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OpenTable Diners Have Spoken: The 100 Best Restaurants in America 2018 #OpenTable100

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Best Restaurants in America 2018

Millions of dining experiences and reviews later, we’re pleased to share our list of the 100 Best Restaurants in America 2018, according to OpenTable diners. The list is a comprehensive look at the year’s most beloved dining spots culled from more than 12 million verified diner reviews of more than 28,000 restaurants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

From foodie-favorites with world-renowned chefs to breakthrough hidden gems, the list showcases the platform’s comprehensive network of dining options for every occasion across the country. New York holds the most honorees with 24 winning restaurants followed by California with 15, Illinois with nine and Texas with eight, including Uchi in Dallas (pictured above). Pennsylvania boasts seven winners followed by Washington D.C. with six winners while Florida and Georgia each claim four. New to the list are Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, and Rhode Island, with standout restaurants including Matsuhisa Denver, Phoenicia, AgriVino, and The Dining Room at Castle Hill Inn, respectively. Additional states represented include Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Washington.

While American and Italian proved to be the most popular cuisines, they were closely followed by French, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern. Hyperlocal cuisines including Californian, Hawaiian, and Tex-Mex are also represented in the list. The diversity of the honorees points to an increase in appetite, from coast to coast, for adventurous eats and more exotic flavors, as well as travel-inspired dishes.

So how exactly does a restaurant land on this list? The list is generated solely from diner reviews collected between November 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then sorted according to a score calculated from each restaurant’s average rating in the “overall” category. That overall category score is made up of unique data points (read: our secret sauce), such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews, and regional overall rating to arrive at…ta-da, the final list! It’s a mouthful, we know, but would you expect anything less from a list that’s all about the best restaurants in the country?

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the 100 Best Restaurants in America 2018, according to OpenTable diners:Continue Reading

OpenTable Diner Reviews Reveal the 100 Best Restaurants in Canada 2018 #OpenTable100

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Best Restaurants in Canada 2018

Celebrating Canada’s rich culinary offerings, we’re thrilled to reveal the 100 Best Restaurants in Canada 2018, according to OpenTable diners. The list is a comprehensive look at the year’s most beloved dining spots culled from more than 500,000 verified diner reviews of over 2,500 restaurants across Canada over the course of 12 delicious months.

From the locavore specialties of the restaurant at Pearl Morissette in Niagara, the notable contemporary French cuisine of La Banane in Toronto, and the eclectic seafood stop Oddfish in Vancouver, this year’s list showcases OpenTable’s comprehensive network of dining options for every occasion across the country. Featured restaurants have been recognized for consistently putting out delicious dishes, providing impeccable service, and paying attention to every detail to orchestrate one-of-a-kind dining experiences time and again. Ontario has the greatest number of restaurants included on the list with 57, followed by Alberta with 21, British Columbia with 13, and Québec with seven restaurants. Newfoundland and Saskatchewan are also represented on the list.

So how exactly does a restaurant land on this list? The list is generated solely from diner reviews collected between November 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then sorted according to a score calculated from each restaurant’s average rating in the “overall” category. That overall category score is made up of unique data points (read: our secret sauce), such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews, and regional overall rating to arrive at…ta-da, the final list! It’s a mouthful, we know, but would you expect anything less from a list that’s all about the best restaurants in the country?

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the 100 Best Restaurants in Canada 2018, according to OpenTable diners:Continue Reading

2015 100 Best Restaurants in America — Top 10 Ranked

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We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the deliciousness of the past year than by unveiling the 2015 100 Best Restaurants in America and highlighting the top 10 honorees. These awards reflect the combined opinions of more than 5 million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 20,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

SF Food

The Top 10 Best Restaurants in America, in rank order, include:

  1. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards – Santa Rosa, California
  2. Mama’s Fish House – Paia, Hawaii
  3. Kai-Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort – Chandler, Arizona
  4. Halls Chophouse – Charleston, South Carolina
  5. Sushi Nakazawa-Sushi Bar – New York, New York
  6. Blue Hill at Stone Barns – Pocantico Hills, New York
  7. Acquerello – San Francisco, California
  8. n/naka – Los Angeles, California
  9. Daniel – New York, New York
  10. Vetri – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Like the list as a whole, the Top 10 Best Restaurants in America emphasizes revered restaurants that place a premium on striving for perfection, from Mama’s Fish House, which opened its doors in 1973 to n/naka, which opened in 2011. Each honoree provides fare and hospitality that consistently earn rave reviews and attract repeat diners, even though the concepts are quite diverse, including the non-traditional dining experience that is the sublime food and wine pairing experience at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards. Its idyllic vineyard setting, six-course menu tailored to compliment specific wine vintages and varietals, and unique value have helped St. Francis build quite a following and earn the number one spot for the second time in three years (scroll down for an inside look at St. Francis). Four of this year’s Top 10 were also present on the 2014 rankings.

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Highlighting restaurants with experienced chefs behind the burners, the complete list features honorees in 28 states and the District of Columbia and includes Acquerello in San Francisco, Eleven Madison Park in New York, and Vedge in Philadelphia. California and New York have 16 winning restaurants each, followed by Pennsylvania with 8, Texas with 5, and Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Virginia with four apiece. Colorado, Florida, and Ohio boast three winners each, while Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington all have two. Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington, D.C. are also represented.

Established restaurants handily dominated the list; just three winners opened in the last year. Approximately a quarter of the eateries were established within the last five years, and many are more than 20 years old, with at least 14 having been in business in excess of 30 years, including perennial Manhattan favorite La Grenouille, which dates back to 1962. Overall, there are 39 repeat winners from last year’s list. While American and French fare proved overwhelmingly popular, restaurants serving globally inspired fare also made their mark. Multi-course, prix-fixe meals and chefs’ tastings abound, with almost half offering either one or both. The vast majority identify as fine dining restaurants, offering dinner service only, with some even indicating a jacket or formal attire is required. You can read more about the top trends at the 2015 100 Best Restaurants in America here.Continue Reading

And the Award Goes to…: #DinersChoice Winners for Best Restaurants Collect Their Trophies

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Late last year, we revealed the winners of the  2014 Diners’ Choice Awards for the Top 100 Best Restaurants in America, and since then, we’ve been busy traveling around the nation to present the honorees with their engraved All-Clad awards in person.

“We are so honored and humbled by this acknowledgement from OpenTable Diners” said co-owners Ariana and Andres Fernandez of Ariana in Bend, Oregon. “Making sure our customers have an exceptional meal with incredible service is our mission at Ariana and we are so very pleased our customers feel that and have responded with such high praise.”

It is our great pleasure to once again highlight these amazing culinary professionals — and to provide them with a rare opportunity to take a break from their busy days in front and back of the house for a well-deserved pat on the back. Diners, meet some of your winners, and book a table at one of these top restaurants today!

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