The professional critics of Alpha Guide do not rate based on what they like but on what is objectively good or not. They record the individual elements that determine the final judgment and lead to the evaluation of restaurants and hotels.

The criteria taken into account are strict and specific: ingredient quality, chefs' cooking technique and skill, flavour harmony and balance, original ingredients, tastefully imaginative combinations, the dishes' presentation, and the overall impression the whole gives — and from these the restaurants' scores are derived.

The rating scale

The rating symbol for restaurants and tavernas is the score out of 20, denoting the level of taste, service, and overall quality. A toque icon next to the score marks a Golden Toque award for the current year; an olive-branch icon marks a Greek Cuisine Award.
Caution: the published scores are rounded to the nearest half-point. A restaurant shown with 14/20 may have been scored anywhere between 13.75 and 14.25 — so a published score alone does not guarantee an award threshold has actually been met.