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Zagat’s Top-Rated Boston Restaurants
June 16, 2015
Whether you’re looking to explore the best new restaurants in your neighborhood or rediscover a classic favorite, Zagat is out with its latest Boston Restaurants results, serving up something for every palate. Based on the combined feedback of nearly 5,000 local diners, new ratings and reviews for more than 850 restaurants in Boston are available today on Zagat.com and via Google Search and Maps.
Boston’s No. 1 pick for both Food and Decor go to
L’Espalier
, Back Bay’s “elegant”, French “grande dame”. Taking top honors for Service is Barbara Lynch’s “fabulous” French-Italian
Menton
, thanks to an “impeccable” team that “accommodates individual preferences”, and snagging the top spot for Most Popular is the “classic” steakhouse
Abe and Louie’s
, serving up “tender and flavorful” “Flintstone-sized” cuts.
While a meal at several of the city’s best restaurants may be reserved for special occasions (or tax return season), Zagat’s list of “Best Cheap Eats” offers places with high food scores (read: insanely delicious bites) with a cost estimate of $25 or less. The top places are:
1.
Za
2.
Flatbread Company
3.
Flour Bakery
4.
Petsi Pies
5.
Regina Pizzeria
And several top cheap eats by neighborhood include:
Allston/Brighton:
Roxy's Gourmet Grilled Cheese
Back Bay:
Flour Bakery
Downtown Boston:
Sam LaGrassa's
Near Fenway:
Pho Basil
Near Harvard Square:
Pinocchio's Pizza & Subs
According to this year’s results, interesting, boundary-pushing restaurants like Japanese
Yume Wo Katare
, serving “comforting” bowls of “incredibly rich broth” and “tasty” noodles, and hotspots like
Alden & Harlow
, where “adventurous eaters” descend upon the “inventive” eats and “creative drinks” are popping up all over the city. Somerville has proven to be particularly buzzy this past year with top-rated restaurants including:
1.
Sarma Restaurant
2.
Journeyman
3.
Bergamot
4.
Union Square Donuts
5.
CasaB
According to the recent Zagat
National Dining Trends survey
, Boston diners eat out 4.1 times per week for a combined lunch and dinner, less than the 4.5/week national average. The average spend per person for dinner out is $42.24 which is above the national average of $39.40. Once the meal ends, diners leave a reported 19.6% gratuity (vs. 19.3% nationally).
Locals say their favorite cuisine is Italian -- followed by French, Seafood, American, and Japanese. This year’s Top Italian spot in Boston is
Il Capriccio
, followed by
Giulia
,
Sorellina
,
La Campania
and
Rino’s Place
.
A whopping 81% of Zagat’s avid Boston diners say they have sent a dish back to the kitchen. 82% admit to having eavesdropped on a conversation at the next table and 46% of diners say they have stiffed a server on the tip for bad service. 25% feel it’s rude and inappropriate for children to use tablets/phones at the table while 14% say it’s perfectly acceptable.
For more information, snack on the full list of Boston's 50 best restaurants
here
.
Posted by: Tiffany Herklots, Zagat
The Best of Houston
April 28, 2015
From the upscale “almost like being in Italy” Houston staple,
Da Marco
, to eateries like B
ernie’s Burger Bus
that serves up “absolutely wonderful” burgers out of a retrofitted school bus, today Zagat celebrates over 450 of Houston’s best restaurants. Based on the opinions of 2,071 avid local diners, new ratings and reviews of Houston restaurants are available today at zagat.com/houston and on Google Search and Maps.
Big hits include chef Tyson Cole’s “music in your mouth” sushi outpost,
Uchi
(Best Food), and the long-time fine-dining favorite, Brennan’s (Best Service, Best Decor), boasting “knock you off your barstool” cocktails and a “holy trinity of turtle soup, eggs Benedict and bananas Foster."
Second on the Best Food list is
Chama Gaúcha Brazilian Steakhouse
, followed by
Brennan’s
,
Da Marco
, and
Vic & Anthony’s
.
When it comes to this year’s Most Popular restaurants, diners say their favorite eateries are:
1.
Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill
2.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
3.
Niko Niko’s
4.
Vic & Anthony’s
5.
Gaidos
While Italian and Seafood are tied as the favorite cuisine (both 18%), Houston restaurants can all agree that diners still love their meat. What they can’t agree on is how to spell barbecue. This year’s top five barbecue joints spell the word four different ways. Serving up brisket diners call “smoked to textbook perfection”, a “religious experience”, and “beautiful”, this year’s Best for BBQ restaurants are:
1.
Gatlin’s BBQ
(re-opening soon)
2.
Killen’s Barbecue
3.
CorkScrew Barbecue
4.
Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue
5.
Goode Company Barbeque
According to our National Dining Trends poll, Houston’s avid diners eat out a total of 4.8 times per week for a combined lunch and dinner, more than the national average, 4.5 times per week. The average spend per person for dinner out is $36.49, which is below the $39.40 national figure. After the meal, diners leave a reported 18.4% gratuity (vs. 19.3% nationally.)
Houston diners cited Service as the biggest dining irritant (30%), followed by Noise (17%) Prices (15%), Crowds (13%), Parking (10%), Food (7%), Traffic (4%), and Other (4%). The biggest service complaints were 1. Slow service 2. Inattentive staff and 3. Inadequate training. Feast on the entire list of Houston’s 50 Best Restaurants at
www.zagat.com/best-restaurants/houston
.
Posted by Jamie Tredwell, Zagat
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
The Best of D.C.
March 17, 2015
Today we are revealing the results of Zagat’s latest Washington, D.C. restaurant survey. This year’s top restaurants are serving up “
imagination, wit and brilliance
”, in spaces with “
wonderful ambiance
”. Diners feast on food that “
delivers flavor in every bite
” through dishes that “
aim to please
”. If there’s ever been a time to get out in the D.C. restaurant scene, now is it.
Zagat covers more than 800 of the city’s most exciting restaurants, helping curious diners find the best places to eat. This year’s ratings and reviews are based on the combined opinions of 3,721 locals who separately rate a restaurant’s Food, Decor and Service and offer “witty comments” that our editors compile into short reviews.
This year, Washington, D.C.’s big winners are Fiola (Top Food), The Inn at Little Washington (Top Decor, Top Service), and Clyde’s (Most Popular). In addition to these highly rated favorites, Washington, D.C. welcomed hot newcomers including
China Chilcano
(Peruvian),
Crane & Turtle
(Japanese/French),
Gypsy Soul
(New American),
Kapnos Taverna
(Greek),
Mango Tree
(Thai), and
Ocopa
(Peruvian).
Whether it’s “
hearty
” sandwiches at Duke’s Grocery, “
chewy, flavorful
” pizzas at Pupatella, “high-quality” combos at SUNdeVICH, or “
fresh-from-the-oven
” biscuits from Cajun-Creole cafe Bayou Bakery, this year’s list of Best Cheap Eats proves that you don’t have to break the bank to satisfy your tastebuds in DC.
Here are a list of top winners by cuisine:
Burger -
Ray’s To The Third
Chinese -
Peking Gourmet Inn
Coffee -
Northside Social Coffee & Wine
Dim Sum -
A&J Restaurant
French Bistro -
Central Michel Richard
Greek/Mediterranean -
Zaytinya
Indian -
Rasika
Italian -
Fiola
Japanese -
Sushi Taro
Middle Eastern -
Amsterdam Falafelshop
New French -
Marcel’s by Robert Wiedmaier
Pizza -
Pupatella
Seafood -
Fiola Mare
Small Plates/Tapas -
Rose’s Luxury
Spanish -
Estadio
Steakhouse -
Prime Rib
Thai -
Little Serow
Vietnamese -
Four Sisters Restaurant
According to this year’s National Dining Trends survey, Washington, D.C. diners eat out 4.5 times per week for a combined lunch and dinner, which is on par with the national average. The average reported spend per person for dinner out in Washington, D.C. is $38.19 - which is just below the national average of $39.40. When it comes to gratuity they leave a reported 19.5%, which is just about the national average of 19.3%.
Find all new ratings and reviews for Washington, D.C. restaurants on
zagat.com
, and across Google Search and Maps.
Cheers!
Posted by:
Tiffany Herklots, Zagat
National Coffee Trends Revealed
February 25, 2015
Whether it’s iced coffee or a flavored latte, decaf or full-throttle, 82% of coffee-lovers nationwide admit to drinking it daily. This year nearly 1,500 respondents weighed in to share their habits and opinions with us for our third-annual National Coffee Survey. The findings reveal that respondents are increasingly purchasing coffee outside of the home (up 8% over 2014), latte art is #trending, as 45% of respondents say they “love it” (up from 38% last year) and the popularity of flat whites is on the rise.
Survey participants typically pay $3.28, on average, for a coffee drink; a steady increase from $3.05 in 2014 and $2.98 in 2013. But how much is too much to pay for a regular cup of joe? Respondents say $3.67, on average. When it comes to barista-prepared coffee, they say $5.07 - a full 38% more.
While the national average number of coffee drinks consumed is 2.1 per day, our results show that coffee consumption increases with age. People in their twenties consume the least number of coffee drinks per day (1.8), compared to those in their thirties (2.0), forties (2.2), fifties (2.4) and sixties (2.4).
When breaking the results out by gender, the survey shows that female coffee drinkers prefer lattes (22%) over a regular cup of coffee (19%), reach for raw sugar (14%) before Splenda (9%), and half-and-half (26%) before skim (19%). And second to making coffee at home or work, they most often buy from large national coffee chains (31%).
As for guys, they favor a regular cup of joe (30%), followed by espresso (14%). A majority (57%) prefer to not add sweetener, while 14% choose raw sugar. Nearly half of men say they like their coffee black (42%), but when they do add the white stuff, half-and-half is the top choice (20%). And when they aren’t brewing at home or work, men are more likely to purchase coffee from smaller chain or single location coffee houses (23%) vs. a large national chain (20%).
Learn more about this year’s results and find out where to buy your own perfect cup
here
.
Posted by Jamie Tredwell, Zagat
America’s Dining Trends Revealed
January 20, 2015
What trendy food has nearly half of avid American diners professing their love? According to the 2015 Zagat National Dining Trends survey, released today, it’s Brussels sprouts. The survey is based on the feedback of 10,727 avid diners nationally who shared their habits and preferences when it comes to dining out.
The survey shows that American diners eat out a lot - 4.5 meals (lunch and dinner) per week on average. The most frequent diners are in Atlanta (5.2) followed by Austin, LA and Miami (each at 4.9). Rounding out the bottom of the list is Portland, OR, Minneapolis (both 3.4) and Philadelphia (3.7).
The national average spend per person for dinner out is $39.40. Not surprisingly, New York is the most expensive dining city, followed by east coasters Boston ($42.24) and Miami ($41.35). The least expensive cities - and a relative bargain - are Austin ($25.81), Dallas/Ft. Worth ($30.34), San Diego ($34.10) and Portland, OR ($34.36), hailing from the South/West.
When it comes to gratuities, Americans leave an average 19.3% tip on their restaurant bill. Austin diners, who enjoy the lowest average meal cost, are the most generous tippers, leaving 20%. Following behind are Philadelphia (19.8%), Boston (19.6%), Chicago (19.6%) and Atlanta (19.5%). West coast diners happen to be less generous with Portland, OR (18.3%), Houston (18.4%), San Diego (18.5%), Seattle (18.6%) and San Francisco (18.7%) at the bottom of the list.
Service is the leading dining out irritant followed by Noise, Prices, Crowds, Food and Parking. Diners in Miami take the biggest issue with service (32%), while Portland, OR diners cite Noise (31%) as their chief complaint.
Additional findings: 16% of respondents admit to having stolen something (fork, salt shaker etc.) from a restaurant, with diners in Chicago and Houston (both 24%) reporting the highest instance of this. If a restaurant has a cash-only policy, respondents say they are less likely to go (45%) or avoid these places all together (15%). And what’s on the menu? Italian. It’s the favorite cuisine among diners in every city surveyed except for Austin and Minneapolis, where diners say they prefer American.
To learn more about this year’s results, see
here
.
Tim and Nina Zagat
Co-Chairs, Zagat
Zagat's 2015 Miami Restaurants Survey
January 13, 2015
Whether you’re a South Florida local or you’re dreaming about your next getaway to the Sunshine State, you’re in luck: today Zagat is out with the results of its 2015 Miami/So. Florida Restaurants survey.
Zagat covers over 600 of the area’s most exciting restaurants with ratings and reviews based on the combined opinions of 3,741 avid diners. Food, Decor and Service ratings are presented on a 30-point scale and surveyors’ “witty comments” are compiled into easy-to-digest reviews.
This year Miami’s big winners are
Zuma
(Top Food),
Juvia
(Top Decor),
Il Gabbiano
(Top Service) and
Joe’s Stone Crab
(Most Popular). In addition to these highly rated favorites, Miami welcomed hot newcomers including
Basil Park
,
Blackbrick
,
1826 Restaurant & Lounge
,
Finga Licking @ Royal Castle
,
Kush Wynwood
,
L'Echon Brasserie
,
La Mar by Gaston Acurio
,
Oolite Restaurant and Bar
,
Prime Fish
and
Shikany
.
According to the survey, Miami diners eat out a lot - 4.9 times per week (lunch and dinner) vs. 4.5 nationally. The average reported spend per person for dinner out is $41.35 which is slightly above the $39.40 national average. When it comes to gratuities, diners leave 19.3% which is on par with national figures.
Service is the No.1 dining out complaint according to 32% of respondents. Following behind are Noise (23%), Prices (14%), Crowds (12%), Food (7%), Parking (5%), and Traffic (4%). The leading complaints about service specifically are inattentive staff, slow service, inadequate training, and early plate clearing.
As with most U.S. cities, Miami diners say their favorite cuisine is Italian (27%), followed by American (14%), Seafood (12%), French (8%), Japanese (8%), Steakhouses (8%), Thai (6%) and Chinese (3%). All others total 14% cumulatively.
When it comes to restaurant reservations, 40% of respondents make them online. That’s below the 61% national average. Additionally, 29% feel it’s rude and inappropriate for children to use tablets/phones at the table.
Ratings and reviews for South Florida restaurants are available today at
zagat.com/miami
and across the Google products you use everyday including Search and Maps. Bon Appetit!
Posted by:
Tiffany Herklots, Zagat
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