Published: 16 November 2025
This quick 60-second method helps you check a restaurant’s Google rating, customer photos and short-form video uploads — so you visit places that are actually worth your time.
Choosing a great restaurant shouldn’t be a guessing game. If you’ve ever wondered how to know if a restaurant is good before you go, this simple 60-second check will help you avoid bad meals and choose places that are genuinely worth your time.
Step 1 — Start With Google Rating and Review Volume
Begin with the overall Google rating. Restaurants that maintain a score of 4.3 or higher generally provide better consistency and customer satisfaction. However, the number of reviews matters just as much. A restaurant with a 4.8 rating but only a few reviews is less reliable than one with hundreds of ratings.
Look for:
- High rating (4.3 or above)
- A strong number of reviews
- Recent comments within the last few weeks
This gives you your first signal of reliability.
Step 2 — Check Recent Customer Photos
Next, scroll through the recent customer-uploaded photos in Google Maps. These images show you what the food actually looks like today — not the edited or staged photos restaurants use for marketing.
Pay attention to:
- Portion sizes
- Food presentation
- Cleanliness
- Consistency across dishes
Customer photos are the fastest way to avoid restaurants that oversell themselves online.
Google also explains how reviews and photos work in their official support article.
Step 3 — Look for Short-Form Videos
The final step is to check platforms where people upload quick food reviews or “first-look” videos, such as:
- YouTube Shorts
- TikTok
- Instagram Reels
Short-form content reveals:
- Atmosphere and noise levels
- Portion sizes as they arrive
- How busy the place is
- The real cooking quality
- Authenticity vs presentation
This kind of footage often gives you the most honest impression of what to expect.
For example, when I visited London’s Dishoom I found that checking actual recent reviews helped me spot the bacon-sausage-egg naan as a standout dish early on
Conclusion
Using these three steps together — reviews, photos, and short-form videos — gives you a clear, reliable picture of a restaurant before you visit. It reduces guesswork, avoids disappointing meals, and helps you consistently choose places that are genuinely worth your time and money.