Spago Is L.A.'s Most Iconic Restaurant, Says Zagat

It's a Beverly Hills institution that spawned an empire.

That's Wolfgang Puck's Spago on Canon Drive.

Spago's move from the Sunset Strip to Beverly Hills in 1997 helped cement Puck's position as the first superstar chef and entrepreneur.

LAist notes that Spago still shines as the L.A. culinary light, at least for Zagat.

The original user-generated dining guide places Spago on its list of 15 U.S. restaurants that best embody the spirit of its town.

New York City's Four Seasons, Joe's Stone Crab in Miami and Austin's Salt Lick are others.

It's an interesting choice.

As Jonathan Gold noted in a recent article, Spago--like perhaps the City of Beverly Hills itself--is at a crossroads, with Puck not always packing the media punch of the younger chefs.

Here's the full Zagat item, peppered with the contributors' quotes we expect from the guide:

“What’s left to say” about this “quintessential LA” hub in Beverly Hills – “the jewel in the crown” of the Wolfgang Puck empire – that’s “going strong after all these years” turning out “knock-your-socks-off” Californian cuisine in a “glamorous”, “glittering” setting sprinkled with “aging celebs”, “power producers and socialites”; “everyone gets treated royally”, and “with a little luck, you can get a handshake from the man himself” – in sum, there’s “no finer place” to “impress”, as long as you can handle the “sky-high” tabs.

Spago is located at 176 N. Canon Dr.