76 per cent want smoking ban in restaurants

More than three-quarters of diners believe smoking should be banned in London's restaurants, a leading food guide has found.

A total of 76 per cent of those questioned for the latest Zagat Survey, published today, said they wanted to see smokers stub out their cigarettes before entering a restaurant.

Almost a third said they would eat out more if smoking was not allowed, a statistic that will boost the campaign to outlaw smoking in public places.

Smoking Or Non-Smoking, the 2005 Zagat Survey of London Restaurants - based on customer satisfaction - finds London's dining scene as diverse as ever. Asianinspired cuisine is currently the favourite flavour. The two most popular restaurants in the city offer variations on Japanese cooking, while a third favour Thai, Japanese or Chinese food. The most popular restaurant, for another year, is Nobu. Reviewers say there

are "not enough superlatives" to describe the Mayfair favourite's Japanese-South American cuisine. Remarkably, the second-most popular destination is noodle chain Wagamama. The Ivy, Covent Garden's reliable celebrity

hangout, is third. The "top food" category is dominated by Gordon Ramsay, whose eponymous Chelsea restaurant causes reviewers to "swoon".