I have used Yelp for years to find and choose restaurants. They curate multiple reviews (in excess of 287 million) from various sources to generate over 178 million unique visitors a month. But the question is are the reviews reliable? Recently, I have come to believe that Yelp is no longer a good sources for restaurant reviews.
Recently, I had a bad experience with Yelp’s review of bagel shops in NYC. I decided to take a look at Yelp’s reviews of Italian restaurants in NYC (and for a bonus, some bagel shops as well).
Based upon Yelp reviews totally over 8,000 reviews, Tony di Napoli and Carmine’s are among the best Italian Restaurants in NYC. Tony di Napoli has a Yelp rating of 4.2 while Carmine’s comes in at 4.0. These are pretty high ratings for Italian restaurants in a competitive landscape. I have eaten at both and they are in no way the same league as the top Italian restaurants.
Looking at some really good restaurants like Carbone, Rezdora and Quality Italian you would expect that they would be rated higher. Each of these restaurants are rated a 4.0 on Yelp. As point of reference, Rezdora is a Michelin Star Restaurant. I do not think that anyone would ever confuse Tony di Napoli and Carmine’s with a Michelin Star Restaurant!!
Carbone is world famous for its elevated and creative takes on classic Italian-American dishes with signature items like the spicy rigatoni vodka and tableside Caesar salad.
Quality Italian is an Italian Steakhouse that is known for its innovative take on classic Italian dishes, particularly its Chicken Parm Pizza and Spicy Lobster Rigatoni Alla Vodka. Quality Italian also excels with their Tomahawk Rib steak and Baked Clams.
As to bagels, Yelp rates Liberty Bagels 4.5 while only rating Utopia Bagels (4.1), Ess-a-Bagels (4.0) and My Three Sons Bagels (3.8). How in the world is that possible? Liberty Bagels are more akin to a roll rather than a bagel. Utopia Bagels and Ess-a-Bagels are best in class. They offer bagels that are golden brown that is the right amount of chewy flavor.
Yelp often gets it wrong, especially when it comes to NYC’s most tourist-heavy areas.
These tourist traps often boast inflated ratings, not because their food is exceptional, but due to a confluence of factors that skew the platform’s perceived authority.
The Tourist Effect: A Numbers Game
Consider a restaurant in Times Square or Little Italy. It sees thousands of visitors daily, many of whom are first-time Yelp users or infrequent reviewers. They might be impressed by the sheer spectacle, the New York experience, or simply the convenience. Their reviews, often less critical and based on limited comparison, contribute to a high average rating. A 4-star rating from a tourist who’s never had truly authentic Italian food in NYC might mean something entirely different to a local who knows the real gems.
This creates a numbers game where sheer volume of reviews from a less discerning audience can push a mediocre restaurant higher in rankings than a truly excellent, but less trafficked, local spot. Yelp’s algorithm, while designed to filter out fake reviews, still struggles with the inherent bias of a tourist-driven review pool.
Many Yelp reviewers, particularly those traveling, prioritize the overall experience – the ambiance, the Instagrammability, the perceived vibe – over the actual quality of the food. Restaurants that excel at creating a flashy, memorable (if not culinarily superior) experience often garner higher ratings. This means a place with mediocre food but a great photo op might outrank a humble, family-run eatery serving truly exceptional dishes.
Locals, on the other hand, are often more critical, focusing on the taste, authenticity, and value. They have a deeper frame of reference, having explored countless establishments and developed a more refined palate for what truly constitutes good food in NYC. I am a local and want real reviews of the food of the restaurant!
As a general point, it is hard to believe reviews on Yelp. We need to find a more reliable review site to base our decision making.