O Ya and Menton Capture Top Spots in 2011/12 Zagat Boston Restaurant Survey

NEW YORK, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This morning, Zagat released the results of its 2011/12 Boston Restaurants Survey, highlighting a variety of affordable newcomers in Boston and the surrounding areas. The Survey is based on the opinions of 7,465 local diners and covers 1,369 restaurants in Boston, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and The Berkshires. Ratings and reviews can also be accessed on the newly rebuilt ZAGAT.com, with additional free features such as menus, photos, stats, surveyor recognition features, "% liked it" ratings and more. Survey content is available via Zagat's mobile products as well.

Winners: Making its Zagat Survey debut, Barbara Lynch's Menton won the No. 1 rating for both Decor and Service and scored a rare 28 on the Zagat 30-point scale for its Food, while O Ya, surveyed for just the second time, pulled off a similar coup by earning the coveted No. 1 Food score. For the ninth year in a row, Legal Sea Foods was named Most Popular. The winners in Boston include:

What's New: The average price of a meal in Boston declined from $33.64 to $33.56, remaining below the $35.62 national average.  Yet dining-out frequency also dipped slightly to 2.5 times per week, vs. 2.6 in the last Survey. However, restaurateurs continue to offer exciting new choices, many of which are reasonably priced.

Zagat Says: "The Boston restaurant industry is in a period of transition. Restaurateurs are focusing their efforts on providing affordable dining options and providing better service," said Tim Zagat, CEO and Co-Founder of Zagat Survey. "These changes appeal to price-sensitive diners and keep restaurants full week in and week out."

High/Low: The gastropub trend has taken off in Boston this year, with affordable additions such as American Craft in Brookline, Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar near Fenway Park and The Gallows in the South End. Other moderately priced newcomers in the Survey include Back Bay Social Club, serving American fare in a "speakeasy atmosphere," and Jacky's Table in Brighton, a "casual offshoot" of Petit Robert Bistro. Among the top newcomers to the Survey are Parsons Table, Chris Parsons' "more casual" redo of the former Catch, and Cutty's in Brookline, featuring "fabulous gourmet sandwiches."

Service: As in most cities surveyed, Service is the No. 1 complaint in Boston (cited by 65% of respondents), followed by Noise (13%), Food (8%) and Prices (7%). However, the amount of surveyors bemoaning service dropped from 72% in the last Survey; and overall, hospitality earns a 16 on Zagat's 30-point scale, up from 15. These modest improvements obviously resonate with Beantown diners, who reported an average tip of 19.4% this year, i.e. above the national average of 19.2%.

What the Truck? Unlike some other markets across the country, the food-truck craze has yet to catch on in Boston, as 79% of surveyors have never tried one. Up until recently, diners’ lack of experience with food-truck fare may have had more to do with city ordinances that made it difficult for food trucks to obtain parking permits. One food truck success story, Clover Food Lab, recently opened a Harvard Square brick-and-mortar location.

Tech Mariners: While 83% feel it is acceptable to take pictures of food or dining companions, 63% say it's "rude and inappropriate" to text, e-mail, tweet or talk on a mobile phone while at a restaurant.

Fine Dining: A 56% majority of Boston surveyors feels that the formal dining scene is not dead. Bucking the affordability trend are fine-dining premieres such as Lydia Shire and Jasper White's Towne in the Back Bay, Aka Bistro in Lincoln, Journeyman in Somerville and Barbara Lynch's Menton, among others.

Green and Healthy: Seventy-three percent of surveyors think it's important that their food be locally sourced, organic or sustainably raised, and 59% say they would be willing to pay more for it. Moreover, 74% feel the city should follow the examples of LA and New York by requiring restaurants to prominently display their health-department inspection results. However, 52% oppose regulating the amount of salt used in dishes, and 57% oppose taxing sugary drinks to curb obesity.

Lingering: Although diners should feel free to enjoy their meal in a leisurely manner, 63% of respondents think it's ok for a restaurant to restrict how long you can stay at peak hours.

Survey Details: The 2011/12 Boston Restaurants Survey ($15.95) was edited by Bill Corsello with local editors Eric Grossman, Liza Weisstuch, Naomi Kooker and Lynn Hazlewood. The Survey is available now in bookstores, online at ZAGAT.com or by downloading one of Zagat's mobile apps, including ZAGAT TO GO for iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7. For information on Zagat's mobile products, please visit http://www.zagat.com/mobile. Follow Zagat on Facebook and Twitter @Zagat for news & updates.

About Zagat Survey, LLC

Known as the "burgundy bible," Zagat Survey is the world's most trusted source for consumer-generated survey information. With a worldwide network of surveyors, Zagat rates and reviews restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf, shopping and a range of other entertainment categories and is lauded as the "most up-to-date," "comprehensive" and "reliable" guide, published on all platforms. Zagat content is available to consumers wherever and whenever they need it: on ZAGAT.com, ZAGAT.mobi, ZAGAT TO GO for smartphones and in book form.

SOURCE Zagat Survey, LLC