About the project

GreatList is an international restaurant guide launched in 2022. A team of the guide’s independent experts anonymously visits establishments, pays their bills, and discovers the best restaurants, cafes, and bars.

In addition to selecting the city’s best spots, the team compiles a list of candidates for the GreatList, featuring outstanding new establishments that have opened in the last six months.

The guide also includes an encyclopedia of restaurateurs, chefs, and chief bartenders so that readers can learn about the people behind the best restaurants. It also includes recommendations from chefs who advise on the most outstanding dishes on the menu––this is a rare level of expertise, which is especially helpful if you are visiting the place for the first time.

Currently, the guide covers Russia and the United Arab Emirates, and is available in Russian, English, Arabic, and Chinese.

How is the GreatList organized?

The guide features restaurants, cafes, and bars selected by its team. Currently, there are over 100 experts involved, including owners and top managers of major companies, entrepreneurs and successful investors, all of whom possess impeccable taste, expertise, and a history of visiting the world’s best restaurants.

Before being added to the guide, an establishment is visited by the team multiple times throughout the day.

Key criteria for the restaurants include the quality of food and the chef’s creativity, exceptional service that covers all stages of the customer journey mapping (CJM), the design and ergonomics of the space, and the overall atmosphere, which encompasses dozens of elements, from scents to music.

As a result, when an establishment is included in the guide, it is recognized as the crème de la crème by individuals with extensive knowledge of restaurants. These are people who are discerning, attentive, and possess excellent culinary taste.