Exactly like Events, Center City dominates the most popular and highest ranked restaurants in Philadelphia. However, University City and East Passyunk Crossing both command their fair share of highly ranked restaurants. Fishtown in the northeast rounds out a strong display of top local eateries.
Valentines Day Takeaway: If you started you day in Rittenhouse Square for an event, you are in luck! Walk a couple of blocks east or grab a SEPTA to Fishtown to enjoy Philly's premier restaurant offerings. |
We filter for the top 250 restaurants in our database with Out-Door Seating and a Full Bar. We note immediately why Philly is renowned for its Cheese-Steaks: they are the 2nd highest ranking eateries in the database! Non-traditional cuisines such as Moroccan, Portuguese, and Armenian also top the list.
*It is important to note that high average ranking for exotic cuisines can stem from fewer restaurants in the category; for instance, there are 140 different "American" restaurants, which results in a poor average category ranking due to the high degree of rating variance. Meanwhile, a handful of Caribbean restaurants that are tightly bound around a particular ranking will ultimately fare better in the above chart. Valentines Day Takeaway: If your not looking for a signature Cheese-Steak, venture toward non-traditional, non-American restaurants in the Center City Area. A particular favorite is Scandinavian food. |
The mosaic chart yields a myriad of key insights into restaurant price, ambiance, and rating. The larger the block size, the higher the rating per a particular price tag and ambiance type. Per Zagat's categorization methodology:
The highest ranked categories include moderately priced, romantic restaurants and Expensive "Classy" dining options. Surprisingly, upscale Ultra High-End restaurants are not as highly rated as Moderate "Intimate" restaurants. It is important to keep in mind that this can be a sampling bias phenomena: ultra high-end restaurant goers are unlikely to spend time submitting a review on Zagat. Perhaps only enraged customers paying $70 for sub-par Kobe steak would submit poor reviews (as has occurred on the website in reality). Valentines Day Takeaway: If your on a tight budget after spending circa $50 per person at your event , rest easy knowing Moderately priced "Casual, Romantic" restaurants are just as highly rated as Expensive "Intimate" ones. |
Before you head over to the premier restaurant of your choice, make sure to check the number of reviews. In every single price category, there is a statistically significant relationship between the number of reviews for a restaurant and its overall ranking (p-values all below 0.001). Often times, the highest ranked restaurants receive substantively more media buzz, and hence spur more reviews.
Valentines Day Takeaway: In every single pricing category, you will be able to find highly ranked and well reviewed restaurants. Based on Choice Magazine's "Top Restaurants in America", the various labeled restaurants above are among the most prestigious eateries in the entire nation: Zahav, Morimoto, El Vez, and Alma De Cuba. |