As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which restaurants have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Washington 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 getting plenty of attention this autumn.
Toastique
Open since June, this healthy morning 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 2 percent over the past month, but Toastique saw a 42.9 percent increase, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Bluestone Lane has seen a 10.1 percent increase in reviews.
Located at the Wharf at 764 Maine Ave. SW in Southwest D.C., Toastique offers open-faced toasted sandwiches, healthy smoothies and assorted bowls.
Lupo Marino
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Lupo Marino, the Italian spot from D.C. restaurateur Med Lahlou is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp increased their review counts by a median of 1.7 percent over the past month, Lupo Marino bagged an 18.9 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Washington's Italian scene: sister restaurant Lupo Verde has seen a 2.9 percent increase in reviews, and Ristorante Piccolo has seen a 3 percent bump.
Open since May at 40 Pearl St. SW in Southwest D.C., Lupo Marino offers wood-fired pizzas, panini and salads, plus cocktails and wine.
The Caged Bird
Dupont Circle's The Caged Bird is also making waves. Open since June at 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW, the bar has seen a 20.8 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2 percent for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's bar category: Yard House has seen a 11.9 percent increase in reviews.
The Caged Bird offers craft beer and house cocktails, alongside Southern and Caribbean fare. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound four-star rating among Yelpers.
America Eats Tavern
Finally, Georgetown's America Eats Tavern is the city's buzziest New American restaurant by the numbers.
The modern spot from chef José Andrés, which opened in June at 3139 M St. NW, increased its review count by 21.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)."
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: The Big Stick has seen a 7.6 percent increase in reviews.
America Eats Tavern serves up new takes on classic American cuisine, like barbecue crab cakes, skillet cornbread with smoked butter and Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries.
