The accolades keep on coming for Birmingham's exploding restaurant scene.

The national restaurant guide Zagat.com -- which last year ranked Birmingham No. 1 on its list of America's Next Hot Food Cities - has just included the Magic City on its latest list of the 26 Hottest Food Cities of 2016.

Birmingham in No. 14 on the list, ahead of New York (21), San Francisco (20), Chicago (17) and Nashville (16). New Orleans is No. 6 on the Zagat list and Washington, D.C. is No. 1.

Here's what Zagat's Sara Ventiera had to say about the Birmingham dining scene:

"Birmingham has long been an esteemed culinary destination with a deeply rooted farm-to-table ethos and multiple Beard award-winning chefs like Frank Stitt (Highlands Bar & Grill) and his former pupil Chris Hastings (Hot and Hot Fish Club). Many young cooks have spent time in their impressive kitchens, learning the ropes and as a result, the Southern city has become an incubator for burgeoning culinary talent.

Ryan Champion spent time at Stitt's Bottega, before opening Hotbox at Parkside, which churns out internationally inspired late-night bites like lemongrass fried chicken and shrimp ceviche out of an of Airstream. Brian Somershield, another Stitt acolyte, opened El Barrio Restaurante y Bar, serving modern Mexican-influenced dishes like grilled chorizo meatloaf.

Within the past year, the city has seen an influx of creative new concepts like Avondale burger and oyster joint, Fancy's on 5th, health-focused Real & Rosemary and Southern Vietnamese spot Saigon Noodle House. Yet, it's not just the young guns presenting on-trend restaurants here. Late last year, Hastings debuted one of the biggest openings in all of the South, highly lauded Latin American-inspired wood-fired concept, OvenBird.

To see Zagat's complete list of the 26 Hottest Food Cities in America, go here.