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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
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