Want the scoop on Seattle's most happening local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which restaurants 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 riding a trend this winter.
13 Coins Restaurant
Open since February, this bar and traditional American breakfast and lunch spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw review counts increase by a median of 1.2 percent over the past month, but 13 Coins Restaurant saw a 10.2 percent increase, maintaining a mixed three-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Ba Bar has seen a 5.4 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 255 S. King St. (at South Second Avenue) in Pioneer Square, 13 Coins Restaurant offers 24-hour eats like pork belly sliders, sesame seared ahi and french onion soup. This spot also serves daily specials and all-day breakfast plates. (Check out the full menu here.)
Sawyer
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Ballard's Sawyer, the New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 1.3 percent over the past month, Sawyer bagged a 12.4 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating.
Open at 5309 22nd Ave. NW (between North Ballard Avenue and Market Street) since July, Sawyer offers small and large family-style plates in its modern interior. Its menu features sweet and savory items like The Cereal Bowl (with Apple Jacks ice cream, cinnamon toast streusel and rose apple), its wood-grilled artichokes and oxtail nachos (with red salsa, pickled onions, cotija cheese and radish).
Great American Diner & Bar
West Seattle Junction's Great American Diner & Bar is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 4752 California Ave. SW (between South Erskine Way and Alaska Street), the diner, bar and breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 5.3 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5 percent for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 600 percent.
Great American Diner & Bar offers American favorites like its Ranch Skillet, with ham, sausage, bacon, diced onions, skillet brown potatoes, bell peppers and cheese, served with toast or a biscuit. For lunch and dinner, this joint serves home-made chili, beer-battered fish and chips, certified Angus burgers and more.
Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Junkichi Robata Izakaya
Broadway's Junkichi Robata Izakaya is the city's buzziest sushi bar by the numbers.
The izakaya and sushi bar, which offers small plates and more and opened at 224 Broadway East (between Olive Way and Thomas Street) last April, increased its review count by 9.3 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 1.1 percent for the Yelp category "Sushi Bars."
Junkichi Robata Izakaya specializes in authentic Japanese cuisine and sharable dishes that are grilled over a fire-charcoal grill and offers lunch and dinner options like the Yellowtail Jalapeño (pieces of yellowtail sashimi served with sliced jalapeño and yuzu ponzu sauce) and the Chicken Teriyaki (robata-grilled organic chicken breast glazed in a house-made teriyaki sauce or salted). Guests can also choose from a variety of skewer selections with their choice of vegetables, meat or seafood. (Take a look at the full menu here.)
