Pete Wells walked away. After twelve years of being the most feared and followed man in the New York City dining scene, the New York Times restaurant critic decided he’d had enough. It wasn't because he lost his taste for a good dry-aged ribeye or got tired of the hushed tones of Michelin-starred dining rooms.
The job was literally killing him.
When he announced his departure in July 2024, it sent a shockwave through the industry. People don’t just quit "the best job in the world." You get a company credit card and a mandate to eat at the finest establishments on the planet. But behind the glitz of the tasting menus and the secret reservations, Pete Wells was a man whose body was signaling a hard "no."
The Physical Toll of Professional Eating
Basically, being a restaurant critic is like being a professional athlete, except instead of training, you’re eating. A lot. Wells didn't just go out for a nice dinner once a week. To write a proper review, he’d usually visit a spot three times. He’d bring three friends. Everyone would order an appetizer, a main, and a dessert. He’d taste it all.
Imagine doing that night after night, week after week, for over a decade.
His departure came after a sobering medical checkup. We're talking high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, hypertension—the whole "bad across the board" suite of results. In his farewell column, he admitted to being "technically obese." Honestly, it’s a side of the food world that most of us ignore while we're scrolling through glossy Instagram photos of butter-poached lobster.
He wasn’t just full; he was finished.
He realized during a two-week break for hernia surgery that he actually wasn't hungry anymore. That’s a heavy realization for someone whose entire professional identity is built on appetite. He’d become a "goat grazing his way around the city," as he put it, trying to level the playing field between the ultra-wealthy Manhattan bistros and the hidden gems in Queens or the Bronx.
The Legacy of the Takedown (and the Glow-Up)
You can't talk about Pete Wells New York Times tenure without mentioning the "Questions Review."
In 2012, Wells visited Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar in Times Square. Instead of a standard critique, he wrote the entire thing as a series of increasingly hilarious and brutal questions. He asked Guy Fieri why the "Awesome Pretzel Chicken Tenders" were so far from awesome. He asked if the "Blue Drink" tasted like radiator fluid.
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It went viral. It’s still one of the most-read pieces in the history of the Times food section.
But he wasn't just a hitman. Wells had a specific kind of integrity. He famously stripped Thomas Keller’s Per Se of two stars in 2016, calling a mushroom bouillon "murky and appealing as bong water." That takes guts. You’re telling a culinary god that he’s lost his way.
Why He Still Matters
- The Five-Borough Critic: He was the first Times critic to really treat the outer boroughs with the same gravity as Manhattan.
- Price Neutrality: He could give three stars to a Puerto Rican food trailer (La Piraña Lechonera) and then turn around and roast a steakhouse that charged $100 for a mediocre ribeye.
- The Everyman Voice: He didn't write for the elite. He wrote for people who actually like to eat.
What Happened After Pete Wells?
The New York Times didn't just find one person to replace him. They realized the job was too big—and maybe too unhealthy—for a single person to carry forever. In 2025, they appointed Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan as co-chief restaurant critics.
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There was a massive change, though. They abandoned the tradition of total anonymity.
For decades, the "myth" of the anonymous critic was the gold standard. But in the age of social media, everyone knows what the critics look like. Rao and Mishan decided to lean into that, focusing on the quality of the journalism rather than the "spy" theatrics of wearing wigs and using fake names.
Wells, meanwhile, didn't vanish. He stayed in the newsroom, just away from the tasting menus. He’s focusing on broader journalism now, which is probably a relief for his liver.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Diner
If you’ve been following the Pete Wells New York Times era, you know that the way we eat has changed. We aren’t looking for "fancy" anymore; we’re looking for "good." Here is how you can apply the Wells philosophy to your own dining:
- Ignore the Stars, Find the Story: Look for places that have a soul. Some of the highest-rated spots on his "100 Best" lists were small, family-run storefronts that specialized in one thing, like Nigerian snacks or Trinidadian roti.
- Health is the Ultimate Luxury: Even if you aren't a professional critic, the "tasting menu" culture is a lot for the human body. It’s okay to order a salad and a side of fries. You don't have to eat like it's your last meal every Saturday night.
- Hold Big Names Accountable: Just because a restaurant is famous doesn't mean it’s good. If you’re paying $400 for a meal and the service is "cookie-cutter" or the food is flat, you have every right to be disappointed.
- Explore the Boroughs: If you only eat in Manhattan, you’re missing 80% of the best food in the city. Get on the subway. Go to Jackson Heights. Go to Bed-Stuy.
The era of the "all-powerful" single critic might be over, but the standard Pete Wells set—one of humor, skepticism, and a genuine love for "no-collar" food—isn't going anywhere.
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If you're looking to explore the city's current landscape, your first move should be checking out the 2024 edition of The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City. It was his final major project, and it serves as the definitive map of where to eat right now.