Want the dirt on Baltimore's most happening local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been getting a noteworthy uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Baltimore businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month.
Read on to see which spots are extra cool, right now.
Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats
This cocktail bar and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "breakfast & brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw review counts increase by a median of 3.4 percent over the past month, but Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats saw a 40 percent increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout.
Located in the Hotel Indigo at 24 W. Franklin St. in Mount Vernon, Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats offers shareable bar food like Sriracha fries, sliders with cheese and chicken wings, plus sandwiches, soups and salads. Drinks run from beer and wine to sangria and cocktails.
Ampersea
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Fells Point's Ampersea, the modern restaurant is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "New American" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 4.2 percent over the past month, Ampersea bagged a 39.5 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed three-star rating.
Open at 1417 Thames St. since February, Ampersea is a rebrand for the Waterfront Kitchen formerly in the same location. It offers cocktails alongside Maryland classics like blue crab dip, crab cakes and pan-seared scallops. It features expansive water views, especially from the patio.
Loch Bar
Finally, the Inner Harbor's Loch Bar is also making waves. Open since 2016 at 240 International Drive, the raw bar and seafood spot has seen an 8.3 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.7 percent for all businesses tagged "seafood" on Yelp.
Loch Bar has shellfish towers, scallop carpacio and caviar among its many maritime offerings, plus a few land-based sandwich and entree options. Among the drinks options are a long list of the world's whiskeys, from Ireland to Japan. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound four-star rating among Yelpers.
