Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Denver 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, and tracked businesses that consistently increase their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are sizzling hot right now.
Cantina Laredo
The Denver outpost of Cantina Laredo, an international Mexican bar and restaurant chain, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp. The business has locations across the United States, in Puerto Rico, London, England, and Abu Dhabi.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.5 percent over the past month, but Cantina Laredo saw a 33.3 percent increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 400 percent.
Located at 1040 15th St. in Central Business District, Cantina Laredo offers food inspired by the cuisine of Mexico City: chicken or beef fajitas on a bed of grilled onions and bell peppers, roasted poblano peppers filled with shrimp, and more.
Officers Club
Lowry Field's Officers Club is also making waves. Located at 84 Rampart Way, the New American restaurant and cocktail and wine bar has seen a 26.2 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.6 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 220 percent. But there's more than one hotspot trending in Denver's New American category: Chocolate Lab has seen a 11 percent increase in reviews, and Bar Louie has experienced a 7.2 percent bump.
Officers Club offers a chive smoked salmon dip, a slow-roasted prime rib French dip sandwich, Southern buttermilk fried chicken tenders, and Maryland crab cakes, among other hearty fare. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Tokyo Premium Bakery
Platt Park's Tokyo Premium Bakery is the city's buzziest coffee and tea spot by the numbers.
The bakery, which offers pastries, tea and coffee drinks and more, opened at 1540 S. Pearl St. in October. It increased its review count by 70.3 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 3.6 percent for the Yelp category "Coffee & Tea."
It's not the only trending outlier in the coffee and tea category: Leven Deli Co has seen a 40.8 percent increase in reviews.
The bakery offers matcha and hojicha lattes to go with its Japanese-style pastries baked from scratch daily: customers will find fruit-topped kouign amann, raspberry and almond croissants, melon bread and more.
Urban Egg
Southmoor Park's outlet of popular local chain Urban Egg is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, this breakfast and brunch and traditional American spot, which offers coffee and tea and more, increased its by 17.9 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
There's more abuzz in the world of Denver breakfast and brunch: The Bindery has seen a 11.9 percent increase in reviews.
Open for business at 6991 E. Belleview Ave. since June, the eatery offers an extensive menu of pancakes, French toast, eggs Benedict, avocado toast, and more.
