Zagat has just released its 30th annual New York City Restaurants survey based on the collective experiences of a record 38,128 local diners. 

While this year’s Survey reflects current hard times, it also celebrates the enormous progress in the industry since Zagat Survey started in 1979.  To celebrate its 30th birthday, Zagat has launched zagat.com/celebrate, which offers a look back at the dramatic changes in dining over the past 30 years, while recognizing the original Zagat-rated New York restaurants (See attached). To lend a hand in tackling global hunger, Zagat is teaming up with Action Against Hunger this year. 

The 2009 New York City Restaurants guide covers 2,073 eateries across the five boroughs.  The surveyors ate out over 6.6 million meals this past year.  It shows that the number of restaurant openings declined for the first time since 2003 (from 163 to 119) and that diners are downsizing their restaurant-going by eating in less expensive places (38%), being more attentive to menu prices (35%), skipping appetizers or desserts (21%) and cutting back on alcohol consumption (19%).  At the same time, the demise of financial institutions such as Bear Stearns and Lehman and general belt tightening by many other companies are cutting into year-end party giving.

“Restaurants are clearly feeling the pinch from the economic crisis,” said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey. “But in the long run they will weather this storm, just as they did after 1987’s Black Monday and 2001’s 9/11. The culinary revolution that began two generations ago and the demographic changes underlying it are now part of our culture.  While we foresee some hard times, New York is likely to remain the world’s leading restaurant city.”

And here are the "Outer Borough Stars:"

Once culinary backwaters, the outer boroughs are producing increasing numbers of Top Food-rated restaurants, e.g. Garden Cafe (28 out of a possible 30), Peter Luger (27), Di Fara (27), Trattoria L’incontro (27), Sripraphai (27), Tanoreen (26), Al Di La (26) and Roberto (26).  In various major cuisine categories, these restaurants are No. 1 Barbecue – Fette Sau; Hamburgers – DuMont; Mid-Eastern – Tanoreen, Pizza – Lucali (with Di Fara as No. 2); Southern/Soul – Egg; Steak – Peter Luger; and Thai – Sripraphai.  What’s more, these restaurants generally cost less than half of what their Manhattan counterparts do.