As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Boston 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.
Bootleg Special
Open since last February, this tapas bar and Cajun/Creole spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw review counts increase by a median of 1.1 percent over the past month, but Bootleg Special saw a 12.6 percent increase, maintaining a strong four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 180 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Lobstah On A Roll has seen an 8.9 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 400 Tremont St. (between Arlington and Appleton streets) in South End, Bootleg Special offers New Orleans-style seafood boils and small plates on the menu. Guests can start with the Seafood Etouffee of clams, shrimp and mussels and the Crawfish Mac & Cheese with tasso ham. From there, they can move on to the main course with the Bootleg Special boil (serves two-to-three people) that includes lobster, shrimp, crawfish, mussels and clams, corn on the cob, potatoes and andouille sausage.
Tiki Rock
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Boston's Tiki Rock, the tiki bar, sushi bar 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 1.6 percent over the past month, Tiki Rock bagged a 10.9 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 4.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 2 Broad St. since last January, Tiki Rock offers Polynesian flavors, cuisine, sushi and drinks. On the sushi menu, expect specialty rolls like the Dragon's Breath (with Dragon flames, salmon, lobster salad and avocado), cut rolls and sashimi. For entrees, diners can choose the chicken karaage with spicy mayo and dried plum dipping sauce or the coconut rice bowl that contains peppers, chili, red curry puree, radishes and herbs with either a fried egg, shrimp, chicken or beef.
Diners can pair their meal with one of the signature cocktails, such as the Saturn (gin, passion fruit, lemon, orgeat, falernum and pop galsini), craft beers or a glass of wine. (Click here to view the menu.)
Capo Restaurant
South Boston's Capo Restaurant is also making waves. Open since 2016 at 443 W. Broadway (between Dorchester and F streets), the bar and Italian 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 "Italian" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 190 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Boston's Italian category: Carmelina's has seen a 4.6 percent increase in reviews.
Capo Restaurant offers antipasti, signature pizza, pasta and entrees. For pizza, look at the Steak pie with shaved ribeye, potato puree, caramelized onions, black truffle, arugula and Parmesan, and for main dishes consider the seared scallops with squash risotto and pistachio pasta. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers. (Click here to review the menu.)
City Tap House
South Boston's City Tap House is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The popular beer bar and breakfast and brunch and New American spot, which opened at 10 Boston Wharf Road in 2016, increased its review count by 7 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 1.9 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.2 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
City Tap House is open for lunch and dinner and brunch on the weekend. It offers traditional pub fare, such as appetizers, brick oven pizza, burgers, sandwiches and main courses like miso-glazed salmon, jumbo lump crab cakes and pork shank fajitas. Brunch options include avocado toast, a strawberry sundae waffle and shrimp and grits with eggs. The bar is stocked with cocktails, wines and an array of craft beers. (To view the entire menu, click here.)
