Meet the contributor

Liana Westcott

Restaurantor contributor

Liana Westcott writes about restaurants all over California and Hawaii for Restaurantor, two areas where eating happens fast and demands much. Her investigation ranges from local taco joints and Asian eateries to seafood restaurants, vegetarian options, pastry shops, and elaborate tasting menus. While Liana is always aware of what's trending, her focus is on those things that continue to feel right when the hype ends.

27 Published guides
From this contributor

Latest guides by Liana Westcott

Browse restaurant guides, dining recommendations, and local food stories researched and written by Liana Westcott.

27 guides

Top Restaurants in Berkeley, CA, serving authentic and unique local cuisine, international foods, and popular eateries around UC Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Good eating in this place seldom involves one approach. In very close proximity, you can go from seasonal…

Best restaurants in Paso Robles, CA, including downtown dining, local cuisine, winery restaurants, and Central Coast food venues.

Paso Robles, California

Paso Robles has developed into one of California’s most satisfying culinary destinations without losing any of the easy-going…

Best restaurants in Fresno, California that serve local food, Mexican food, Italian food, steak, sushi, and brunch dishes

Fresno, California

The decision of what restaurant to go to is not so much about finding one “perfect” table as…

Not Every Trend Deserves the Hype

The state of California in particular is known for turning restaurants into sensations overnight.

She does not use popularity as the indicator of quality. The factors she considers include food consistency, reasonability of pricing, service performance during rushes, and continued recommendations of the restaurant after the initial hype is over.

Liana’s communications background and her culinary research experience with a hospitality focus add to her ability to assess a restaurant’s effectiveness in delivering what it promises.

A Wide Range of Dining Cultures

Liana’s Restaurantor listings cover California and Hawaii, doing research on Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Honolulu, and many other bigger and smaller restaurants.

Her strengths include Asian cuisines, Mexican cuisine, seafood, vegetarian/vegan food, fine dining, bakery restaurants, and chefs’ restaurants.

She takes note of many practical aspects that may affect the experience at the restaurant, such as making reservations, accommodating diners with particular needs, service style, parking, pricing, and location.

What Makes a Restaurant Stand Out?

To Liana, originality is helpful, but not sufficient.

A restaurant attracts the customers’ attention because it should serve a purpose, the experience should be consistent, and the guests know why they are coming back there. She compares the reviews of customers, recurring compliments, complaints, new menu items, and the reputation of the place to assist her in giving Restaurantor recommendations.

The main idea is to help the reader understand what makes this restaurant unique, who are the guests, and if the reputation is deserved.