The New York Times Restaurant Critic Pete Wells Is Stepping Down After 12 Years, Citing Poor Health

The much-revered (and often feared) New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells announced on Tuesday, July 16, that he will soon be stepping down from the famously rigorous role of the city’s diner-in-chief.

“After 12 Years of Reviewing Restaurants, I’m Leaving the Table,” Wells published in the paper of record. The broadsheet’s critic for more than a decade cited a recent physical with less than stellar results for cholesterol, blood sugar, and hypertension as an impetus for him to rethink his lifestyle and career. 

“I’ve decided to bow out as gracefully as my state of technical obesity will allow,” Wells writes. He plans to still publish a few more reviews and continue to write for The Times, but not in the same capacity.

Twelve years is a considerable tenure to hold this challenging and esteemed role, which requires weekly restaurant reviews of new and notable New York City restaurants, plus research for annual rankings like “The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City.” 

Wells is the only New York Times restaurant critic to stay in the role for more than a decade. He began in November 2011, taking over for restaurant critic Sam Sifton, who began the role just two years prior in October 2009. Before Sifton, now the founding editor of New York Times Cooking, Frank Bruni — a current Times opinion columnist — served as restaurant critic beginning in April 2004.

The role is a taxing one — both mentally and physically. It’s work that former New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl (1993-1999) details in her memoir Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. William Grimes succeeded Reichl through December 2003, eventually yielding to Bruni that following spring.  

Earlier in his career, Wells worked as a Senior Editor at Food & Wine from 1999 to 2001. During his time at the magazine, Wells won multiple James Beard Awards for writing including “Captain Bacon,” a piece following Scotch enthusiasts and fanatics, and a feature on four-star baby food. 

Wells became a dining editor at The Times in 2006, eventually becoming the paper’s New York Restaurant Critic, where he penned such hits as “At Señor Frog’s in Times Square, It’s Spring Break Forever” and a famously harsh takedown of Thomas Keller’s Per Se, in which he compared lukewarm matsutake mushroom bouillon to bong water.

Two well-known New York Times food writers, Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark, will serve as interim restaurant critics upon Wells’ official departure.

“Along with the brilliant and thoughtful [Clark] I’ll be stepping in as restaurant critic at the New York Times for right now,” Krishna shared with her 392,000 Instagram followers on Tuesday. “Never imagined this would be a role someone like me could ever hold. It’s a privilege to get to eat, period, much less to eat for a living. Best of luck to my acid reflux.” 

The New York Times food critic has long been anonymous to the public, not sharing images of their likeness online (as demonstrated on Wells’ popular Instagram account), and making reservations under pseudonyms to avoid bias when dining out. Critics like Reichl were known to dine in disguises aimed at throwing off restaurant staff of their true identity. In the selfie and social media era, the anonymous critic may be a relic of the past. 

Even incognito, reviewing a restaurant isn’t like leisurely dining. Wells writes in his column that before even writing a word of a review, he tries an estimated 36 dishes at one restaurant, typically across several visits. He also has to dine at local restaurants for reference, just to determine which eateries are top spots to recommend for BYOB dining or noodle soups or smashburgers. Critics often overeat or ignore personal cravings or preferences to prioritize the critiques and writing required for the job, and often consume sugar, alcohol, cholesterol, fat, and more beyond what it is nutritionally advised, and to the detriment of their body.

Still, the role is an important one for New York restaurants, which strive for success in a city of more than a staggering 50,000 eateries. Being awarded a star — or, extremely rarely, four stars — by The New York Times restaurant critic can be a recipe for full dining rooms and reservation wait lists.  

“End of an era. Au revoir, Pete Wells,” celebrity chef Ted Allen shared on X.