Katsu Beats Alinea In Zagat Survey
By Anthony Todd in Food on Sep 4, 2013 7:40PM
The results of the 2014 Zagat dining survey are out, and those of you who care may be shocked at who tops the list.
Zagat's survey, complied from the rankings of over 7,000 Chicago diners, has Rogers Park sushi spot Katsu heading their "Top Food" category.
Top Food
1. Katsu
2. Vie
3. Next
4. Alinea
5. Ruxbin
6. Schwa
7. EL Ideas
8. Les Nomades
9. Riccardo Trattoria
10. Topolobampo
Last year, Alinea topped the list with Katsu a close second.
Interestingly, Alinea was atop of the "most popular" list, though we wonder how many of the voters have actually dined there. Is it possible that Alinea's reputation plays more of a role here? (The complete survey is below.)
We're more interested in some of the other data collected by Zagat. For instance, what most irritates diners about dining out? Turns out the answer is noise, with service coming in at a close second. As some restaurants trying to attract a younger clientele get louder and louder, maybe there is a market for restaurants that promote themselves as silent.
Sixty-two percent of diners (less than we'd expect) make reservations on the Internet, and 25 percent aren't willing to wait more than 15 minutes for a table; clearly, diners at Kuma's aren't representative of the Zagat survey-takers. Chicagoans want to see more seafood and French restaurants, and they rarely go out for brunch. Fifty-seven percent think it's rude to use your phone in a restaurant.