Recommending a restaurant

Living in a city, there are so many restaurants to try and experience. Whenever I go to a restaurant I think about a few important factors before recommending it to someone.

Food
The first most important thing is how the food was. At the end of the day you go to a restaurant for the food so the food should be the first thing that is rated. If all else fails,  the food should be amazing. You are paying for someone who hopefully is skilled at cooking to cook and prepare your food for you.

Service
Another thing is the service. The service can really make or break your experience at a restaurant. Service is so so important. There are people who's job it is to make sure you are having a good experience and that you feel taken care of. Service can include how the waiter/waitress was, how fast the food came out, if everyone's food came out at the same time (if it is a big party this can be a little more difficult), even things as simple as filling your water, asking if you are enjoying the food, etc. These are all small things that can make your experience better.

Atmosphere
The last thing to think about before recommending a restaurant is the atmosphere. This is definitely less important but something about a great atmosphere makes the experience (service and food) a little better. Some restaurants are so dark or so loud its hard to enjoy the food when you can't see it. Of course there are times that dark or loud restaurants are what you are looking for but most meals you just want to be able to hear the people you are with and be able to enjoy a nice, calm experience.