What the data covers
This article covers restaurants in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
The broader summary population has 22,484 analyzed reviews. The topic comparison uses 18,470 analyzed reviews.
Those topic reviews are split into 6,976 Google Maps reviews and 11,494 TripAdvisor reviews.
Across 174 restaurants, there are 262,084 total reviews in scope, with an average rating of 4.49.
Evidence
Evidence snapshot
The article uses this Aggregate dataset scope before interpreting review themes.
- 5-star
- 77.41%
- 5,445 reviews
- 4-star
- 8.97%
- 631 reviews
- 3-star
- 4.39%
- 309 reviews
- 2-star
- 3.3%
- 232 reviews
- 1-star
- 5.93%
- 417 reviews
- 5-star
- 76.24%
- 8,763 reviews
- 4-star
- 9.91%
- 1,139 reviews
- 3-star
- 5.45%
- 626 reviews
- 2-star
- 3.98%
- 458 reviews
- 1-star
- 4.42%
- 508 reviews
- Locations
- 174
- Published reviews
- 262,084
- Reviews analyzed
- 18,528
- Reviews with ratings
- 18,528
- Average rating
- 4.49
- Review period
- April 30, 2013 to July 31, 2026
What reviewers like
Praise appears in both analyzed platform samples for these selected topics.
TripAdvisor is higher across all 5 selected praise topics in these samples. Food consistency is 64.87% on Google Maps and 84.84% on TripAdvisor and service is 53.44% on Google Maps and 71.92% on TripAdvisor. The other selected praise shares are value (9.40% on Google Maps and 19.10% on TripAdvisor), atmosphere (14.51% on Google Maps and 22.29% on TripAdvisor), and wait time (5.60% on Google Maps and 13.22% on TripAdvisor).
For example, a reviewer described the server as warm, attentive, and professional, with food that arrived promptly.
Where reviews show friction
Food consistency complaints are still meaningful, especially on TripAdvisor, where 11.31% of topic reviews are critical versus 9.22% on Google Maps. Service complaints are visible on both sides of the sample, at 6.45% for Google Maps and 7.84% for TripAdvisor. Value and wait-time complaints are also present. Value is 4.16% on Google Maps and 6.34% on TripAdvisor. Wait time is 3.83% on Google Maps and 5.97% on TripAdvisor.
For example, a review described being seated near a stinky toilet, with dirty surroundings making the visit feel unpleasant.
How Google Maps and TripAdvisor differ
| Topic | Google Maps | TripAdvisor | Difference | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food consistency (praise share) | 64.87% | 84.84% | 19.97 pp | TripAdvisor is higher in these samples. |
| Service (praise share) | 53.44% | 71.92% | 18.48 pp | TripAdvisor is higher in these samples. |
| Value (praise share) | 9.40% | 19.10% | 9.70 pp | TripAdvisor is higher in these samples. |
| Atmosphere (praise share) | 14.51% | 22.29% | 7.78 pp | TripAdvisor is higher in these samples. |
| Wait time (praise share) | 5.60% | 13.22% | 7.62 pp | TripAdvisor is higher in these samples. |
Reviews also describe problems with food consistency, service, value, atmosphere, and wait time. Praise in the comparison does not mean complaints are absent.
These figures compare unmatched platform samples. They describe the analyzed samples, not a platform effect.
Evidence
Platform comparison
Compare platform-level rating and review volume before treating one channel as the full market.
- Tripadvisor
- 4.51
- 1,153 average published reviews
- Google Maps
- 4.46
- 2,019 average published reviews
- Tripadvisor
- 4.51 rating · 1,153 avg reviews
- Google Maps
- 4.46 rating · 2,019 avg reviews
Where the platforms agree
| Topic | Google Maps | TripAdvisor | Difference | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere (complaint share) | 1.08% | 1.15% | 0.07 pp | The samples differ by 0.07 pp. |
| Cleanliness (complaint share) | 0.56% | 0.46% | 0.10 pp | The samples differ by 0.10 pp. |
Why this is a snapshot, not a trend
This is a snapshot of one shared review period. The source has no earlier matching period, so this article does not measure change over time.
What operators can compare with their own reviews
The measured sample gaps are food consistency (TripAdvisor higher by 19.97 percentage points), service (TripAdvisor higher by 18.48 percentage points), and value (TripAdvisor higher by 9.70 percentage points).
The remaining measured sample gaps are atmosphere (TripAdvisor higher by 7.78 percentage points) and wait time (TripAdvisor higher by 7.62 percentage points).
Then calculate the same topic shares for the same period on each platform. Check praise and complaints separately for food consistency, service, value, atmosphere, and wait time, and treat these unmatched sample gaps as questions rather than performance targets.
In this source, atmosphere, food consistency, service, and value appear in both praise and complaint evidence. Compare both sides before interpreting the sample gaps.
Use atmosphere complaint (0.07 percentage points) and cleanliness complaint (0.10 percentage points) as close-sample references when checking whether platform mix is shaping the comparison.
Limitations
The platform samples use different review and business denominators and do not match businesses one by one. Differences describe the samples, not platform effects.
The topic analysis is smaller than the broader summary, so its percentages do not describe every review in the full coverage.
Methodology and source notes
Topic shares use distinct reviews from the shared review period. Each review has equal weight.