write a review of the restaurant essay

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How To Write A Great Restaurant Review: Good & Bad Review Examples

Vera is a Senior Content Writer at a Singaporean lifestyle publication, ConfirmGood where she covers stories on all things food, lifestyle, and perspectives.

Throughout my career as a content writer at various lifestyle publications in Singapore , many a time have I been tasked to write a review for a restaurant .

A review of a restaurant is incredibly important to the business. Given that 94% of diners refer to reviews before making a decision to eat somewhere, the power reviews have to sway the consumer’s decision is immense.

Having been in this profession for a while now, I can safely say that I’ve seen my fair share of good and bad examples of restaurant reviews. And boy, do I have something to say!

But before I go into the details, let’s start with the basics. How should you structure your restaurant review article?

Restaurant review format

1) lay the table.

Just as how you’d set up the table in preparation for every meal, you need to set up your article in preparation for your readers’ eyes.

Provide some background information about the restaurant, its owner(s), and what it specializes in. Check out the opening paragraph of our Carne Burgers Singapore Review : 

The reader is immediately hit with some key facts that establishes the restaurant as a reputable business. If a sustainability-focused restaurant run by a Michelin star chef doesn’t entice you, I don’t know what does.

A well-written introduction is essential as a hook to capture your reader’s attention right from the being and keep them engaged til the end of your review.

2) Start serving your mains

Now that you’ve invited your readers to the table, it’s time to show them what the restaurant has to offer.

A majority of the body of your restaurant review should showcase the best dishes the establishment has to offer. Check out what we showcased in our Seoul Garden a la carte menu review .

As a buffet restaurant, Seoul Garden has a wide selection of cooked and uncooked food items on its menu. But we only featured the most popular and best-looking items. And these are the Wagyu Picanha and Salmon slices.

You should always feature the best items that the owner wants to feature and take good pictures of them ot feature in your restaurant review. The first impression always counts 👀

Some things that should be in in this part of your review include what the dishes are, why you ordered them, and what makes them great. Describe the sight , smell , flavours , and texture of the dishes you’re reviewing. You’ll be surprised by how effective these descriptive paragraphs can be in selling the restaurant.

Quick tip 💡 Prepare an arsenal of words you can use to describe food so you can easily pull them out to use in your article.

3) Wrapping things up

End off by summarizing why you enjoyed (or did not enjoy) the food. I’d strongly recommend adding some quirky final thoughts to leave your readers with a cute aftertaste. 

You can look at what I wrote for my review on Restaurant Salt.

Tips on writing great restaurant reviews

1) learn from the best restaurant review sites.

As with learning any new skill, look at what others have already done. 

A great source of restaurant reviews are lifestyle publications. They are generally divided into different sections like travel, finance, and food. ConfirmGood’s food blog showcases some of the best places to it in Singapore.

Check out the various articles we’ve put out to learn how to write great restaurant reviews. Learn the vocabulary, structure, and writing style.

2) Look at Tripadvisor and Google restaurant reviews

This one may come as a surprise to some of you. Why would you want to refer to reviews left behind by random people? After all, these aren’t professional food writers . What’s there to learn from?

If you take a look at the list of reviews you see on such sites, you’ll notice that some of these reviews are exceptionally well written. You can pick up pretty useful vocabulary from them. I guess some people really take writing reviews on Google really seriously 🤣

Another reason why you should look at restaurant reviews is because you get to learn about what is important to a customer. Perhaps being led to the table properly is important to some. To others, it’s really just the quality of the food. See what pops up most often and take note of it.

If a restaurant hires you to write a review about them, you should include these factors in your article when promoting the business.

3) Take the best photos

Taking great pictures of the food you are reviewing is absolutely necessary. Words alone cannot do the job of convincing your readers to eat at a particular restaurant. 

Humans are visual creatures and well-taken shots of the restaurants’ best dishes can help sway your readers’ decision.

4) STOP USING “DELICIOUS”, “GREAT”, “GOOD”

Expand your food vocabulary.

If you want to write great restaurant reviews, you can’t describe that flaky pastry that oozes creamy custard fulling as delicious.

You aren’t doing the melt-in-your-mouth tender steak any justice by calling it amazing.

So just stop ❌

Again, refer to the article I listed above for some good examples of words and phrases you can use to describe food.

5) Include the restaurant’s story

A restaurant is more than its menu.

It’s also about its history, its owners’ histories, culture, and even purpose.

Establishing the restaurant’s story in the introduction of your review can help pique your readers’ interest in the place.

6) Pay attention to cultural nuances

To add to my previous point, you should always be mindful when writing about food.

Do not refer to dishes as ‘ethnic’, ‘exotic’, or worse, ‘oriental’.

Food carries with them the long history of struggle and achievements of the culture which they are from. You need to be respectful of that.

7) It’s ok to not like the food

You don’t have to lie when writing restaurant reviews.

This may even cause the restaurant to receive harsher negative reviews as they were overhyped by your article. So don’t be afraid to be honest about how you find their food. Just don’t trash them unnecessarily. 

You’re all set to start writing an awesome restaurant review !

Those are my top 7 restaurant review writing tips. I hope you’ve found them useful. Becoming a food writer is not going to be easy. But this article is a great start for you!

To get more writing tips to help improve your writing, check out Writing Wildly’s amazing writing blog !

More resources

How to write an awesome & engaging blog post for a business, top 21 finance & investment blogs in singapore, 10 reasons why content writing is important for business & marketing.

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Restaurant Essay: Review & Evaluation of a Restaurant, Topics, Prompts

It might be quite an unusual topic to write about. Don’t worry, we will explain how to outline your work and advise what you should and shouldn’t do.

In this article, we will tell you how to write a restaurant review essay. We have prepared some tips, a list of topics, writing prompts, and three essay samples. You will also find the FAQ section at the end of the article. Let’s begin!

• 🍽️ Restaurant Essay Writing Tips
• 🥗 85 Restaurant Essay Topics
• 📊 Restaurant Evaluation Samples

🍽️ Restaurant Essay. Writing Tips

Here are some valuable tips on restaurant essay writing. Use these hacks to save your time and nerves and make a perfect writing piece.

Start a Restaurant Essay with Research

Research essays of other scholars and professional critics’ reviews. Based on the discovered information, decide what kind of essay suits you the best. Also, research the restaurant that you will describe in the paper.

Here are the things you need to consider:

• Vocabulary. Notice the specific language that appears in this type of writing. Make a small glossary and search for the meaning of frequently used words.
• Structure. Probably, you need to write a descriptive paper. Research its structure and observe how others implement it in long and short essays.
• Critical thinking. Everything you have found needs evaluation . Not all of the information is relevant. And more importantly, not all of the sources are worth your attention.
• Your notes. Make sure you include all the ideas you’ve found for your restaurants essay.       

Be Objective in Any Kind of Essay about Restaurant

Sure, the paper should reflect your opinion. But don’t make it a Google review. You need to support your thoughts with solid argumentation and evidence.

Follow these tips to be more objective:

• Use exact numbers. For example, instead of “many,” write the number or percentage.
• Write in the third person. Unless you have other instructions, avoid using the word “I” and such statements as “I believe,” “I think,” or “in my opinion.” But if your topic is “My favorite restaurant,” or you do a review based on your experience , it is okay to make it first-person.
• Don’t use words that can exaggerate your writing. Such terms as “very,” “really,” “never” are better to avoid.
• Support your statements with facts. If you express a thought, prove it with credible sources.

Outline Your Restaurant Essay

You need an outline to create a roadmap to your restaurant essay. It is also useful when it comes to planning your time and the content of the paper.

• Introduction. Explain the focus of the paper and provide background. Introduce the questions that you will answer in the following paragraphs. Don’t forget to make the last sentence your thesis statement. It will be a summary of what you will describe in the body of your essay.
• Body . The content of body paragraphs depends on the type of paper. For example, in an argumentative essay, each passage presents a separate argument. Let’s suppose you write an essay about your favorite restaurant. Describe these aspects separately: cuisine, interior, and service . Add details and analyze them.
• Conclusion. Summarize the main points of your essay and synthesize the information. Restate your thesis and don’t introduce any new information.

🥗 85 Food & Restaurant Essay Topics

Here we will suggest some titles for your restaurant evaluation essay. You can pick one of those or use it as a starting point.

Restaurant Review Essay

• How do restaurants and cafes use social media for their benefit?
• Describe a business plan to enhance a restaurant’s revenue.
• What is the best time to visit a restaurant?
• Describe your most unpleasant experience in a restaurant.
• Review a popular restaurant in your town .
• Restaurant takeaway food review: Does it feel the same to eat restaurant food at home?
• Tell a story about visiting a restaurant as a child.
• What restaurant would you recommend to people who visit your town?
• Fast food restaurants: Review .
• Describe a restaurant you would never visit again .
• Review a restaurant that is the nearest to your home.
• Best Food Superstores’ negative customer experience .

Restaurant Evaluation Essay

• Evaluation of the main course in a restaurant.
• Evaluation of the service provided in a restaurant .
• Pizza Hut Restaurant’s evaluation using Porter’s Five Forces model .
• Evaluation of entertainment in a restaurant.
• Evaluation of the interior in a restaurant.
• Evaluation of the quality of food in a restaurant.
• Evaluation of the concept of a restaurant.
• Evaluation of a popular chain of restaurants .
• The Penang Mutiara Restaurant operations management .
• How can you define that the restaurant you visit is a good one?
• Evaluation of Highlands Restaurant .
• What three criteria would you use to evaluate any restaurant ?
• Legal Seafood Company’s mission, culture and philosophy .
• Compare your expectations and an authentic experience visiting a restaurant.
• Frank’s All-American BarBeQue restaurant analysis .

My Favorite Restaurant Essay

• Describe an imaginary ideal restaurant you would like to visit.
• Describe your favorite fast-food restaurant chain .
• How many favorite restaurants did you have in your life?
• Describe your favorite restaurant that you visited while traveling .
• What was your favorite restaurant in childhood?
• What are the things that your favorite restaurant lacks?
• Tell your readers about the first experience visiting your favorite restaurant .
• Describe your favorite dish served in a restaurant.
• The reasons why you like your favorite restaurant .
• How do people choose their favorite restaurants?

Home Cooking vs. Restaurant Cooking Essay

• The advantages and disadvantages of eating in a restaurant .
• Restaurant training: Country cooking program .
• Is it possible for a regular person to cook like restaurant chefs?
• Describe your favorite meal that you can cook at home.
• Mexican cuisine: restaurant vs. home food.
• Tell about a dish that is traditional in your family.
• Is there something that you can cook better than in a restaurant?
• Restaurant business model : How much should the dishes cost?
• Do you prefer eating at home or in restaurants?
• Is there a restaurant dish that you would like to learn to cook?
• Why do people visit restaurants instead of eating at home?

Other Restaurant Essay Topics

• Restaurant services and competitive advantage .
• Operations management and productivity at Hard Rock Cafe .
• Strategic marketing of Oishi Gourmet Restaurant .
• Mega sport events impact on London’s restaurant market .
• Novikov Group: Internationalization of the Russian restaurant business .
• Cafe Coffee Day: Business plan .
• Briefing for restaurant employees .
• Restaurant outsourcing: Case study .
• Managers’ motivation in the US restaurant business .
• Effective management of a restaurant .
• Motivating the Nectar Restaurant waitresses .
• “Angliss Restaurant”: Angliss Entertainment Complex’s code of conduct .

Food Essay Topics

• Fresh food for low income families and individuals .
• Genetically modified food overview .
• History of sustainable global food economy .
• Ben Foods Pte.: Online ERP integration sales catalogue .
• Youngsters’ and television: Impact of food advertisements on an increase in obesity rates .
• Loving Organic Foods: Case report .
• Effects of climate change on agriculture and food .
• Whole Foods Market Inc.’s finance and capital .
• McDonald’s fast food company: Operations management .
• Kudler Fine Foods Company’s marketing research .
• Technology transfer in global food management .
• The Whole Foods Company’s opportunities and threats .
• Kudler Fine Foods Store’s marketing analysis .
• Whole Foods Market company analysis .
• Foodstuffs Company’s strategic human resource management .
• Kraft Food Group’s integrative analysis .
• Bay Health Foods Company’s environments .
• Sainsbury’s Supermarket: The UK food retail industry .
• Indian ethnic food in the UK: The new product development .
• Multinational company in the fast food industry: McDonald’s .
• McDonald’s leadership role in the fast-food industry .
• An evaluation of the Prospects for Sainsbury’s Supermarkets in the UK food retail industry .
• Fast food industry: Service quality and customer retention .
• The triple bottom line in a snack food company .
• Working conditions in the seafood industry .

📊 Restaurant Evaluation Essay Sample

Here are a few samples of essays on restaurants and cuisine. Use them as references for your future writing. You can also find some inspiration or ideas in the passages.

Restaurant Review Essay: Modernity in the Heart of Brooklyn

Modernity is a contemporary experimental restaurant located in the heart of Brooklyn. A blue neon sign which blinks from time to time attracts your attention immediately. This restaurant is a good place for people who look for the unusual interior, interesting food, and fast service . The restaurant looks like a futuristic mix of bright colors, unusual furniture, and futurism. There are two floors, a bar on the first floor and tables of different sizes and shapes on the second floor. The walls are decorated with abstract paintings, pictures of aliens and UFOs, and small neon signs like the one above the entrance. The staff wears uniforms that remind space suits. Light techno music and static sounds are playing. The restaurant is consistent with its name. The menu might seem confusing when you first open it. Such dishes as “Martian’s brain” or “Unicorn’s milk” turn out to be pumpkin soup served with colorful bread and a milkshake. I ordered a dish called “Jupiter on vacation” and a “Weightlessness” drink. They brought me a chicken bowl with blue seasoning that reminded Jupiter and a dark cherry drink with zero calories. Modernity is a place where you can try amazing food, but it is pretty simple in taste. As soon as I arrived and chose a table, a smiling waiter gave me the menu. I just had to press the “Emergency evacuation” button to see him again and place my order. They brought it in five minutes, which is quite fast for a restaurant full of visitors. The waiters and waitresses seem busy and going from one part of the restaurant to another. I recommend visiting Modernity at least once to see the way it looks and enjoy the service. It is a place where every detail is conceptual and exciting. If you are looking for a restaurant where you can take some photos and enjoy a creative atmosphere, Modernity is a good choice.

A cafe called Cliff is not far from where I live. You might not even notice it in the surrounding trees; however, this is what makes Cliff worth visiting. I love this place because of its qualitative coffee and meals, beautiful location, and service. They serve specialty coffee, which made me their regular customer. Its taste is a perfect mix of bitterness, chocolate flavor, and a bit of sour aftertaste. I am a big coffee lover, so this café impressed me. Cliff also offers twenty different deserts that are an excellent match to a cup of coffee. Some of them are vegan options; that is why anyone can choose a treat for themselves. You can also order a sandwich or a salad here, and the food is always fresh. Their approach to nature deserves respect. The café’s outside area looks like a small park with tiny chairs, tables, and benches. If you ask for a blanket or bring your own, you can enjoy your meal sitting on the lawn in a comfortable position. Cliff is a ten-minute walk from my apartment, so I often go there to study surrounded by these beautiful trees. The interior combines brown and grey colors; most of the objects are made of concrete and wood. The waiters and baristas are cheerful and always ready for a small chat. They help me with my choice and complete the orders fast. Cliff also has quite a fast Internet connection. That is the reason why I regularly see at least ten freelancers working there constantly. The music that plays there is not too loud, but you can still hear it from any spot. Cliff looks clean and neat, that is why I enjoy every minute I spend there. There are many good coffee shops in the area, and this one is worth your attention. Try this place if you enjoy nature, polite service, and a peaceful atmosphere. Choose your favorite coffee drink and a small dessert to dine in the garden.

I don’t visit restaurants so often because my father is a chef. He has been in the culinary sphere for more than 20 years, working in an Italian restaurant. I prefer eating at home to eat as delicious food as in restaurants, hone my culinary skills, and spend more time with my family. Every meal my father cooks at home is a product of his professional approach and good taste. He even creates his dishes and invites us to try them. He changes recipes, experiments with flavors and seasonings, and describes everything he did while we were testing the dish. I feel like a famous food critic each time I try to guess the ingredients and the way of cooking. The next thing I love about eating at home is cooking. I enjoy spending time in the kitchen, even though I know I will not do it professionally one day. My dream is to become a software engineer, but good cooking skills are always a benefit. Having such a teacher as my father, I am sure my culinary skills become better each time. We buy groceries, cook, eat, and clean up together. It is like a small ritual that became a tradition in our family. That is far more than just visiting a restaurant to me. We don’t wear fancy clothes, stand in a queue or make reservations, and spend as much time as we want together. We find it more convenient since we have fun and don’t have to go anywhere. Eating at home can be a better experience than eating in a restaurant if you enjoy cooking. There are so many things to explore. You can try different cuisines, experiment with recipes, and teach each other. If you haven’t tried such time spending, I highly recommend it!

How to Structure a Restaurant Essay?

Most academic essays consist of five paragraphs. In your restaurant essay, include an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You can also make a small glossary before the introduction or in it.

How to Write a Restaurant Review Essay?

Share your experience through making a narrative. Provide some background information about a restaurant and describe your general opinion. Explain your point in the following paragraphs, support it with evidence. Conclude your essay with a summary of the evaluation and state whether you recommend it or not.

How to Write the Name of a Restaurant in an Essay?

If you want to avoid mistakes, visit the restaurant’s website. You can find the exact spelling there. In your essay, start it with a capital letter. Don’t use quotation marks unless they appear in the official name of the restaurant. If the restaurant doesn’t have a website, try to find their social media accounts.