Tejal Rao

Hi! I'm the California restaurant critic at The New York Times and a columnist for The New York Times Magazine. I live in Los Angeles and the best way to get in touch is by email: tejal.rao@nytimes.com.

​I was formerly a restaurant critic at the Village Voice, and at Bloomberg News, and won the James Beard Foundation's award for restaurant criticism in 2013 and 2016. Before reporting full-time, I worked as a cook, translator and copy editor. I was born in London and grew up there, Kuwait, Khartoum, Paris and Atlanta. 

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REPORTING 
How Kit Kat Got Big in Japan, NYTMag
On a Mister Softee Truck, NYT
Midwestern Indigenous Cuisines, NYT
New Food Magazines, NYT

​ESSAYS 
Baking Anxiety, NYTMag
The Imperative Mood, NYTBR
Oysters, a Love Story,  NYTMag
An Appetite for Anime, NYTMag

PEOPLE + PROFILES
Pim Techamuanvivit, NYT
Sameen Rushdie, NYT
Ruby Tandoh, NYT 
Elisabeth Prueitt, NYT

COOKING + RECIPES
Panettone, NYT
Shrikhand, NYTMag​
Pork Dumplings, NYTMag
Onion Pie, NYTMag

REVIEWS
​Mission Chinese Food, Bloomberg
Noma Australia, Bloomberg
Fung Tu, Bloomberg​
Le Servan, Bloomberg

​LISTS
Best Frozen Treats, NYT
Best Dishes of the Year,  Bloomberg
Best New Restaurants of the Year, Bloomberg

​​all recent clips here

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​​EMAIL
tejal.rao@nytimes.com

TWITTER 
@tejalrao 

INSTAGRAM 
@tejalxrao​

​photo: radicchio del Veneto, Tony Cenicola (c) 2017 The New York Times