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Guide · Rating

A food rating scale from 1 to 10, with every number defined.

Saying a dish is “a solid 7” only means something if you know what a 7 is. Here is a 1-to-10 food rating scale with a plain definition for every number, a test you can ask yourself at the table, an example dish, and the rules for half points and scoring a whole restaurant.

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In short

On a 1–10 food rating scale, 5 is edible but forgettable, 6 is a fair version, 7 is good enough to order again, 8 is worth recommending, 9 is one of the best versions you have had, and 10 is a rare benchmark. Use half points only between 6 and 9, and score the dish separately from the restaurant.

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The scale

Every number from 1 to 10.

A food rating scale from 1 to 10 with a meaning, a test and an example for each number
ScoreMeaningAsk yourselfExample
1InedibleDid I send it back?Fish that smelled off
2Badly madeDid I stop after two bites?Burnt, bitter fried rice
3PoorWould I warn a friend?Soggy fries, cold in the middle
4Below parWas something clearly wrong?A curry with no salt and gluey rice
5Edible, forgettableWill I remember it tomorrow?Airport sandwich
6A fair versionIs it what the menu promised?A decent margherita, nothing more
7GoodWould I order it again here?Crisp-skinned chicken with a good sauce
8Very goodWould I send a friend for it?Tacos al pastor you think about on the way home
9OutstandingIs it among the best I’ve had?The ramen you compare every other bowl to
10The benchmarkWould I cross a city just for it?A handful of dishes in a lifetime of eating

Where most food lands

Most dishes should be 5 to 7.

If your scores bunch at 8 and 9, the scale has crept up and stopped telling you anything. A healthy spread over a year looks roughly like this: a few dishes below 5, most between 5 and 7, a fair number of 8s, a few 9s, and almost no 10s. A 7 is not an insult. It means good — you would happily eat it again.

Is 7/10 good for food? Yes. On this scale 7 means you would order it again at that place. Is 6 bad? No — a 6 is an honest, fair version of the dish. It just isn’t one you will remember.

Half points

When to use half points.

  • Only between 6 and 9. Nobody needs to know whether a bad dish was a 2 or a 2.5. The fine distinctions matter at the top.
  • A half point means “between two definitions”. 7.5 is “I’d order it again, and I nearly sent a friend.”
  • Never use decimals beyond halves. 8.3 versus 8.4 is noise, not taste.
  • 9.5 is allowed; it is the dish you are not quite ready to call a 10.
  • If you use a lot of halves, you are probably avoiding a decision. Pick the closer whole number.

Calibrate

Pick anchor dishes.

The easiest way to keep a scale steady for years is to choose an anchor for three numbers and compare every new dish with them. Write them down where you keep your scores.

  • Your 5: a dish you eat without thinking about it — the café’s everyday sandwich.
  • Your 7: your regular order at a place you like — good every time.
  • Your 9: the best version of a dish you have ever had — the bowl, the slice, the dumpling you measure the rest against.

Dish or place

Rating a dish versus a whole restaurant.

A dish has one job; a restaurant has several. Score the dishes first, then, if you want a place score, build it from parts so one great dish doesn’t hide a cold room or a slow kitchen. A simple weighting:

A weighted restaurant score built from four parts, with an example
PartWeightExample scoreCounts as
Food (average of the dishes)60%84.8
Service15%71.05
Value15%60.9
Room and atmosphere10%90.9
Restaurant score100%—7.65, so a 7.5

Shared plates

Rating a shared table.

  • Score each dish you tried, even if you had one bite. Note “one bite” beside it.
  • Let each person score their own plate at a group dinner; average only if you want a table score.
  • Don’t average a 9 and a 4 into a 6.5. Say “one 9, skip the rest” — that is more useful than any average.
  • Rate drinks on their own scale, or not at all. A great cocktail shouldn’t lift a bad dinner.

Tens and stars

Turning a 1–10 score into five stars.

Five stars is faster at the table; ten points is better for ranking one dish across many places. Many people use stars for everything and keep a ten-point score only for the dishes they collect, like ramen or burgers. More on choosing a scale in how to rate food.

Converting a 1–10 food score to a five-star rating
Out of 10StarsMeans
1–3★Never again
4–5★★Disappointing or forgettable
6★★★Fine
7–8★★★★Would order again, would recommend
9–10★★★★★Would cross town for it

Keep them

Scores are only useful if you can find them.

A rating you can’t find again is just an opinion you had once. In PlateDiary (the app we make), each dish from your table photo becomes its own save that can carry stars and a note — every field optional. The map and the craving wheel both filter to 4★ and up, and each place page shows your usual and every dish you’ve had there. Your stars stay private on your phone; nothing is posted as a public review.

Questions

Questions people ask.

What is a good food rating out of 10?

A 7 means good enough to order again, an 8 means worth recommending, and a 9 is one of the best versions you’ve had. Most dishes should land between 5 and 7.

Is 7 out of 10 good for food?

Yes. On a well-kept scale, 7 means good — a dish you would happily order again at that place.

Should I use half points when rating food?

Only between 6 and 9, where the differences matter. Never go finer than halves; 8.3 versus 8.4 is noise.

How do you rate a restaurant out of 10?

Score the dishes first, then weight the parts — for example food 60%, service 15%, value 15% and room 10% — so one great dish doesn’t hide everything else.

How do you convert a 10-point food score to stars?

Roughly: 1–3 is one star, 4–5 two stars, 6 three stars, 7–8 four stars, and 9–10 five stars.