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METHODOLOGY

Our Data &
Methodology

Every restaurant in our directory is backed by verifiable public data. Here is exactly where our data comes from, how we process it, and how we calculate our Health Score.

DATA SOURCES

Where our data comes from

NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)

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WHAT WE USE IT FOR

Health inspection grades (A, B, C), inspection dates, violation scores, and violation records for every inspected NYC restaurant.

HOW WE PROCESS IT

We pull this data from the NYC Open Data API and join it to our restaurant listings using name and address matching. We keep only the most recent grade per restaurant.

COVERAGE

39% of our directory has a verified health inspection grade. The remainder have not been matched or have not yet received a grade.

Google Maps Platform

WHAT WE USE IT FOR

Restaurant names, addresses, coordinates, phone numbers, websites, business hours, ratings, review counts, and photos.

HOW WE PROCESS IT

Our restaurant listings are sourced from Google Maps data for NYC food service establishments. We filter to operational businesses and run deduplication.

COVERAGE

1,300 unique active NYC restaurants across all five boroughs.

NYC NTA GeoJSON (Neighborhood Tabulation Areas)

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WHAT WE USE IT FOR

Official NYC neighborhood boundary polygons used to assign every restaurant to its correct neighborhood.

HOW WE PROCESS IT

Point-in-polygon algorithm assigns each restaurant's coordinates to the correct NTA boundary — giving us the official NYC neighborhood name and borough.

COVERAGE

100% of published restaurants have a verified borough and neighborhood (109 unique neighborhoods covered).

AI-assisted dietary classification

WHAT WE USE IT FOR

Dietary tags across 12 categories: vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, paleo, whole-foods, low-calorie, raw-food, nut-free.

HOW WE PROCESS IT

We use Claude (Anthropic) to classify restaurants based on name, type, and description — conservatively. We only tag when a restaurant genuinely specialises in a dietary style.

COVERAGE

28% of our directory has dietary tags. Generic restaurants correctly have no tags.

DATA REFRESH SCHEDULE

Health inspection grades are refreshed quarterly from the NYC DOHMH Open Data portal. Restaurant operational status is verified during each refresh. User-submitted corrections are reviewed and applied within 7 days. Last full data refresh: April 2026.

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SCORING SYSTEM

How we calculate the Health Score

Every restaurant in our directory receives a Health Score from 0 to 100. This score is not a subjective editorial rating — it is a weighted composite derived from verifiable data points. Here is the exact formula:

40

Inspection Grade

Grade A = 40 pts, Grade B = 25 pts, Grade C = 10 pts, No grade = 0 pts. This is the single most important factor because it reflects the official NYC Health Department assessment of food safety and sanitation.

20

Dietary Diversity

Up to 20 points based on the number and relevance of dietary tags. Restaurants with verified certifications (halal, kosher) or dedicated dietary options (fully vegan, dedicated gluten-free kitchen) score higher than those with incidental compliance.

10

Hidden Gem Bonus

10 points awarded to restaurants that qualify as hidden gems. This rewards high-quality restaurants that may not have mass-market visibility but deliver exceptional experiences.

10

User Rating

Scaled from the Google Maps rating. A 5.0 rating = 10 pts, 4.0 = 6 pts, 3.0 = 2 pts, below 3.0 = 0 pts. Ratings are interpolated linearly within each bracket.

10

Track Record

Up to 10 points based on the restaurant's inspection history over time. Restaurants that have maintained a Grade A across multiple inspection cycles receive the full 10 points. A single grade drop reduces this proportionally.

Maximum possible score: 40 + 20 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 100 points

HIDDEN GEMS

How we identify hidden gems

Hidden gems are restaurants that deliver outstanding quality but have not yet achieved widespread recognition. We identify them algorithmically using three strict criteria — all three must be met:

✓

Rating of 4.5 or higher

The restaurant must have a Google Maps rating of at least 4.5 out of 5.0, indicating consistently excellent customer experiences.

✓

Fewer than 200 reviews

The restaurant must have fewer than 200 Google Maps reviews, indicating it has not yet reached mass-market awareness.

✓

Currently operational

The restaurant must be confirmed as currently operating. Closed or temporarily shuttered restaurants are excluded.

DATA FRESHNESS

How often we update our data

Weekly

NYC DOHMH inspection grades and scores are refreshed weekly from the NYC Open Data portal to reflect the latest inspection results.

Monthly

Google Maps ratings, review counts, and business status (open/closed) are updated monthly to keep our listings current.

Quarterly

Dietary tags are re-evaluated quarterly. New restaurants added to the DOHMH database are processed through our full pipeline within 30 days of appearing in the city data.

Ongoing

User-submitted corrections are reviewed within 48 hours and applied to the database if verified.

Found an error in our data?

Our data is only as good as the sources we pull from and the processes we apply. If you spot an inaccuracy — a wrong grade, a missing dietary tag, a closed restaurant still listed — we want to know.

Report a data issue →