SAN FRANCISCO, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenTable (NASDAQ: OPEN), a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants, is pleased to announce the 2012 Diners' Choice Award winners for Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the United States.  These awards reflect the combined opinions of nearly 5 million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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Winning restaurants are scattered throughout 18 states and Washington, D.C.  California is king of the hot spot restaurants, taking 25 places on the list of winners.  New York comes in second, with 20 winning restaurants.  The sunny state of Florida is chock full of trendy restaurants, handily placing third with 15 winners.  Illinois accounts for 11 honorees, followed by Nevada with seven standouts and Texas with six.  Georgia restaurants earned three places while Tennessee boasts two. Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington D.C. are also represented.

"Going to any of these dining hot spots feels like you're at the hippest party in town, only you don't need an invitation – just a reservation," says Caroline Potter, OpenTable's Chief Dining Officer.   "Beyond the buzz of innovative food and cocktails, each restaurant has electricity in the air that creates communal excitement. Diners feel like they're part of an exclusive experience."

The Diners' Choice Awards for the Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants is generated from nearly 5 million reviews collected from verified OpenTable diners between March 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012.  All restaurants with a minimum number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of qualifying reviews for which "hot spot" was selected as a special feature.

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the U.S. according to OpenTable diners.  The complete list may also be viewed at http://www.opentable.com/hotspots.

2012 Diners' Choice Award Winners for Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the U.S.

25 Lusk – San Francisco, California

Abe & Arthur's – New York, New York

Asellina Ristorante – New York, New York

B.B. King's Blues Club – Memphis, Tennessee

The Bazaar by Jose Andres – Los Angeles, California

Beaumarchais – New York, New York

Beauty and Essex – New York, New York

BOA Steakhouse – West Hollywood, California

Bond Street Social – Baltimore, Maryland

Broadway by Amar Santana – Laguna Beach, California

Buccan – Palm Beach, Florida

Buddakan – New York, New York

Burlap – San Diego, California

Campo – Reno, Nevada

Catch – New York, New York

Chino Latino – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Cleo-SBE – Los Angeles, California

CO-OP Food & Drink – New York, New York

The Darby – New York, New York

Del Frisco's Grille – Dallas, Texas

Departure Restaurant and Lounge – Portland, Oregon

do Restaurant at the View – Atlanta, Georgia

Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa – Dallas, Texas

Drunken Fish – Kansas City, Missouri

Enso Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar – Charlotte, North Carolina

Fig & Olive – West Hollywood, California

Geisha House – Hollywood, California

Gilt Bar – Chicago, Illinois

Girl & the Goat – Chicago, Illinois

GT Fish and Oyster – Chicago, Illinois

HUB 51 – Chicago, Illinois

The Hurricane Club – New York, New York

Imperial No. Nine – New York, New York

ink. – Los Angeles, California

Jaleo-The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada

Katana – West Hollywood, California

Katsuya-Brentwood-SBE – Brentwood, California

Katsuya-Hollywood-SBE – Los Angeles, California

Katsuya-LA LIVE – Los Angeles, California

Katsuya-Laguna Beach-SBE – Laguna Beach, California

Koi – West Hollywood, California

Lavo – Las Vegas, Nevada

Lavo NYC – New York, New York

Linger – Denver, Colorado

The Lion – New York, New York

Lost Society – Washington, D.C.

Lulu California Bistro – Palm Springs, California

Manhattan Beach Post – Manhattan Beach, California

Marble Lane – New York, New York

Maudes liquor bar – Chicago, Illinois

Meat Market – Miami Beach, Florida

Mercadito – Chicago, Illinois

Mercato di Vetro – West Hollywood, California

Mr. Chow-Beverly Hills – Beverly Hills, California

Mr. Chow-Miami – Miami, Florida

N9NE Steakhouse – Las Vegas, Nevada

Nada – Cincinnati, Ohio

Nikko Japanese Restaurant – Charlotte, North Carolina

Nisen – Woodbury, New York

Nobu Miami – Miami Beach, Florida

The Office – Delray Beach, Florida

Paris Club – Chicago, Illinois

Picca – Los Angeles, California

Prato – Winter Park, Florida

Prime Italian – Miami Beach, Florida

Private Social – Dallas, Texas

The Pump Room – Chicago, Illinois

Red Ginger – Traverse City, Michigan

Red Lantern – Boston, Massachusetts

Red Rooster Harlem – New York, New York

Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar – Boca Raton, Florida

Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

ROKA AKOR – Chicago, Illinois

Searsucker – San Diego, California

Sino Restaurant & Lounge – San Jose, California

The Standard Grill – New York, New York

The Stanton Social – New York, New York

STK-Los Angeles – West Hollywood, California

STK-Miami – Miami, Florida

STK-NYC-Meatpacking – New York, New York

STK-The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada

SUGARCANE raw bar grill – Miami, Florida

Sunda – Chicago, Illinois

SUSHISAMBA dromo – Miami Beach, Florida

SUSHISAMBA strip – Las Vegas, Nevada

Tao – New York, New York

Tao Restaurant and Nightclub – Las Vegas, Nevada

Tavernita – Chicago, Illinois

Toku Modern Asian – Manhasset, New York

Triniti – Houston, Texas

Trio Restaurant – Palm Springs, California

Twist – Atlanta, Georgia

TWO urban licks – Atlanta, Georgia

Uchi – Houston, Texas

Uchiko – Austin, Texas

Virago – Nashville, Tennessee

Wang's in the Desert – Palm Springs, California

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Miami Beach, Florida

YOLO – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Zuma Japanese Restaurant – Miami, Florida

Diners can also read more about the Diners' Choice Awards for the Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the U.S. by visiting OpenTable Chief Dining Officer Caroline Potter's "Dining Check" blog.

About OpenTable Reviews
Originally launched in November 2008, the OpenTable Reviews program helps diners find restaurants that best fit their dining occasions.  Diners who recently honored an OpenTable reservation are invited via email to submit restaurant feedback using an online form. Visitors to OpenTable.com can access reviews for thousands of OpenTable restaurant partners across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.  The OpenTable Reviews program has generated more than 10 million reviews by verified diners, establishing OpenTable.com as one of the largest and most trusted sources for restaurant reviews. 

About OpenTable, Inc. 
OpenTable is a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants. The OpenTable network delivers the convenience of online restaurant reservations to diners and the operational benefits of a computerized reservation book to restaurants. OpenTable has more than 25,000 restaurant customers, and, since its inception in 1998, has seated more than 280 million diners around the world.  The Company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and the OpenTable service is available throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. OpenTable also owns and operates toptable.com, a leading restaurant reservation site in the United Kingdom.      

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