Wondering 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 eateries have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 on a hot streak this winter.
Giordano's
Open since November, this Italian spot, which offers pizza, salads and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.2 percent over the past month, but Giordano's saw a massive 118.4 percent increase, maintaining a mixed three-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Chow Morso Osteria has seen a 33.3 percent increase in reviews, and Zane's Italian Bistro has enjoyed a 12.5 percent bump.
Located at 1600 California St. in Central Business District, Giordano's offers Italian cuisine like its deep dish, thin-crust and stuffed pizzas. Sandwiches like Mama's Meatball Sub (beef meatballs with house-made marinara sauce and melted provolone, toasted on a garlic Italian roll) and dishes like Fettuccine Alfredo (fettuccine noodles smothered in a cream sauce of parmesan and Romano cheese) are also on the menu.
Señor Bear
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Highland's Señor Bear, the popular Latin American restaurant and cocktail bar is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 3.4 percent over the past month, Señor Bear bagged a 7.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 3301 Tejon St. since 2017, Señor Bear serves Latin-inspired cuisine, rooted in Central and South American culinary traditions. It offers brunch items like mofongo (plantains, chicharron, braised chicken, chile caldo, mango cabbage slaw and habañero dressing) and dinner plates like its Coconut Spare Ribs (with pepper, garlic, cumin, oregano, orange mojo and toasted coconut). View the menu here.
The Brutal Poodle
Overland's The Brutal Poodle is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 1967 S. Broadway, the bar and traditional American spot has seen a 7.9 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.2 percent for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
The Brutal Poodle offers Surf and Turf Rellenos, with beef tenderloin, shrimp, Monterey cheese, cheddar, hatch chiles and green chili; the Shroom Burger, with a balsamic-roasted portobello mushroom, roasted red pepper and goat cheese; and a variety of cocktails. Take a look at the menu.
The Bindery
Highland's The Bindery is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The New American restaurant, bar and breakfast and brunch spot, which opened at 1817 Central St. on Oct. 27, 2017, increased its review count by 7.6 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)."
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Citizen Rail has seen a 5.9 percent increase in reviews, and Public School 303 has seen a 5.9 percent bump.
The Bindery offers small plates like the roasted acorn squash (with brown butter, Chinese five spice and hazelnuts), along with main dishes like the parsnip ravioli (with bone marrow, brown butter, shallots and raspadura) and the farro porridge (with heirloom carrots, yellow beets, pears, gala apples, pearl onions). Take a look at the full menu.
Oskar Blues
LoDo's Oskar Blues is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 3.3 percent over the past month, this brew pub and traditional American spot increased its by 16.4 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 160 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 1624 Market St. since 2017, the business offers craft beers alongside Southern food like seafood gumbo, cheddar grits, deep-fried pickles and more.
Urban Egg
Open since 2017, this well-established breakfast, brunch and traditional American spot, previously called Over Easy, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" saw review counts increase by a median of 1.9 percent over the past month, but Urban Egg saw a 6.7 percent increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 6991 E. Belleview Ave. in Southmoor Park, Urban Egg, a daytime eatery, offers a variety of specialty pancakes, French toast, avocado toast and "eggstraordinary" options like its blue corn huevos rancheros, which comes with black beans, avocado crema, radish, pickled onion, queso fresco and eggs your style. Check out the full menu.
