The ACL Score is Atlanta City Living’s 0–100 score for the restaurants in our guide. It measures one thing: how much recognition a restaurant has earned from independent food editors and critics we can cite. Every score on our site links to the sources behind it.
How points are added up
- MICHELIN Guide: One Star or more, 40 points. Bib Gourmand, 30 points. Recommended, 20 points. We count only the distinction shown on the restaurant’s MICHELIN Guide page.
- Eater 38 (Eater Atlanta’s list of essential restaurants): 20 points.
- City-wide best restaurant lists: The Infatuation’s 25 Best Restaurants in Atlanta and Atlanta Magazine’s 75 Best Restaurants in Atlanta, 15 points each.
- Other editorial guides and critic reviews: 10 points each, up to 40 points in total. These include Eater Atlanta maps, The Infatuation’s guides and reviews, and lists and reviews from Atlanta Magazine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rough Draft Atlanta and Creative Loafing.
The total is capped at 100. We count a source only after checking that the restaurant appears on the current version of that page. Guides and reviews must be from the last five years. News stories about openings, closings, moves or sales don’t count, and neither do reader polls.
What the labels mean
- Essential: 80 to 100
- Standout: 60 to 79
- Recommended: 40 to 59
- Noted: under 40. The restaurant has earned recognition from at least one editorial source.
A restaurant without recognition we can verify doesn’t get a score until it earns one.
What we don’t use
We don’t use, copy or store star ratings from Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor or any other review site, and they play no part in the ACL Score. The score isn’t a customer rating and isn’t a review by us.
Keeping it current
Editorial lists change. MICHELIN updates its guide each year, and Eater and The Infatuation revise their lists often. We recheck the sources and refresh scores as those lists change, so a restaurant’s score can go up or down.
No one can pay for a score
No business can pay for an ACL Score or pay to change one. If we ever offer sponsored or featured placements, they’ll be kept separate from the score and clearly labeled as sponsored.
Spotted a list we missed or a source that has changed? Let us know.