There's a real tension in how we think about restaurants. Do you plan ahead, cross-referencing review sites and locking in reservations weeks out? Or do you wander, trusting your instincts and hoping to stumble into something unforgettable? Most of us fall somewhere in between, and where you land on that spectrum probably says more about how you travel than what you like to eat.

Then there's the question of what you're actually optimizing for: Michelin stars and awards? That social media hyped restaurant? The vibes, the service? Or maybe just whether the food is genuinely good and doesn't just look good on camera? The problem with review platforms is that they try to collapse all of that into a single score, and there usually isn't a quick way to tell whether a place has the thing you personally care about most.

Actually we kind of agree. But we also know that when you're short on time in an unfamiliar city, spending a few minutes narrowing your options to fit your group can make a real difference between a forgettable meal and a great one. That's what this guide is for — not to replace the joy of wandering into an unmarked side-street spot (this is our ideal night out), but to make sure your limited evenings aren't wasted when the stakes feel higher.

We're expanding this guide to more countries slowly but surely, and we'd love feedback on local platforms and resources we might be missing. Review culture looks different everywhere, and the people who know best are the ones who live there.