Melisse, Spago and Bastide served up top spots in Zagat survey

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If Los Angeles restaurants are feeling the economic pinch, Tim Zagat has a tip: Do something about the waiters.

Nearly 70% of diners are fed up with poor service, according to Zagat’s annual dining survey -- just released today online at zagat.com. And that surely has to be cutting into return business, he said: ‘It’s waiters who disappear, or give you the bum’s rush, or can’t speak about the menu. The front of the house is the weak link in the industry, and that comes up again and again, city after city.’

Maybe that explains why Southern California diners on average tip 18.5% -- less than the U.S. average of 19%, according to the survey.

An online component of the Zagat survey also found that Los Angeles and Southern California diners are cutting back on extras like desserts, wine and bottled water -- or just choosing cheaper places to eat -- in response to economic uncertainty. A total of 27% said they are eating out less, added Nina Zagat, who, along with her husband, founded the burgundy restaurant guide: ‘There’s great sensitivity there.’

Even as diners are feeling the economic crunch, 58% of those responding to the annual survey said they’re willing to pay extra for organic and sustainably-raised foods.

‘That’s significant -- 10 years ago, even five years ago, you couldn’t find that 58% of the people knew what sustainably raised food was,’ Tim Zagat said.

Some other survey highlights:

-- Mélisse earned top ratings for the second year in a row for its French-New American cuisine. ‘In a city like L.A., where there are so many restaurants, and so much diversity, that’s hard to do,’ Tim Zagat said.

-- Bastide is the place to go in L.A. for outstanding service -- it nabbed the No. 1 spot in that category.

-- The most popular restaurant, according to the survey, is also one of the most well known: Spago.

-- Five of the top 10 restaurants in Los Angeles are Japanese. ‘Japanese is competing with French,’ Tim Zagat said. ‘L.A. has always been a strong leader in Japanese food in this country, but I don’t remember a year when five of the best 10 food rated restaurants were Japanese.’

-- The Hotel Bel-Air won top honors for best decor.

-- Dining out in L.A. doesn’t have to cost a small fortune: The survey found that there are 1,000 area restaurants where you can eat for less than $30 per person and over 800 restaurants where you can eat ‘very well’ for less than $25. ‘If you know your way around, you can eat really well in L.A. at very low prices. The media always focuses on the big-name restaurants, but there are very good values to be had ... and if you choose to go out to lunch instead of dinner, you can do even better,’ Tim Zagat said.

-- And the top buy in town? In-N-Out.

That last one was no surprise to Tim Zagat, whose guide made a name for itself by issuing ratings based on reader reviews long before the Internet made it trendy to do so.

‘When I am in L.A., I always try to go out for an In-N-Out burger,’ he said.

-- Rene Lynch

Stefano Paltera / For The Times