Want the inside word on Seattle's most talked-about local spots? We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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, 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 extra hot this winter.
China Harbor Restaurant
Open since June of this year, this venues and event space and Chinese spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw review counts increase by a median of 1.3 percent over the past month, but China Harbor Restaurant saw a 6.8 percent increase, maintaining a mixed three-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 270 percent.
Located at 2040 Westlake Ave. North (between Crockett Street) in Westlake, China Harbor Restaurant offers a variety of Asian foods and entrees like Mongolian beef, roasted duck and honey walnut prawns. Check out the website here for more information.
Mama Stortini's Restaurant and Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Northgate's Mama Stortini's Restaurant and Bar, the bar and Italian and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 1.4 percent over the past month, Mama Stortini's Restaurant and Bar - Seattle bagged a 5.5 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating.
Open at 401 N.E. Northgate Way, Suite 1103 (between North Fifth and North Third avenues) since December 2014, Mama Stortini's Restaurant and Bar offers pasta dishes and carb-centric fare like cheesy bread, lasagna and spaghetti bolognese.
JOEY U-Village
Ravenna's JOEY U-Village is also making waves. Open since November 2017 at 2603 N.E. 46th St., the popular lounge, steakhouse and New American spot has seen a 5.9 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
JOEY U-Village offers a wide range of libations and fare such as lettuce wraps, hibachi wings, baja fish tacos and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers. Here's the menu.
