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Downtown’s Bestia Named No. 1 Newcomer in 2014 Los Angeles Restaurants Survey; Sushi Spots Land the Top Food Awards; Sugarfish Scores Overall Popularity
September 26, 2013
Other Winners Include:
Asanebo
(Food),
The Belvedere
(Decor),
Mélisse
(Service),
Gjelina Take Away
(Best Buy)
The
results
of Zagat’s 2014 Los Angeles Restaurants Survey are now available on zagat.com and in local bookstores. Sushi tops the
Food list
for the fifth year running, as
Asanebo
unseats last year’s winner,
Urasawa
, for the No. 1 spot. Other Japanese notables in the Top Food category include
Sushi Zo
(No. 2),
Hamasaku
(No. 3) and
Matsuhisa
(No. 5). Meanwhile, the fast-growing
Sugarfish
empire from Sushi Nozawa chef-master Kazunori Nozawa is LA’s
Most Popular
restaurant.
Top Decor
and
Service
awards go to
The Belvedere
in the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel and Santa Monica’s
Mélisse
, respectively.
New to the top lists this year are Downtown’s
Bestia
, ranked LA’s No. 1
Newcomer
, and
Gjelina Take Away
– the casual offshoot of Venice’s popular
Gjelina
– pulling in the award for
Best Buy
.
On average, Los Angeles surveyors report eating 2.4 dinners out per week, spending an average of $38.62 per person, just under the national average of $40.53. Additional stats from the survey reveal that noise is the No. 1 dining irritant, with 76% of diners saying they avoid restaurants that are too loud.
Zagat.com and Google Maps feature 115 curated lists of Los Angeles restaurants designed to help users find the perfect place to dine. Brand-new lists in LA this year include "Tops by Occasion" across a variety of scenarios, from “
Anniversaries
” to “
Group Dinners
” to “
Lunch with your Agent
,” and location-specific lists around local landmarks like “
LA Live
,” “
Gallery Row
” and the “
Hollywood Walk of Fame
.” All of this year’s ratings and reviews are available on
zagat.com
, the Zagat app for
Android
and
iPhone
, and in guides available at local bookstores.
The Los Angeles Survey covers 1,499 restaurants as rated and reviewed by 19,694 avid diners.
Posted by Michelle Golden, Zagat Senior Editor
Bay Area Foodies Report Spending More Than the National Average While Welcoming Hot Newcomers in 2014 San Francisco Restaurants Survey
September 24, 2013
The
results
of Zagat’s 2014 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants Survey are now live on zagat.com and in local bookstores. The Survey covers 1,495 restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Wine Country, Silicon Valley and the Monterey Peninsula, as voted on by 17,505 avid diners.
One of the big stories this year is Alice Waters’ historic Chez Panisse, which reopened in June after suffering fire damage in March. But, as Chez Panisse (and its casual upstairs sibling, Chez Panisse Café) continues its fourth decade leading the locavore movement, a new crop of organic, sustainable and locally inspired Mexican restaurants has opened on both sides of the Bay, including El Gusano, Nido and Padrecito.
Looking for hot newcomers across the area? The Mission continues to sizzle with arrivals, including Trick Dog and 20 Spot, while the growing scene in NoPa (North of the Panhandle) welcomed The Mill and Wine Kitchen this year. Elsewhere, top chefs Charles Phan and Michael Chiarello have debuted Hard Water and Coqueta, respectively, and diners have welcomed first-time brick-and-mortar locations of food truck and pop-up restaurants such as Hillside Supper Club, Kronnerburger and B. Patisserie.
Perennial favorite Gary Danko (which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year) won big with surveyors, topping the
Food
,
Service
and
Popularity
lists for the fifth consecutive year, while the “extraordinary architecture” and “best views” at Sierra Mar, located in Big Sur, won for
Top Decor
.
According to our recent Dining Trends Survey, San Francisco surveyors revealed that they typically eat out 2.0 lunches and 2.2 dinners per week, for a combined average of 4.2 meals out per week, slightly less than the 4.4 national average, but local diners are spending more – $41.87 when eating at a restaurant for dinner, compared to the national average of $40.53.
Italian
continues to be the favorite cuisine among San Francisco surveyors, earning 22% of the vote, but when asked which cuisine diners want to see more of in their local area, 15% answered
French
.
When it comes to making reservations, 68% of the San Francisco voters typically book tables online, well above the national average of 52%. At restaurants that don’t take reservations, 52% of participants say they will wait no more than 30 minutes, while 6% avoid these places altogether.
Looking for local suggestions? Check out our editors’ lists for best restaurants, now on zagat.com and Google Maps. Whether you’re grabbing a
bite before the Giants game
, planning
brunch with friends
or even taking a trip to
Napa
or
Sonoma
, our curated content will guide you toward exceptional experiences for any occasion.
To access all of this year’s ratings and reviews, check out
zagat.com
, download the Zagat app for
Android
and
iPhone
, or purchase the print guide, available at local bookstores.
Posted by Cynthia Kilian, Zagat Lead Editor
New Zagat 2014 Boston Restaurants Survey Shows Major Changes Among the Top Restaurants
September 11, 2013
The
results
of Zagat’s 2014 Boston Restaurants Survey are now live on zagat.com, covering 1,207 restaurants in the Greater Boston Area. Based on the collective opinions of 8,514 avid diners, the survey shows that the resilient dining scene has welcomed a healthy batch of newcomers while celebrating long-held local favorites.
Some shakes-ups were seen among the
Top Food list
, with the North’s End’s
Neptune Oyster
taking top honors (up from No. 4 in the last survey), followed by another seafood restaurant,
Island Creek Oyster Bar
, which was previously unranked. The rest of the Top Food list includes perennial favorites like
Oleana
(No. 3),
Lumière
(No. 5) and
Hamersley’s Bistro
(No. 9), as well as some restaurants new to the top ten this year –
Craigie on Main
(No. 4, previously No. 15),
Life Alive
(No. 6, previously unranked),
No. 9 Park
(No. 8, previously No. 17) and
Il Capriccio
(No. 10, previously No. 32).
In other major categories, Jamie Mammano’s “breathtaking” Back Bay Italian,
Sorellina
, wins for
Top Decor
, while Barbara Lynch’s
Menton
repeats atop the list for
Service
. This year’s
Most Popular
restaurant in Boston is
Abe & Louie’s
. A few of this year’s notable newcomers include
Asta
in Back Bay,
Tavern Road
in the Seaport District and
Bronwyn
in Somerville, as well as
BoMA Restaurant + Bar
and
Cinquecento
in the South End.
According to the results of our Dining Trends Survey, Boston diners typically eat out 3.7 times per week (for lunch and dinner combined), and report spending an average of $44.19 per dinner. What irritates diners most? Noise – it tops the list with 23% of the vote, followed closely by service (21%) and prices (18%). However, one thing diners do not find irritating is taking pictures of their food and/or their companions – 83% of diners say its “ok in moderation” or “perfectly acceptable.” On the flip side, 60% find it “rude and inappropriate” to text, tweet, call or e-mail from the table.
In the wake of April’s Boston Marathon bombings, local restaurants have proven resilient and charitable, with many reopening for business and others making donations to aid recovery efforts or hosting charitable events. As the city looks forward to next year’s marathon, our editors have compiled a list of restaurants with a unique vantage point along the
Marathon route
, as well as more than 100 other Zagat lists, available through Google Maps, to help diners discover the city – everything from “
Student Hangouts
” and “
Freedom Trail Restaurants
” to restaurants for when you’re “
Shopping in the Back Bay
.”
To access all of this year’s ratings and reviews, check out
zagat.com
, download the Zagat app for
Android
and
iPhone
, or purchase the print guide, available at local bookstores.
Posted by Bill Corsello and Emil Ross, Zagat Senior Editors
London’s Top Zagat-Rated Restaurants Are Revealed
September 10, 2013
The
results
of the Zagat 2014 London Restaurants Survey are now available on zagat.com! This year, The
Waterside Inn
in Bray not only earns top ratings for
Food
, but also adds
Top Service
to its awards; in London-proper, those honors go to
Yashin Sushi
and
The Ledbury
.
Sketch – The Lecture Room & Library
earns the
Top Decor
rating,
The Wolseley
is again voted
Most Popular
and
Masala Zone
ranks as the Most Popular chain. The survey covers 1,290 eateries in London and the surrounding areas as voted on by 10,271 surveyors.
On average, London surveyors report eating out 3.7 meals per week – 1.7 times per week for lunch and 2.0 times for dinner. Italian cuisine is favoured according to 23% of surveyors, followed by Japanese (17%) and last year’s runner up, French (14%). In fact, 18% of London diners declare that they they would prefer to see even more Japanese restaurants popping up in the near future, supporting Japanese’s rise in the ranks this year from third to second favourite cuisine.
Additional trends from the survey reveal that service is the No. 1 dining irritant (30%), with the main service complaints relating to slow service, inattentive and rude staff. Diners’ second largest irritant was prices (24%), with surveyors reportedly spending an average of £37.35 per person for dinner out in London.
Zagat.com features more than 100 lists of London restaurants, compiled by our local editors, and is designed to help users find the perfect place to dine. Brand-new lists in London this year include "Tops by Occasion" across a variety of categories, from "
Curing a Hangover
" to "
Dinner with Your Parents
", and holiday-specific lists like "
New Year's Eve
". All of this year’s ratings and reviews are available on
zagat.com
, the Zagat app for
Android
and
iPhone
, and in guides available at local bookstores.
Posted by Neil Fazakerley, Zagat Senior Editor
The 2014 Chicago Restaurants Survey Results Are Live on Zagat.com
September 4, 2013
The Zagat 2014 Chicago Restaurants Survey
results
are in! With a surprising upset in the
Top Food
category, Japanese favorite
Katsu
took the top spot, followed by Paul Virant’s
Vie
. Grant Achatz’s
Next
not only won for
Service
, but also came in third for Food, followed by older sibling
Alinea
, which slipped from the number one spot to fourth place.
Shanghai Terrace
at the Peninsula Hotel won for
Top Decor
. The survey is based on the opinions of 7,634 avid diners who collectively rated and reviewed 1,147 Chicago restaurants.
This year’s survey reveals that Chicago diners strike a balance between old and new habits, embracing mobile technology while respecting the basics of dining etiquette. Whereas only 16% of diners nationwide make reservations online using smartphones, 20% of tech-savvy Chicagoans do so. However, once in a restaurant, 57% of Chicagoans feel “it’s rude and inappropriate” for those mobile devices to be used for texting, tweeting or talking at the table, up from 52% in 2012.
Zagat.com features more than 100 lists of Chicago restaurants, compiled by our local editors, and is designed to help users find the perfect place to dine. Brand-new lists for Chicago this year include “Best Buys” across a variety of categories, “
Craft Beer
” and “
Craft Cocktails
,” satisfying diners’ demand for artisanal drinks, as well as “
Chicago Icons
” featuring restaurants that have achieved a remarkable longevity.
All of this year’s ratings and reviews – as well as lists from “
Bachelorette Party
” to “
Brunch with Parents
” – are available on
zagat.com
, the Zagat app for
Android
and
iPhone
, and in guides available at local bookstores.
Posted by Emily Rothschild, Zagat Senior Editor
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