Curious where Washington'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 local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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.
Olive Bistro Cafe
Open since last July, this Turkish spot 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 1.8 percent over the past month, but Olive Bistro Cafe saw a 36.4 percent increase, maintaining an impressive five-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 200 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Crimson Diner & Whiskey Bar has seen a 6.5 percent increase in reviews, and Kyirisan has seen a 4.1 percent bump.
Located at 4619 41st St. NW (between North Chesapeake Street and North Wisconsin Avenue) in Friendship Heights, Olive Bistro Cafe offers kebabs and moussaka made with halal meat and locally-produced vegetables.
Dyllan's Raw Bar and Grill
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Georgetown's Dyllan's Raw Bar and Grill, the cocktail bar and New American spot, which offers seafood and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 1.9 percent over the past month, Dyllan's Raw Bar and Grill bagged a 30.3 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 1054 31st St. NW (between North Canal Street and Blues Alley) since August, Dyllan's Raw Bar and Grill offers oysters, ceviche and maki rolls, as well as grilled fish, steaks and cocktails.
Gravitas
Ivy City's Gravitas is also making waves. Open since last June at 1401 Okie St. NE (between North Fenwick and North 16th streets), the New American spot has seen a 22.4 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 320 percent.
Gravitas offers seasonal five and seven-course tasting menus, with dishes like slow-braised beets with horseradish and egg yolk fettuccine with fish roe. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Rare Steakhouse
Downtown Washington's Rare Steakhouse is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The steakhouse and traditional American restaurant, which alsohas locations in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened at 1595 I St. NW (between North Vermont Avenue and North 16th Street) in October 2017. It increased its review count by 12.7 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 1.8 percent for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.4 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Rare Steakhouse offers aged steaks, seafood like Maine lobster and local oysters, plus two dozen wines by the glass and desserts like pumpkin cheesecake.
Brothers and Sisters
Finally, Adams Morgan's well-established Brothers and Sisters is currently on the upswing in the cocktail bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 2.1 percent over the past month, this cocktail bar and cafe increased its by 8 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 280 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business in the Line DC hotel at 1770 Euclid St. NW (between North Champlain Street and North Adams Mill Road) since 2017, the business offers cocktails from around the globe, like the Jungle Bird from the Aviary Hotel in Kuala Lampur (Blackwell Rum, Campari, lime, pineapple) and the Finn McCool from Belfast (Rieger Vodka, Highwire Amaro, passion fruit, lemon and tonic).
