Trend alert: What's heating up Washington's food scene this month

Trend alert: What's heating up Washington's food scene this monthPhoto: Brooklyn On U/Yelp 
Hoodline
Published on April 24, 2019

Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which eateries have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 are riding a trend, right now.

Brooklyn On U

Photo: brooklyn on u/Yelp

Open since February, this lounge, which offers pizza, chicken wings and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp.

Citywide, pizza spots saw a median 1.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Brooklyn On U saw a notable 116.7 percent increase, maintaining a strong four-star rating throughout.

It's not the only trending outlier in the pizza category: Bertucci's Italian Restaurant has seen a 6.8 percent increase in reviews.

Located at 1212 U St. (between North 13th and North 12th streets) in the U Street Corridor, Brooklyn On U offers small plates, like macaroni and cheese, burrata and and tuna poke. Main courses include fried chicken, curry chicken and braised short ribs. Or, try the Al Capone pizza, made with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, jalapeños and red sauce. Brunch is also available.

Bluestone Lane

Photo: bluestone lane/Yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Foggy Bottom's Bluestone Lane, the breakfast and brunch and gluten-free spot, which offers coffee and tea and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Bluestone Lane bagged a 30.3 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.

There's more that's trending on Washington's breakfast and brunch scene: Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. has seen a 19.6 percent increase in reviews, and Catch 22 has seen a 15 percent bump.

Open at 1150 Connecticut Ave. NW (between North M and North Desales streets) since November 2018, Bluestone Lane, part of an Australian coffee chain with several other locations, offers toasts, bowls, open-faced sandwiches and wellness drinks made with almond milk. Try the antioxidant-rich beet latte with a dusting of cocoa powder. 

Oohh's & Aahh's

Photo: bruce g./Yelp

Fort Totten-Upper Northeast's Oohh's & Aahh's is also making waves. It's located at 5933 Georgia Ave. NW (between North Rock Creek Ford Road and North Peabody Street) and has an additional location on U Street.

The traditional American and soul food spot, which offers chicken wings and more, has seen a 13.7 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.8 percent for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Oohh's & Aahh's's review count increased by more than 250 percent.

Oohh's & Aahh's offers dishes like turkey chops, catfish, meatloaf and fried or baked croaker. Sides include grits, macaroni and cheese and collard greens. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from four stars to 3.5 stars.

Guapo's 

Photo: heather p./Yelp

Georgetown's Guapo's is the city's buzziest Mexican spot by the numbers.

The Tex-Mex, Mexican and Latin American spot, which opened at 3050 K St. NW on August 27, 2018, increased its new review count by 21.2 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.9 percent for the Yelp category "Mexican." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.

It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Mission Navy Yard has seen a 20.6 percent increase in reviews.

Guapo's has several other locations and offers complimentary chips and salsa. Follow that with the Guapo's Superior plate, featuring steak and chicken fajitas with bacon-wrapped shrimp stuffed with cheese and jalapeño. Top it off with sangria or a margarita.

Bar Deco

Photo: corriella s./Yelp

Downtown Washington's popular Bar Deco is currently on the upswing in the bar category on Yelp.

While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this venues and event space, bar and New American spot increased its by 4.2 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 650 percent on a month-to-month basis.

Open for business at 717 6th St. NW since December 10, 2015, the bare and restaurant offers tacos, burritos, poke, burgers and more. Try a specialty cocktail like The Odd Couple, made with tea-Infused Tito's vodka, lemon, sugar and soda.


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.