ZAGAT Releases San Francisco Dining Deals Guide
Covering Affordable Dining Options in Metro Area and Wine Country,
Prix Fixe Menus, Bang-for-the-Buck Ethnic Meals and Money Saving Tips

NEW YORK, NY February 18, 2009 - Today, Zagat Survey released the first ever San Francisco Dining Deals guide, covering 241 restaurants in the city and nearby Wine Country that offer especially great values for diners. The ratings and reviews in the guide are based on the collective opinions of 8,755 avid diners. It is designed to show diners how to get the best values when eating in the Bay Area.

Dining on a Dime: In the current economy, bargain hunting is the new trend. And in San Francisco, the bargains are plentiful. Many of the restaurants in the new guide offer dinner options at $30 or less, and lunches for around $20 especially at wine bars, where you share smaller plates instead of a traditional meal, as well as pizzerias and taquerias.

Exploring Ethnicity: San Francisco offers a variety of affordable cuisines to diners through its many ethnic neighborhoods. In Chinatown, values can be found at R & G Lounge and House of Nanking, while neighborhoods like the Tenderloin and Mission District showcase Indian/Pakistani and Mexican cuisine. Up in the Wine Country, check out Diavola Pizzeria and Salumeria, Water St. Bistro and Annalien, to name a few.

Big Chefs, Big Deals: Many of the nation's most prominent chefs are offering local diners a break by promoting reasonably prices, scaled-down branches. Charles Phan of The Slanted Door has his to-go counter Out the Door in the Ferry Building, while President Obama's favorite, Rick Bayless, helms the affordable Downtown Frontera Fresco. Chef Dennis Leary has opened the new sandwich shop The Sentinel, which offers another reasonably priced meal for San Franciscans.

Tasty Tips: For diners looking to trim their spending, here are a few helpful and healthy suggestions:

* Split main courses to save on cost and over-eating
* Fill up on salads and soups
* Avoid alcohol and desserts to cut back on calories
* Order appetizers only
* Ask the sommelier for "the best wine at the lowest price"
* Go basic (BBQs, Pizzerias) or ethnic
* Remember, lunch is usually 25-30% cheaper than dinner

All of the ratings and reviews from these guides and all Zagat guides can be found online at ZAGAT.com and via the award-winning mobile website, ZAGAT.mobi.

Zagat's San Francisco Dining Deals guide ($5.95), is available at all major bookstores, through ZAGAT.com, or by calling toll free 888-371-5440.

About Zagat Survey, LLC
Known as the "burgundy bible," Zagat Survey is the world's most trusted source for information about where to eat, drink, stay and play around the globe, and as such has become a symbol of quality. Zagat Survey rates and reviews airlines, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf, resorts, shopping, spas, and a range of other entertainment categories in more than 100 countries and has been lauded as the "most up-to-date, comprehensive and reliable guides ever published" and as "a necessity second only to a valid credit card." Zagat content is available in print, on the Web, on the mobile web, iPhone, BlackBerry, and on TV. For more information, visit ZAGAT.com.