Three Berkeley restaurants have been singled out for being the best in the Bay Area for particular types of cuisine. West Berkeley eatery 900 Grayson took the vote for “best burger,” the Cheese Board Collective in the Gourmet Ghetto took the prize for “best pizza,” and Ajanta on Solano Avenue was named best Indian restaurant.
The plaudits come in a newly released Zagat San Francisco Restaurants Survey which accompanies the publication of the restaurant guide’s 2013 Bay Area edition. The survey covers 1,636 restaurants based on the combined opinions of 15,502 diners.
Only one other East Bay restaurant won for a type of cuisine: Oakland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen for Cajun/Creole/Soul food. Also worthy of note: when Berkeleyside polled its readers for their choice of “best pizza in Berkeley,” Gioia Pizzeria narrowly pipped the Cheese Board to the number one post.
The Cheese Board Collective which Zagat readers voted best in the Bay Area for its pizza. Photo: Christina Diaz
The Zagat survey also highlighted some interesting Bay Area habits. Bay Area diners report eating out an average of 2.9 meals per week vs. the 3.1 national average.
The reported average tip is 18.6%, which is tied with Seattle for the lowest among major U.S. markets, and below the national average of 19.3%. Perhaps not surprisingly, service remains the dominant complaint (cited by 56%), followed by noise (22%), and prices (7%).
Italian fare is still the Bay Area’s favorite type of food, with 24% of the vote, with French ranked second (15%), American third (13%), and Japanese fourth (13%).
The Zagat guidebook was released yesterday after the 2013 guide was recalled three weeks ago due to a typo in the book title (San Francsico instead of San Francisco). Zagat ratings and reviews are also available for free across Google’s services since the search giant bought the restaurant guide last year.
Related:
900 Grayson: American food with flare in west Berkeley [09.28.12]
Cheese Board Collective: 40 years in the Gourmet Ghetto [07.08.11]
The best pizza in Berkeley? Our readers have decided [06.10.11]
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