Unsure where Washington's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which eateries have been getting outsized attention 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 on a hot streak this winter.
Officina
Open since October, this Italian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.1 percent over the past month, but Officina saw a 37.5 percent increase.
Located at 1120 Maine Ave. SW in South West, Officina offers Southern Italian dishes, including pasta, seafood and grilled meats, as well as an all-day cafe and a specialty grocery.
Catch 22
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Brightwood's Catch 22, the breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 1.7 percent over the past month, Catch 22 bagged a 44.7 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe.
There's more that's trending on Washington's breakfast and brunch scene: Toastique has seen a 16.3 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 5832 Georgia Ave. NW (between North Military and North Rock Creek Ford roads) since October, Catch 22 offers fresh seafood with a Southern bent, plus specialty cocktails like the vodka-based blueberry lemonade and a pineapple margarita.
CIRCA at Chinatown
Downtown Washington's CIRCA at Chinatown is also making waves. Open since last February at 781 Seventh St. NW (between North H and North G streets), the New American spot—part of a local mini-chain—has seen a 15 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 220 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Washington's New American category: City Winery - Washington has seen a 16.2 percent increase in reviews, and HalfSmoke and Fancy Radish have seen 4.7 and 12.1 percent increases, respectively.
CIRCA at Chinatown offers burgers, flatbreads, seafood and mains like jambalaya and a New York strip. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Magnolia Kitchen & Bar
Finally, Dupont Circle's Magnolia Kitchen & Bar is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The drinks and New American spot, which opened in the CIRCA's former Dupont location at 1601 Connecticut Ave. NW (between North Q Street and North Hillyer Place) last April, increased its review count by 13.5 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Bars."
Magnolia Kitchen & Bar offers an extensive cocktail list and a strong happy hour, along with small plates, pizzas and mains like lamb bolognese and mahi mahi.
