The Bottom Line
Pros
- More than 1,200 restaurant reviews
- Totally independent reviews by anonymous inspectors
- No advertising
- Detailed descriptions of food and ambience
Cons
- Features more formal, pricier restaurants
- Can be a bit stuffy
- Weak on casual dining
Description
- 512 pages
- Paperback
- 23.4 x 14.4 x 2.6 cm
Guide Review - The Which? Good Food Guide - The UK's Leading Independent Dining Guide
The Good Food Guide, published by "Which?" a UK version of "Consumer Reports", published its 56th edition in 2008. If it feels like it's been around forever, that's probably because its anonymous inspectors were the country for fine dining long before most of its readers were born.Recommendations for the restaurants reviewed come from all over the place - including readers who write in. They are followed up in secret, keeping the guide above reproach. There are no advertisements and, unlike some of the official rating systems, no way to pay to have an inspector drop by. In addition to having separate sections of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands (with alphabetical lists of cities and towns within each) the guide has a new entries list every year, a London list by type of cuisine and an index of budget dining.
Each listing describes the ambiance and food in detail and recommends particular dishes or wines. Listings include contact and credit card details as well as websites if available.
The guide's main flaw is that its recommendations for budget restaurants are limited. Another is that the diners, members of the Good Food Club, who contribute to the guide, seem to be slow to pick up on the latest dining out trends.
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