Unsure where Denver's in-the-know crowd is 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 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 extra cool, right now.
Rye Society
Open since July, this catering company and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers comfort food and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.1 percent over the past month, but Rye Society saw a 15.2 percent increase, maintaining a healthy four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 500 percent.
Located at 3090 N. Larimer St. in Five Points, Rye Society offers traditional Jewish comfort food that guests may nosh on in its small, brick-walled deli. The menu features New York-imported pastrami, housemade soups and rye bread that's baked in-house daily. The joint also offers gluten-free, organic and vegan options, and most of its ingredients are locally sourced. (Check out the full menu here.)
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Citizen Rail has seen a 9.3 percent increase in reviews, and Birdcall has seen a 5.4 percent bump.
Chow Morso Osteria
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about LoDo's Chow Morso Osteria, the Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.4 percent over the past month, Chow Morso Osteria bagged a 30.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Denver's Italian scene: Zane's Italian Bistro has seen a 14.6 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 1500 Wynkoop St., Suite 101, since September, Chow Morso Osteria offers casual Italian eats in a modern setting. The menu includes grilled flatbread sandwiches like the P.L.T. (pancetta, porchetta, baby lettuce, heirloom tomato and mayo) and housemade pastas like the pesto rigate (elbow pasta, basil-pistachio pesto and tomato raisins). View the full menu here.
The wine menu, which features an extensive list of Italian libations, includes varieties of pinot grigio, chardonnay and more.
Dunbar Kitchen & Tap House
Five Points's Dunbar Kitchen & Tap House is also making waves. Open since 2014 at 2844 Welton St., the popular New American spot has seen a 4.3 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.2 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. However, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 300 percent.
Dunbar Kitchen & Tap House serves comfort food in the form of specialty sandwiches, craft drinks and more. The intimate, wood-paneled pub cultivates snacks like the Schnack Mac (Tillamook cheddar and Monterey Jack beer cheese sauce, cavatappi pasta and Cheez-It topping) and the Yard Bird, a buttermilk-brined chicken served with cabbage and apple slaw, tomato, Swiss cheese and mayo on a sesame roll.
Its brunch offerings, which include Uncle Charlie's Hangover Cure Burger (scrambled egg, bacon and cheddar cheese on a French toast bun), are also served every weekend.
Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
