I admit I do both. I will look at the outside of a restaurant sometimes more in larger cities where there are lots of choices and other times just read reviews. In Tampa, I do tend to either go by word of mouth or ratings online. I have to admit though, some of the good food I have had down here had been in shops that did not look like anything great on the outside but then inside was a whole different story, with great food.
Thanks for your feedback
What I didn’t say In the post but thought about afterwards is I often judge a place by how busy it is
A bust hole in the wall will be more likely get my business that a fancy but empty place