Wondering where New Orleans'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 uncover which eateries have been getting extra attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at New Orleans 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 extra cool, right now.
Le Bayou
Open since late 2018, this Cajun/Creole spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Cajun/Creole" on Yelp.
Citywide, Cajun/Creole spots saw a median 1.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Le Bayou saw a 68 percent increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Le Bayou's review count increased by more than 150 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Cajun/Creole category: The Governor Seafood & Oyster Bar has seen a 10.5 percent increase in reviews, and Morrow's and Mahony's Po-Boys & Seafood have seen 9.5 and 7.5 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 503 Bourbon St. in the French Quarter, Le Bayou offers oysters on the half shell, gumbo, BBQ Gulf shrimp and more.
Freddie's Chicken N' Waffles
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Old Aurora's Freddie's Chicken N' Waffles, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers waffles and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Freddie's Chicken N' Waffles bagged a 58.8 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on New Orleans's breakfast and brunch scene: French Toast has seen a 14 percent increase in reviews, and Ruby Slipper Cafe has seen a 13.4 percent bump.
Open at 3518 Kabel Drive since early 2019, Freddie's Chicken N' Waffles offers breakfast and lunch specialties including po'boys, burgers, omelets and more.
Justine
The French Quarter's Justine is also making waves. Open since January 2019 at 225 Chartres St., the bar, brasserie and French spot has seen a 45.3 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.3 percent for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Justine's review count increased by more than 240 percent.
Justine offers lobster tartine, grilled yellowfin tuna and Moroccan braised short ribs. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from four stars to 3.5 stars.
Mr Ed's Oyster Bar & Fish House
The French Quarter's Mr Ed's Oyster Bar & Fish House is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The seafood spot, which opened at 821 Iberville St. in November 2018, increased its new review count by 53.8 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.9 percent for the Yelp category "Seafood." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Mr Ed's Oyster Bar & Fish House offers fresh oysters, calamari and seafood platters.
Curio
The French Quarter's well-established Curio is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2.2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this Southern and New American spot increased its by 5.3 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 250 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 301 Royal St. since September 2017, the business offers chilled blue crab claws, beignets and grilled Atlantic salmon.
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.
