1. Where does its energy come from? Don't be wowed by organic veg and natural decor. What happens behind the scenes is more important. The greenest restaurants will generate their own energy, with solar heating and a heating system powered by water - or, at the very least, it will be signed up with a green utilities provider.

2. Are there attempts to cut back? Energy-saving light bulbs and lights that turn themselves off are a good sign.

3. Does it recycle? 600,000 tonnes of glass bottles are thrown out from pubs, clubs, hotels, restaurants and cafés every year (says www.wasteonline.org.uk ). That's a quarter of the UK's waste glass.

4. Does it used recycled products? The holy grail of recycling is to buy recycled products as well as sending your waste for recycling. At Wahaca, a Mexican restaurant in London run by Thomasina Miers, all glassware is made from recycled glass and menus are printed on recycled paper.

5. Do staff automatically bring you tap water? Or do they try to flog you bottles of mineral water sourced from natural springs in far-off countries?

6. Where does the food come from and is it seasonal? Local products help to cut food miles and support local producers. Meanwhile, seasonal food is tastier and is more likely to be fresh and tasty.

7. What happens to food waste? Don't be embarrassed to ask.

8. How do the loos fare? Good signs are water-saving flushes, recycled loo paper, lights that switch themselves off.

9. Is the food prepared from scratch? Trevor Gulliver, the owner of the St John restaurants in London, says that if it is not prepared on site, there is little control over the disposal of peelings and packaging.

10. Think about your own impact If you hopped into your SUV to drive a few miles to eat, rap yourself on the knuckles with the sustainably-sourced salt mill.

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