Pete Wells is leaving his coveted restaurant critic role at the New York Times. In an essay published on its website today, Wells confirmed that he would continue working for the publication, but in a different capacity. Wells will conclude his role as a critic in early August, a spokesperson shared with Eater.
“The search for our next restaurant critic will begin soon. Melissa Clark and Priya Krishna will step in as interim critics in New York, alternating as they file both restaurant reviews and critic’s notebooks,” a note circulated to Times staff stated. Tejal Rao remains the Times’ California food critic. Cooking and Food section editor-in-chief Emily Weinstein tells Eater details on Wells’ next role will be shared “soon.”
Sam Sifton passed the torch over to Wells as the Times’ critic in 2011 and Wells began the role in 2012; at the time, he had served as the section’s Dining Editor since 2006. Over the years, and as restaurants increasingly shifted seismically into pop culture, he became one of America’s preeminent critical voices.
During his 12-year tenure, Wells made headlines for many of his reviews — in particular, those of Guy Fieri’s Times Square restaurant and steakhouse Peter Luger. His 2017 review of California mini-chain Locol was received by some as a low blow. In recent years, particularly during the pandemic, and with a hole left by the departed Hungry City mom-and-pop focused column, Wells’ best writing often focused on smaller, less financed establishments. Recently, especially, he seemed to grapple with the role of today’s fine dining scene: “There are restaurants like this in almost every major city now, imitation pearls on a string that circles the world. Once the door closes, you could be anywhere, or nowhere,” he wrote of a restaurant in Manhattan earlier this year.
In a New Yorker profile on Wells, he described his “disguise strategy” as “to be the least interesting person in the room,” adding, “Which I was, for many years. It’s not a stretch.”
Most recently, Wells led the Times’ launch of the 100 Best Restaurants in New York City — an ambitious project now in its second year. Lately, he had also subbed in on several issues of the Times’ “Where to Eat: New York City” newsletter, where readers got a more personal look into his dining habits and a glimmer into his sense of humor.
In his outro letter, Wells pointed to his health as a major factor in his decision to give up his title — but there were also more existential reasons. Writing on the omnivorousness it takes to be a critic, Wells compared himself to the late Jonathan Gold: “His knowledge inspired me. It also tormented me — there was no way to catch up to him.” Following his recovery from hernia surgery in May, he made the final decision to leave: “And at some point in those two weeks, it occurred to me that I am not my job.”
