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 discover which local businesses have been getting a significant uptick in attention 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 increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are riding a trend, right now.
Officina
Open since October, this restaurant is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Officina saw a 22.7 percent increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Officina's review count increased by more than 160 percent.
Located at 1120 Maine Ave. SW in Southwest, Officina offers Southern Italian dishes, including pasta, seafood and grilled meats. Wine pairings and cocktails are also available. On other floors in the same building, there is a cafe and a market that sells imported Italian groceries.
Coconut Club
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Union Market's Coconut Club, the seafood restaurant and cocktail bar is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 2.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Coconut Club bagged a 45.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound four-star rating.
Open at 540 Penn St. NE (between North Fifth Street and North Brentwood Parkway) since January, Coconut Club offers seafood dishes like poke, raw oysters, fish tacos and North Shore shrimp (with garlic, chili peppers and white rice), plus salads, grilled meats, desserts and cocktails.
Toryumon Japanese House
Foggy Bottom's Toryumon Japanese House is also making waves. Open since the summer of 2018 at 1901 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 0001 (between North H and North 19th streets), the Japanese restaurant and sushi bar has seen an 11.9 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.6 percent for all businesses tagged "Ramen" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Toryumon Japanese House's review count increased by more than 170 percent.
Toryumon Japanese House lets you design your own ramen by choosing the level of fat in the broth, the style of noodle and the toppings, or you can go with one of the 15-plus chef combinations. Choose from a spicy tonkatsu ramen, for example, or a fried chicken version with scallions, egg, bamboo shoots and corn.
Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
American Son
Finally, Downtown's American Son is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median two percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this cocktail bar and New American spot increased its reviews by 17.9 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business in the Eaton Hotel at 1201 K St. NW since October, the business offers a fusion of American and Asian cuisines like breakfast-themed salmon pastrami with carrot kimchi or duck breast served with roasted squash, smoked pumpkin puree and fermented Thai chili.
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.
