How to
What Mosey Gold Means
Mosey · 22 September 2026 · 4 min read
You will see a gold mark on some places and a plain score on others. The mark is not an advert, a partnership or a paid tier. It cannot be bought at any price, and no amount of Mosey advertising moves a venue any closer to it.
A place has Gold because the people who ate there said so.
How a place earns it
Gold is worked out from the ratings diners leave, recalculated every night.
- A venue earns Gold when its rating average reaches 4.70
- It keeps Gold until that average falls below 4.40
- Between those two numbers, nothing changes either way
Two thresholds rather than one, and the gap between them is deliberate. A venue sitting exactly on the line would gain and lose the mark on almost every new rating — telling its customers it had Gold on Monday and quietly dropping it on Tuesday. That is not a quality signal, it is a coin flip. The gap means Gold moves when a venue's food actually changes, not when its arithmetic wobbles.
What is counted, and what is not
Three kinds of rating are excluded from the number that decides Gold, and none of the three is optional:
- Ratings that were moderated. A rating removed from the public record cannot go on quietly holding up a quality claim.
- Ratings by the venue's own team. An owner or staff member rating their own place is not evidence about it.
- Ratings by accounts under restriction. An account we have restricted does not get to decide who is good.
So the score behind the mark is not always identical to the plain average shown elsewhere on the site — it is that average with those three removed. Anywhere the word "Gold" appears beside a number, the number is the one Gold was actually decided on.
Why it replaces the score rather than sitting beside it
On a card, Gold does not add a badge — it takes the place of the plain rating. That is the entire visual budget it gets, and it is why the mark stays worth something. A place with Gold shows Gold; a place without shows its score. Nothing else about a venue's position, prominence or ordering can be paid for either.
What it does not tell you
Gold is about how the food was rated, and nothing else. It is not a hygiene rating, not an accessibility rating, not a verification of ownership, and not a claim about service or price. A tiny place with a handful of glowing ratings can hold it; a much-loved institution having a rough few months can lose it. Read it for what it is: what recent diners thought of the food.
It also does not require volume. A new place with very few ratings can hold Gold on the strength of them, which is a deliberate trade — it lets somewhere genuinely good be found in its first month instead of its second year. The rating count sits next to the mark for exactly that reason, so you can see how much is behind it and decide for yourself.
Finding places that have it
Gold is a filter. Turn it on and the results are only venues currently holding the mark — useful when the meal matters and you would rather choose from a shorter list. In a smaller town there may be none, and that is the filter working rather than failing.
Reading it well
- Look at the count beside it. Gold on 40 ratings and Gold on 2 are different facts.
- Open the ratings. The mark is a summary; the reviews are the reason.
- Do not read its absence as a verdict. Most places on Mosey have no rating at all yet, and an unrated place is unmeasured, not judged.
Where to go next
- How rating a place works — the other side of the same system
- Finding standout dishes — a great dish in a place with no Gold is still a great dish
- The best places to eat in Ireland — where the mark tends to cluster
- Searching beyond cuisine — Gold alongside the other filters
Questions
Common questions
What is Mosey Gold?
A quality mark a venue earns from the ratings diners leave. A place reaches Gold at a 4.70 average and keeps it until the average falls below 4.40.
Can a restaurant pay for Mosey Gold?
No. It cannot be bought at any price and no advertising product moves a venue closer to it. It is calculated from ratings and nothing else.
Why are there two different numbers?
A venue earns Gold at 4.70 and only loses it below 4.40. One threshold would make the mark flicker on and off with almost every new rating, which tells you nothing. The gap means it moves when the food changes, not when the arithmetic wobbles.
Which ratings count towards it?
Public ratings from ordinary diners. Moderated ratings, ratings left by the venue's own team, and ratings from restricted accounts are all excluded.
How many ratings does a place need?
There is no minimum. A new place with very few ratings can hold Gold on the strength of them, which is deliberate — it lets somewhere good be found early. The rating count is shown beside the mark so you can judge how much is behind it.
Does Gold mean the service is good?
Not necessarily. It reflects how the food was rated. It is not a hygiene rating, an accessibility rating, or a judgement on service or price.
Why does a place I like not have Gold?
Most venues have no ratings at all yet, so they are unmeasured rather than judged. Others sit between the two thresholds. Rating it yourself is the fastest way to change that.
How often is it updated?
Every night. A rating you leave today is counted in the next calculation.
Can I search for only Gold places?
Yes, it is one of the filters. In a smaller town there may be none holding it, which is the filter being honest rather than broken.
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