Ligaya Mishan & Tejal Rao, The Modern Restaurant Critics Of The New York Times

Today’s guests are Ligaya Mishan and Tejal Rao, the co-chief restaurant critics at The New York Times. Ligaya is based in New York City, while Tejal is based in Los Angeles, and together they’re bringing a fresh perspective to one of the most influential roles in the food world. Ligaya and Tejal are also featured on Cherry Bombe’s 2026 Power List.

Ligaya and Tejal join host Kerry Diamond to talk about their childhoods, the foods that shaped them, and how they each found their way to writing and restaurant criticism. They share how they’re approaching this new era of criticism—one that takes into account emerging audiences and cuisines, the end of anonymity, and the physical and emotional realities of eating for a living.

They also discuss The New York Times’ 100 Best Restaurants in New York City list, why it’s always a conversation starter, and what it means to think about a list as a portrait of a city. Plus, Ligaya and Tejal talk about the Los Angeles restaurant scene, menu storytelling, the cities they’re excited about right now, and why restaurants still matter as spaces of hospitality, connection, and community.

Click here for the 2026 Cherry Bombe Power List 

Thank you to Whole Foods Market for supporting our show. Click here to sign up for the Supper Club Series waitlist in Miami on June 23rd.  

Click here to pre-order The Game Changers issue of Cherry Bombe magazine.

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More on Ligaya: Instagram, NYT profile
More on Tejal: Instagram, NYT profile
More on Kerry: Instagram, “So You Want To Open A Restaurant” Substack series