Rating Scale
Every restaurant we review receives a score out of 100. Here's what each band means:
About Our Lead Critic
Fredrik Filipsson
Editorial Updates
Restaurants change. A chef departure, a renovation, a change in ownership, a new manager—any of these can transform a restaurant overnight. We take this seriously.
Every review is dated. We clearly show "Last Visited" on every article so you know when we were last there. If significant time has passed or a restaurant has undergone major changes, we'll revisit and update the review. We also take reader updates seriously. If you've dined somewhere recently and spotted changes, contact us. We investigate and reinvestigate when things shift.
Contact Us About a Review
If you're a restaurant operator and believe something in your review is factually incorrect, contact us at info@wheretoeatdubai.com. We investigate and correct factual errors within 48 hours.
We don't remove opinions—our opinions stand as our honest assessment. But we do correct facts. If we said a restaurant is in Dubai Marina when it's actually in DIFC, or got the head chef's name wrong, we'll fix it.