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San Diego’s Top Restaurants
April 21, 2015
Today Zagat is revealing new ratings and reviews for nearly 400 of the best restaurants in San Diego - all based on the collective opinions of 2,157 avid local diners. New reviews are available today at
zagat.com/san-diego
and integrated throughout Google Search and Maps.
Photo: Mille Fleur
This year’s big winners include La Jolla’s
Marine Room
(Best Decor), boasting "magnificent" ocean views, the "classic" favorite
In-N-Out Burger
, sweeping the Most Popular category, and the “crème de la crème” of San Diego dining,
Mille Fleurs
, taking honors for both Best Food and Best Service. Following behind Mille Fleurs on the Best Food list are
A.R. Valentien
,
Sushi Ota
,
MARKET Restaurant + Bar
and
Carnitas’ Snack Shack
, proving that diners are just as excited about haute cuisine as they are for budget-friendly Triple-Threat Pork Sandwiches.
San Diego’s avid diners eat out 4.8 times per week (combined lunch and dinner), which is more than the 4.5 times per week nationally. The average spend per person for dinner out is $34.10, below the $39.40 national figure. And once the meal ends, diners leave a reported 18.5% gratuity (vs. 19.3% nationally).
Italian is the No.1 cuisine (according to 19%) and the recent openings of pizza places, spanning fast casual spots like the Irvine-based chain
Blaze Pizza
, to mid-priced restaurants like
Double Standard
and
Stella Public House
, show that locals are hungry for a slice. This year’s best pizza places are:
1.
Buona Forchetta
2.
urbn
3.
Bronx Pizza
4.
Napizza
5.
Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria
It’s no secret that tacos are another local staple. In score order, here are the restaurants serving up the best tacos in town:
1.
TJ Oyster Bar
2.
City Tacos
3.
El Indio
4.
El Zarape
5.
Puesto
When asked about dining irritants, locals cited Service (31%), followed by Parking (19%), Noise (16%), Prices (15%), Crowds and Food (both 7%), Traffic (4%) and Other (1%). The biggest complaints relating to service were 1. Inattentive staff 2. Slow service and 3. Rude staff.
Restaurant habits: A whopping 93% of San Diego diners - the largest percentage nationally - say they have sent a dish back to the kitchen while 81% admit to having eavesdropped on a conversation at the next table. 47% of diners say they are less inclined to dine at a restaurant with a cash-only policy and 32% feel it’s rude and inappropriate for children to use tablets/phones at the table, while 19% say it’s perfectly acceptable.
For a look at this year’s 50 Best Restaurants in San Diego, be sure to check out
www.zagat.com/best-restaurants/san-diego.
Posted by: Tiffany Herklots, Zagat
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