The Delekta Score, Explained
Every restaurant in Delekta is rated on a 100-point critic scale built from the consensus of professional sources — Michelin, World's 50 Best, Guía Repsol, Macarfi, Time Out and dozens more. Scores update automatically as new signals arrive.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Delekta Score?
The Delekta Score is a 100-point rating that aggregates signals from professional critics, Michelin, Guía Repsol, local press, and industry guides into a single consensus score per restaurant. Scores run from 70 to 100. We don't rate anything below 70 — restaurants that don't meet our editorial standards aren't included in the guide. Every Delekta restaurant has already passed a curatorial filter, and the score tells you how much better than that minimum a place is. The top of the scale is rarely reached — a perfect score would imply perfection, and no restaurant is perfect. It recalculates automatically as new sources appear or older coverage fades.
How is the Delekta Score different from Google or TripAdvisor ratings?
Google and TripAdvisor aggregate anonymous customer reviews without filtering by expertise — a tourist's first visit counts the same as a critic's fiftieth. Delekta weights professional, published sources (critics, Michelin, guides) as the primary signal, and uses customer ratings only as a secondary sanity check, weighted by how many reviews back the rating so small samples count for less.
Which sources does Delekta use?
Four tiers: industry guides (Michelin, World's 50 Best, Guía Repsol, Macarfi), professional food media (Time Out, The Infatuation, Eater, Directo al Paladar, Condé Nast Traveler, and similar), major press (La Vanguardia, El País, El Mundo, Bon Viveur), and local food specialists (city-specific food blogs and local community publications). Each tier carries different weight in the score.
Does a Michelin star affect the Delekta Score?
Yes — directly, through two reinforcing channels. First, every Michelin star, Bib Gourmand, and Michelin Selection mention contributes direct points to the Critical Validation component — a dedicated awards ladder where stars outrank Bib Gourmand, which outranks Selection. This is a straightforward point addition, not an indirect signal. Second, Michelin's website is a top-tier authority source, so a star also lifts the Critical Consensus component via the positivity bonus applied to that source. A new star is one of the largest single signals a restaurant can receive in the formula. A downgrade works in the opposite direction.
Does price affect the Delekta Score?
No. Price is deliberately not a positive signal in the methodology — expensive does not mean good. The system is calibrated so that the best value often lives at €€ and €€€, exactly where locals frequent. A €€ neighborhood classic can outscore a €€€€ fine-dining restaurant if the expert consensus is stronger.
Does Delekta accept payment from restaurants?
No. No restaurant pays to be listed, and no advertiser influences rankings. The methodology is published openly — scoring components, source tiers, and quality thresholds are explained clearly, not hidden behind a proprietary algorithm.
What does the evidence confidence label mean?
Every restaurant in Delekta has a Delekta Score. Alongside the score, each profile also carries an evidence confidence label — Robust, Adequate, or Light — that tells you how much coverage backs the score up, separately from how high it is. Robust means many distinct publications have covered the restaurant across multiple years, with recent press. Adequate means solid coverage with either recent activity or a multi-year track record. Light means the formula is working from a smaller body of evidence — the score still computes, but is worth reading with that context in mind. A high score with a Light label means the coverage points strongly in one direction, but from fewer sources. A high score with a Robust label means a wide critical consensus. The label doesn't tell you how good the restaurant is — it tells you how confident to be in the score.
How often are Delekta Scores updated?
The score is living — it recalculates automatically whenever sources, restaurants, or awards change. Unlike annual "best of" lists that go stale, Delekta reflects the current critical consensus, not a frozen snapshot from months ago. A restaurant that gets a new Michelin star or a strong review this week will see its score move within days.
What cities does Delekta cover?
Delekta currently covers Barcelona and Madrid, with more cities planned. Each city has its own ranked database built from local critics, specialist guides, and city-specific food journalism. Barcelona was the first city; Madrid launched in 2026.
What are Delekta Dispatches?
Dispatches are first-person accounts of restaurants we visit ourselves — separate from the scored database, which is built from aggregated professional coverage. A Dispatch is an honest record of a specific visit: what we ordered, what worked, what the room felt like. When a Dispatch is positive, it counts as a professional food media source in the restaurant's score. When it is neutral, it has no score impact. We visit to write honestly, not to inflate ratings.