Wondering 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 uncover which eateries have been most discussed 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 have the momentum heading into springtime.
Taco City
Open since October, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw new reviews increase by a median of 1.8 percent over the past month, but Taco City saw a 52.6 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
Located at 1102 Eighth St. SE (between South Potomac Avenue and South L Street) in Barracks Row, Taco City offers authentic street tacos and other small plates, plus drinks like margaritas and the Chelada cocktail, combining Pacifico lager and lime juice in a salt-chili rimmed glass.
Reverie
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Georgetown's Reverie, 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 2.5 percent over the past month, Reverie bagged a 35.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating.
Also open since October, at 3201 Cherry Hill Lane (between North Wisconsin Avenue and North Cecil Place), Reverie offers a high-end menu of creative American fare. Expect selections like a burger with miso pickles and a smoked sauce, or beef tartare with black garlic, oysters and farro.
It's not the only restaurant trending on Washington's New American scene: America Eats Tavern has seen a 13.5 percent increase in reviews.
St. Anselm
Union Market's St. Anselm is also making waves. Open since last September at 1250-1274 Fifth St. NE, the New American steakhouse has seen a 27.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1 percent for all businesses tagged "Steakhouses" on Yelp.
St. Anselm offers a variety of grilled meats, seafood and salads, as well as classic cocktails and a global wine list. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Union District Oyster Bar & Lounge
Union District Oyster Bar & Lounge is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The restaurant opened in the Union Market area at 501 Morse St. NE (between North Sixth and North Fifth streets) in September. It increased its review count by 33 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Seafood." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Union District Oyster Bar & Lounge offers sophisticated seafood dishes, from a Jamaican jerk sea bass to a pizza topped with poached oysters. There's also a raw bar and a wine list with many varietals offered by the glass.
But it's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: A Rake's Progress has seen a 7.8 percent increase in reviews.
Kyirisan
Finally, Shaw's well-established Kyirisan is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 1.8 percent over the past month, this Asian-French fusion spot increased its by 4.7 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Launched at 1924 Eighth St. NW (between North Florida Avenue and North T Street) in 2016 by famed restauranteur Tim Ma, Kyirisan offers Asian-French fusion brunch dishes like lobster Benedict with sriracha hollandaise, and a rice porridge with pulled chicken, pork belly, kimchi and black truffle shavings.
This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
