How it works

Ranked by the locals who eat there.

Every ranking on Top Tier Eats is built by locals, one Top 5 at a time. Here’s the whole idea in three steps.

You eat where you love

You already know your city’s best spots. That’s the whole qualification.

Your Top 5 is really your two to five favorites. Pick a category and rank them in order.

Everyone’s lists add up to the City Consensus: who’s #1, and how many locals agree.

Every category page has three lanes. Together they answer one question from three angles: where should you actually eat?

The combined ranking. Each place shows how many locals ranked it, so you can see how earned every spot is.

The individual lists behind the City Consensus, bylined. Tap a local to see exactly what they ranked, and follow the ones you trust.

A second opinion from the local food press: what the city’s critics recommend, credited to the publication.

Every ranking is built by real locals, not critics and not an algorithm deciding what’s good.
Recognition is earned by agreeing with other locals over time, never bought with followers or Loves.
No paid placement, ever. A restaurant can’t pay to move up.

Want to see it for yourself? Browse a city and watch a ranking shift as more locals weigh in.

Recognition is earned by agreeing with other locals over time, never by followers or Loves. It can rise and settle as rankings change.

You’ve published a Top 5.

Other locals’ rankings back up your picks.

Your picks hold up across several categories.

The Top Tier editorial seal, granted, not earned by volume.

Rank your favorites, follow people whose taste you trust, and Love Top 5s you want to keep.