I've only been to two of the restaurants on the list, but both of which are in the top 10 -- #4 & #9. I guess I eat a lot of good BBQ.

Chris

these complicated methodologies always seem to have some kind of motive to them

i am guessing a lot of the places on list 'game' the system in various ways as well

CPRich - well said.

I used to rely on Chowhound when going to an unfamiliar city without good people to consult about restaurants. However, with the exception of a few cities that are easy to figger out (NYC, SF, Chicago), Chowhound is not that valuable and I look to Yelp.

FWIW.

Calling this list diverse is an understatement: it's the first list of 100 top food places I have ever seen which included a foodcart (#82 Halal Guys). I do like the Halal Guys though.

Porto's has been around for many many years serving great inexpensive bakery stuff.
Cant speak for all places but those i ve been to are all quite good - i dont believe they are actively gaming the system in any way shape or form. They are all becoming more and more expensive but thats inflation i guess...
I see the list not as 'the best' (thats very very subjective) but as solid reliable options.

Have ye tried hungryonion?

No love for DC

Everywhere I've been on the list is good. Not top 100, but good, reliable, value.

I recently found out that someone I know is a top Yelp reviewer in our area and she gets invited to all sorts of special events and tastings.

azepine00, none of them encourage people to rate in any way? none of them advertise yelp?

and yelp sells services to businesses (lots of press on this)

adding another motivation/context - free stuff (like free trips for travel media)

I am not sure how these are generated, but I have been to:

#6 (Gary Danko, SF - my first-ever Yelp review, coincidentally)
#9 (Franklin BBQ, Austin - delicious but not worth the obscene wait)
#15 (Da Poke Shack, Kona - a tad overrated IMO)
#16 (Los Agaves, Santa Barbara - amazing and huge portions)
#19 (Alinea, Chicago - wayyyyy overrated)
#26 (Kokkari Estiatorio, SF - great Mediterranean food)
#32 (Gramercy Tavern, NYC - the Michelin-starred restaurant that you can always go to and have phenomenal contemporary American)
#34 (Le Bernardin, NYC - great seafood, haven't been in many years)
#35 (Mama's Fish House, Maui - get their macadamia-crusted mahi mahi, but if it's warm, it is like eating in a sauna. I wrote a mildly negative review based on that and the inattentive service, and they refunded me my entire meal - I was shocked)
#40 (Los Tacos #1, NYC - best tacos in NYC, IMO)
#46 (Cochon Butcher, NOLA - great sandwiches)
#65 (Providence, LA - I know it was Michelin-starred when they rated the city, but while it was good, surprised to see it so highly-rated)
#69 (Per Se, NYC - good but worth the cost? Probably not)
#70 (Daniel, NYC - arguably a more interesting meal, IMO, than Per Se. Know it got downgraded, but I remember the meal there more than Per Se)
#72 (EMP, NYC - this was before the last few menu changes, but I really did enjoy the NY-focused theme of the meal then. A fantastic dining space)
#81 (Pike Place Chowder, Seattle) - overrated, IMO. Chowder is okay but not worth standing in line.
#90 (Root Down, Denver) - really?! I ate dinner here last summer and was extremely disappointed in the service and the food (which I found to be bland and trying to be too cute)
#91 (Tar and Roses, Santa Monica) - probably my favorite gastropub that I've been to anywhere. Very hard to get a reservation if you're close to the date you want to dine.
#92 (Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop, Maui) - a big 'meh'. Their pot pie was not very good.

The list definitely skews away from NYC, and there is a lot of California on that list.

did they apply "localization" more loosely in california

To localize the list, only reviews written by users whose profiles list their home location as within the reviewed businesses� country were factored into the ranking.

I would think California would have a higher percent of foreign reviews but not high enough to affect rankings.

People still rely on Yelp reviews?

Putting aside the silliness of Yelp, about 1/2 of the places on this list are in CA. Meanwhile Georgia has 1 on the list? Florida has 2. Texas has 5. Uhhh-huh.

I certainly do. I put more stock in what people say there than on TripAdvisor, which makes me

how did they define home in california (vs using it to eliminate on east coast)