Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which eateries have been getting a notable uptick in attention 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
Regina Pizzeria
This Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, 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 Regina Pizzeria saw a 47.6 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to three stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Regina Pizzeria's review count increased by more than 1,000 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Fox And The Knife has seen a 39.3 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 700 Atlantic Ave. (between East and Essex streets) in downtown Boston, Regina Pizzeria offers pizza, salads and more. Try the pollo pesto pizza with chicken, pesto, garlic and mozzarella, or the sausage pizza with mushrooms, onions, peppers and a marinara sauce.
Burro Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about South End's Burro Bar, the cocktail bar and Mexican spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Burro Bar bagged a 14.9 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.6 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Boston's cocktail bar scene: Milkweed has seen a 9.2 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 1357 Washington St. (between Union Park and Waltham streets) since May of 2018, Burro Bar offers margaritas, signature cocktails, wine, beer and more. Try the cucumber margarita with cucumber infused tequila and lime, or the Green Goddess cocktail with gin, elderflower, lemon and ginger beer.
Eventide
Kenmore's Eventide is also making waves. Open since October of 2017 at 1321 Boylston St. (between Yawkey Way and Kilmarnock Street), the seafood spot has seen a 4.9 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.2 percent for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Eventide's review count increased by more than 220 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Boston's seafood category: Bootleg Special has seen a 6.3 percent increase in reviews.
Eventide offers oysters, lobster wontons, fish sandwiches and more. (View the menu here.) Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
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.
