The biggest problem with choosing somewhere to eat in New York City is that we have waaay too many options. Sure, not the worst problem to have, but it can get straight up overwhelming.
Seriously, how much time do you think you've spent on Yelp trying to make sure you're going to THE BEST one-star taco place in Williamsburg?
Just saying, Yelp isn't even the most reliable source for the best when it comes to food, considering people dock stars for things like frumpy hostesses and "our table faced East and it was stressing me out" all the time.
There's a reason restaurants don't hang print-outs of Yelp reviews at their entrances, and if you're looking for a serious foodie experience, everyone knows you absolutely must turn to Zagat.
What separates Zagat from the other guide people tend to take seriously, Michelin, is that Zagat doesn't use professional inspectors, they survey average diners about their dining experiences– they're more like Yelp in that way, but like, with less subjectivity.
As reported by Eater, the results of Zagat's 2017 survey have just been released, establishing the best spots in NYC for pizza, barbecue, Asian, and more.
Le Bernardin, the seafood restaurant Midtown, has been rated best food 10 times now, and it has been named the best for food, service, and the city's most popular restaurant for the second year in a row. Bouley in Tribeca came in second.
The best new restaurant went to Kingsley in Alphabet City, and the runner up was Indian Accent in the Parker Meridien Hotel.
If you're looking for the best Asian food in NYC, try to land a reservation at Asiate in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. They also won Top Decor.
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Some more highlights: Hometown BBQ in Red Hook nabbed Top Barbecue, Mu Ramen in Long Island City was named Top Ramen, Eataly of course, Top Food Hall, and most importantly, you can get the best pizza pie in NYC at Juliana's in DUMBO.
Zagat is also known for surveying their participants on other interesting aspects of dining like tipping, food pics, and even what dishes they were tired of.
For the latter, 58% reported that they were tired of kale salad, 53% said they were tired of lobster mac & cheese (???), and tartare and hummus also made the passé list.
Also, as reported by Eater NY, apparently 58% of respondents said they don't share food photos on social media, which seems like a straight up lie. 59% percent admitted to looking at other people's 'grams and 70% said they've picked a restaurant based on food snaps.
Ugh. Anyone else super hungry now? Make sure to catch at least one of these super yummy Halloween dinners this weekend.
[via Eater NY] [Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]