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Most Influential Food Critics

Name: Most Influential Food Critics
Creator: Community curated
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Reichl, Bruni, Wells, Mishan - who can truly make or break a restaurant with a single review?

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Source:Community curated

Updated:4/9/2026

#people #food #critics #writers #journalism

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Critic↕	Born↕	Country↕	Primary Publication↕	Era↕	Known For↕
Ruth Reichl	1,948	United States	New York Times, Gourmet	1984-2009	NYT critic with elaborate disguises, later Gourmet editor, memoir Tender at the Bone
Frank Bruni	1,964	United States	New York Times	2004-2009	NYT chief critic, demoted Alain Ducasse, later op-ed columnist, memoir Born Round
Pete Wells	1,963	United States	New York Times	2011-2024	NYT chief critic, viral Guy's American Kitchen zero-star review, closed Per Se in downgrade
Ligaya Mishan	1,972	United States	New York Times, T Magazine	2010-present	Hungry City column, lyrical writing on immigrant cuisine, T Magazine food essays
A.A. Gill	1,954	United Kingdom	Sunday Times	1993-2016	Witty and cutting Sunday Times reviews, dyslexic dictated columns, travel writer
Jay Rayner	1,966	United Kingdom	The Observer	1999-present	Observer critic, MasterChef judge, famously trashed Le Cinq in Paris (viral 2017)
Jonathan Gold	1,960	United States	LA Weekly, LA Times	1986-2018	First food critic to win Pulitzer (2007), championed LA ethnic cuisine, strip-mall explorer
Mimi Sheraton	1,926	United States	New York Times	1975-1983	First woman NYT chief food critic, no-nonsense reviewer, bialy historian
Craig Claiborne	1,920	United States	New York Times	1957-1988	Father of modern food criticism, created the star system, NYT food editor
Gael Greene	1,933	United States	New York Magazine	1968-2000s	Insatiable Critic column at NY Mag, co-founded City Meals on Wheels, signature wide-brim hat
Marina O'Loughlin	1,960	United Kingdom	Sunday Times, Guardian	2000s-present	Anonymous critic, never photographed, Metro then Guardian then Sunday Times
Giles Coren	1,969	United Kingdom	The Times	2002-present	The Times restaurant critic, broadcaster, provocative style, son of Alan Coren
S. Irene Virbila	1,952	United States	Los Angeles Times	1993-2015	LA Times critic outed when her photo was posted by a restaurant, ended her anonymous career
Soleil Ho	1,986	United States	San Francisco Chronicle	2019-2023	SF Chronicle critic, inclusive lens on food culture, Racist Sandwich podcast host
Francois Simon	1,953	France	Le Figaro	1990s-2010s	Face-hidden French critic, inspired animated Anton Ego in Ratatouille, Le Figaro for decades