The central aim of this research is to comprehensively analyze the dining experiences of guests in Erzurum, Turkey, which stands out for its cuisine. By examining a large dataset of online reviews, the study aims to identify different dimensions of the dining experience. These findings aim to provide information to restaurant managers, stakeholders and policy makers in Erzurum on how to effectively improve the consumer experience. To provide an effective understanding of guest experiences, this article adopts an integrated methodological approach that combines Dimensional Salience-Valence Analysis, Lexical Salience-Valence Analysis (LSVA) and machine learning algorithms such as Naïve Bayes and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). The dataset includes 2,905 online reviews divided into six key dimensions of the dining experience. The method includes variables such as term frequency, the average frequency of terms in positive and negative comments, and then calculates metrics such as term valence and term prominence. The research reveals six critical dimensions that underpin the dining experience in Erzurum: Food, Service, Value, Atmosphere, Location and Overall Experiences. Each dimension is complex and has its own subdimensions. It also offers a diverse outlook in terms of guest sentiment. In particular, the 'Food' dimension has emerged as a polarizing factor. 'Flavour' has an exceptionally high positive value, indicating an overwhelmingly positive sentiment. In contrast, 'Presentation' exhibited a slightly negative valence, indicating areas requiring attention. The 'Service' dimension offers a more complex emotional outcome, suggesting a dichotomy between guest expectations and experiences, where terms such as 'Fast,' 'Attentive,' and 'Hospitable' are both important and problematic. The 'Value' dimension showed a significant high proportion of neutral reviews, indicating mixed feelings about the cost-to-experience ratio. In contrast to Food and Service, the ambiguous results for the Value dimension suggest a potential influence of socio-economic factors on guest perceptions. The Atmosphere and Location dimensions also offered varying sentiments, but were secondary in shaping the overall dining experience compared to the Food and Service dimensions.