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Zagat 2014 NYC Restaurants Survey: Le Bernardin Wins Top Food for a Record 12th Time; Ethnic Cuisines Outgrow European Favorites in Local Dining Scene Over the Past 10 Years
October 1, 2013
Other Survey Winners Include: Asiate (Decor), Per Se (Service) and Il Bambino (Best Buy)
NYC Welcomes 111 Openings vs. 42 Closings
The
results
of Zagat’s 2014 New York City Restaurants Survey, covering 2,084 restaurants, are now live on zagat.com. The restaurants include more places than ever in Brooklyn – 265, compared to 127 ten years ago. The ratings and reviews can also be accessed on Zagat’s mobile apps for iPhone and Android, through Google Maps and Search, as well as in local bookstores. In total, 48,114 avid diners voted in the Survey.
This year, surveyors report eating a total of 4.9 meals out per week, including 2.7 dinners out, and spending an average of $48.56 per person, well above the national average of $40.53. The average percent tip left by NYC diners is 18.8%. When it comes to home cooking, New Yorkers cook or prepare 5.5 meals per week (lunch or dinner) at home, compared to 6.9 meals per week, nationally.
Eric Ripert’s
Le Bernardin
took home the award for
Top Food
(with a 29 on Zagat’s 30-point scale) for the 12th time, while also winning
Most Popular
for the third straight year. No other restaurant in the NYC Survey’s history has won Top Food as many times. The other major categories honored repeat winners
Asiate
(
Decor
) and
Per Se
(
Service
). On the upswing,
Bouley
(No. 2 for Food) has continued to improve its rankings, jumping from No. 15 to No. 5 in overall popularity.
This year’s Survey crowned nine new cuisine winners:
Pies-N-Thighs
(Chicken),
Prosperity Dumpling
(Chinese),
Barney Greengrass
(Deli),
Raoul’s
(French Bistro),
Kurumazushi
(Japanese/Sushi),
Jungsik
(Korean),
Tortilleria Nixtamal
(Mexican),
Casa Mono
(Spanish/Tapas) and
Taïm
(Vegetarian).
In addition, the Survey welcomes 111 newcomers, compared with 42 reported closings. This year’s
hottest debuts
include big-name projects like Jean-Georges Vongerichten's
ABC Cocina
, Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick’s
Carbone
and Andrew Carmellini’s
Lafayette
, as well as meat-centric
BrisketTown
and
The Marrow
, and quick bites
Umami Burger
and
Salvation Taco
. On the East Side,
Pearl & Ash
and Wylie Dufresne’s
Alder
have made strong debuts, while the outer boroughs welcomed
River Styx
and Paul Liebrandt’s
The Elm
in Brooklyn, as well as
M. Wells Dinette
in Queens.
With roughly 100 cuisines represented in the Survey, it has long been evident that New York’s dining scene is as diverse as its millions of residents. And though
Italian
continues to be the favorite cuisine among NYC surveyors with 32% of the vote this year,
French
restaurants still have a stronghold on the Top Food list, taking seven of the top 10 spots. Despite these stats, Japanese restaurants receive the highest average food score (23.87). In contrast, the average food rating for French restaurants is 22.08. Reflecting the diversification of the NYC palate is the fact that in the last 10 years, there has been 22% growth in the number of Asian, Mexican and Middle Eastern restaurants combined and a 2% decline in Italian, French and American.
When it comes to dining irritants, noise was voted No. 1, with 30% of the total vote. Furthermore, 72% of diners say they actively avoid restaurants that are too loud. And when asked about service, NYC surveyors ranked inattentive staff (17%), slow service (14%), rude staff (12%) and plates being cleared before the entire party finishes the course/meal (11%) as the top complaints. Ironically, rushed service was also a complaint (8%).
New York City surveyors continue to embrace digital dining trends, as 56% say they typically make their reservations via the Internet, including 30% on desktop, 16% on mobile and 10% on tablet. And with the proliferation of brunch in NYC restaurants, 44% of surveyors reported that they go out for brunch “sometimes” while 14% claim to go “nearly every weekend.” For those seeking a few must-try brunches this season, check out this
recent zagat.com feature
– and happy brunching.
Zagat.com and Google Maps also feature over 100 curated lists of restaurants in NYC designed to help users discover great dining options for different occasions, everything from
dining near the Barclays Center
, to meeting friends for
brunch in Midtown
, or even on a break during
Jury Duty
.
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 Curt Gathje and Carol Diuguid, Zagat Lead Editors
Labels
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