Zagat's 2014 Boston Restaurants Survey Results Are Out

Zagat has released the results of their annual Boston restaurants survey, presenting categories like "top decor" and "top service" as well as data on dining trends. A few interesting results:

· There are some expected listings in the service category; Menton is #1, for example, and No. 9 Park and L'Espalier also make the top 10. But it's a Waltham restaurant, Il Capriccio, that grabs the #2 spot.
· Casual vegan/vegetarian restaurant Life Alive, unranked in last year's "Top Food" category, made the list at #6 this year, coming in behind Neptune Oyster (#1), Craigie on Main (#4), and a few others. Life Alive is also the #1 "best buy."
· Abe & Louie's is the "most popular" restaurant, followed by Border Cafe and The Chateau, a local chain. The category says that chains are excluded, but that apparently means national chains.
· On average, Bostonians spend about $44 per person when going out for dinner, while the national average is around $40. And Bostonians tip 19.3%, a tiny bit over the national average of 19.0%.
· 27% of respondents said they'd wait no more than 15 minutes for a table at a restaurant that doesn't take reservations while 6% avoid places that don't take reservations. (Another 6% said it doesn't matter — as long as there's a bar.)

Find more results here.
· 2014 survey shows major changes among the top restaurants [Zagat]
· All coverage of Awards Season on Eater [~EBOS~]