Wondering where Seattle's in-the-know crowd is 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 deduce which local businesses have been getting outsized notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Seattle 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 riding a trend, right now.
Vine & Spoon
Open since early June, this modern American restaurant is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw review counts increase by a median of 1.6 percent over the past month, but Vine & Spoon saw a 15.4 percent increase, maintaining a sound four-star rating throughout.
Located at 4706 California Ave. SW in West Seattle, Vine & Spoon is owned by the F2T Hospitality Group and is headed by executive chef Nicholas Apt, who was named one of Seattle Met's "Next Hot Chefs of 2017," per The Stranger. The menu features small plates like seared scallop crudo, pasta, steaks and large plates such as octopus with ink aioli and black lime.
Ding Tea Seattle
The University District's Ding Tea Seattle is also making waves. Open since June at 4725 University Way NE, the Taiwanese bubble tea shop has seen a 31.6 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.7 percent for all businesses tagged "coffee & tea" on Yelp.
Ding Tea Seattle is part of an international chain and offers green, boba, matcha and milk teas. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Raised Doughnuts
Central District's Raised Doughnuts is the city's buzziest bakery by the numbers.
The doughnut shop, which opened in June at 1101 23rd Ave., has increased its review count by 28.6 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 1.5 percent for the Yelp category "bakeries."
It's not the only trending outlier in the bakery category: Deep Sea Sugar & Salt has seen a 19.6 percent increase in reviews.
Raised Doughnuts offers a rotating menu of sweet treats based on seasonal ingredients. Expect gluten-free mochi doughnuts, apple fritters, maple bars, raspberry holes and more.
Cafe Opla
Open since February, this Vietnamese-inspired cafe is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "breakfast & brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "breakfast & brunch" saw review counts increase by a median of 1.8 percent over the past month, but Cafe Opla saw a 14.9 percent increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 2200 Alaskan Way, Suite 120 in Belltown, Cafe Opla is named for opla — the Vietnamese word for oeufs au plats, or breakfast egg dishes. Oplas are served with one or two sunny side up eggs and a fresh baguette and include options like the Opla Vietnam with grilled pork, meatballs and pickled veggies and the Opla Korea with ribs, tofu and kimchi.
