Sushi Nozawa leads the pack in ’05 Zagat

The 2005 Zagat guide to Los Angeles restaurants was published Tuesday and -- drumroll, please -- the nod for best food goes to Sushi Nozawa, the Studio City mini-mall sushi bar. Nozawa noses out No. 2 Matsuhisa (last year’s winner), as well as Spago, Patina and Bastide (reviewed under former chef Alain Giraud). Valentino, ranked 20th in the 2004 survey, does not appear in the top 40 food ratings this year.

For flat-out popularity, the 6,621 folks who filled out Zagat’s online survey gave the award to Cafe Bizou, with locations in Sherman Oaks, Pasadena and Santa Monica. Water Grill, Spago, Campanile and A.O.C., in that order, round out the top five most popular restaurants.

This year, the survey has done away with the geographic divisions that were introduced in the 2004 survey, so all Los Angeles restaurants are once again listed in the same section. Orange County remains a separate category, with Santa Barbara and Palm Springs added to the $12.95 guide.

According to the new survey, Angelenos dine out an average of 3.8 times per week, the highest in the country and above the national average of 3.3 times per week.

The average cost of a meal in Los Angeles rose 1.9% to $30.17 from $29.61 one year ago.