New Restaurants Crack Zagat's Top 10 List for Design, Not Food

Google-owned Zagat just released its annual San Diego Restaurant Survey, as voted on by 2,157 local diners with results that span to include almost 400 restaurants.

New San Diego restaurants didn't fare so well. Among the top 10 vote-getters in Zagat's three big categories— top food, top decor and top service — the only San Diego restaurants that opened in 2014 to get nods were both in decor; Kettner Exchange and Ironside Fish & Oyster ranked third and ninth, respectively. North County veteran Mille Fleurs nabbed the first berth in top food, where it was joined by MARKET Restaurant + Bar, Addison and CUCINA urbana, among others.

And the user-generated review site's list of San Diego's 50 best restaurants based on food score included just three eateries that opened here in the last year — Juniper & Ivy, City Tacos and Bottega Americano.

Snagging the title for best spots for specific cuisines included Eater 38 members Sushi Ota for Japanese, Carnitas' Snack Shack for American, Buona Forchetta for Pizza and A.R. Valentien for Californian.

To celebrate the survey's release, Zagat has arranged free food deals at top eateries that will roll out every day this week. Tuesday starting at 3 p.m., there are free Triple Threat sandwiches at Carnitas' Snack Shack in North Park, breakfast sandwiches are free on Wednesday from 7 to 11 a.m. at Tender Greens Downtown, pollo asado and chile relleno tacos are free starting at lunch on Thursday at City Tacos and Friday brings free slices of Shangri-La cake, beginning at noon, at Extraordinary Desserts' Balboa Park location; all while supplies last.