Writing for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann said: If the band's sound seems more conventional, the reason simply may be that one had encountered the odd song structures, staccato rhythms, strained vocals, and impressionistic lyrics once before.
Reviewing the album for Pitchforks "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s", Nick Sylvester said: More Songs About Buildings and Food transformed the Talking Heads from a quirky CBGB spectacle to a quirky near-unanimously regarded "it" band.