Wondering where Seattle's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see. We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which eateries have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Seattle businesses 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
Red Pepper
Offering a modern take on traditional dishes, this Chinese restaurant is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Asian fusion" on Yelp.
Citywide, Asian fusion spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.1 percent over the past month, but Red Pepper saw a 59.7 percent increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Asian fusion category: Tapas Lab has seen a 35.7 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 4545 University Way NE in the University District, Red Pepper offers a variety of Chinese and fusion fare such as hot pots, kebabs, braised pork shank and more.
Cortina
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Central Business District's Cortina, the Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.1 percent over the past month, Cortina bagged a 34.2 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
Open since May, Cortina offers a plethora of upscale fare, including ribs, pasta, seafood and much more. Located at 621 Union St. at the base of Seattle's third tallest skyscraper, Two Union Square — this is the latest venture by Ethan Stowell Restaurants.
Seattle Freeze
Georgetown's Seattle Freeze is the city's buzziest ice cream spot by the numbers. Specializing in housemade soft serve ice cream and raised doughnuts, it opened its doors this summer at 6014 12th Ave. South.
The shop increased its review count by 39 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt."
Seattle Freeze offers small-batch ice cream in flavors like strawberry, chocolate, black sesame and matcha. The custard-filled and glazed doughnuts come in rotating flavors like cereal milk and Mexican dark chocolate. Here's the menu.
Sal Y Limon
Queen Anne's Sal Y Limon is currently on the upswing in the Mexican category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" increased review counts by a median of 2 percent over the past month, this bar and restaurant increased its count by 21 percent — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business since March at 10 Mercer St., Sal Y Limon specializes in regional Mexican fare and comes courtesy of longtime local restaurateurs Jesus, Alexis and Lulis Magaña. The eatery features handmade tortillas, slow-cooked pork and a full-service bar with tequila cocktails, sangria and more.
Junkichi Robata Izakaya
Is Beacon Hill's Junkichi Robata Izakaya on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the sushi bar and izakaya is seeing plenty of action.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 1.9 percent over the past month, Junkichi Robata Izakaya nabbed a 21.7 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
Located at 224 Broadway East, it offers modern robatayaki eats, where "fresh meat, fish and vegetables are charcoal grilled right in front of the customers and served piping hot out of the fire, as it has been done in Japan for centuries," per a press release. Here's the menu.
