Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which local businesses have been in the spotlight 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, 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, right now.
City Winery
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about City Winery, the wine bar, music venue and New American spot in Ivy City is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their review counts by a median of 1.8 percent over the past month, City Winery bagged a 21.7 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed three-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.9 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Washington's New American scene: Fancy Radish has seen a 17.5 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 1350 Okie St. NE (between North Kendall and North Fenwick streets) since June 2018, City Winery offers made-in-house wine alongside inventive American dishes featuring locally sourced ingredients and live performances — ranging from alternative rock to bluegrass.
HomeSlyce
Foggy Bottom's HomeSlyce is also making waves. Open since October 2017 at 2121 K St. NW, the bar has seen a 14.1 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6 percent for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 250 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Washington's bar category: Miracle on Seventh Street - Pop-Up has seen a 15.7 percent increase in reviews.
HomeSlyce offers a full bar, with beer and cider on tap, plus pizzas, calzones, wings and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Radiator
Finally, Logan Circle's Radiator is the city's buzziest cocktail bar by the numbers — perhaps due in part to its complimentary cocktail for furloughed federal workers.
The well-established cocktail bar and gastropub, which has operated since 2016 at 1430 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Suite 100 (between North 15th and North 14th streets), increased its review count by 6.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2.3 percent for the Yelp category "Cocktail Bars." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.3 times more reviews that expected based on past performance.
Radiator offers classic cocktails with modern twists. The Bo Peeps Revenge, for example, is a fresh take on the Old-Fashioned using lamb belly-infused Basil Hayden bourbon whiskey. The upscale venue also serves a mix of American and international dishes.
