Unsure where Washington's insiders are 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 restaurants have been most discussed 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 getting plenty of attention this spring.
Punjab Grill
Open since March, this cocktail bar and Indian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, cocktail bars saw a median 3.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Punjab Grill saw a striking 436.4% increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
Located at 427 11th St. NW in Penn Quarter, Punjab Grill features Indian fine dining, with such signature dishes such as biryani palak paneer with spinach, tandoori cottage cheese and olive tapenade and goat dum biryani with goat, saffron, basmati rice and raita.
Mazi
Downtown Washington's Mazi is also making waves. Open since January at 1518 K St. NW, the New American spot has seen a 55.2% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.3% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Mazi's review count increased by more than 270 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Washington's New American category: Brick Lane has seen a 20% increase in reviews.
Mazi offers Greek-influenced dishes, such as saganaki, traditional pan-fried Greek cheese and chicken and vegan kebabs. Over the past month, it's maintained a stellar five-star rating among Yelpers.
Prather's on the Alley
Mount Vernon Square's Prather's on the Alley is currently on the upswing in the bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.8 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and New American spot increased its by 8.7%—with its Yelp rating declining slightly from 4.5 stars to four stars. Review counts increased by more than 200% on a month-to-month basis.
There's more abuzz in the world of Washington bars: HomeSlyce has seen a 10.9% increase in reviews.
Open for business at 455 I St. NW, Suite 100, (between North Fifth and North Fourth streets) since 2018, the business offers a variety of drinks and menu items including salmon with mushrooms and faro, a signature burger and roasted local chicken.
Bertucci's Italian Restaurant
This well-established Italian chain, which offers pizza and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Pizza" saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Bertucci's Italian Restaurant saw a 9.9% increase, maintaining a mixed three-star rating throughout. It gained 1.1 times more reviews than expected based on past performance, significantly outperforming the previous month.
Located at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (between North I and North 21st streets) in Foggy Bottom, Bertucci's Italian Restaurant offers pizza, pasta, salads and desserts.
Kofuku
Is Chinatown's Kofuku on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the sushi bar, which offers ramen and more, is getting plenty of attention.
While businesses categorized as "Ramen" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 2.5% over the past month, Kofuku nabbed an 8.8% increase in reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
Located at 815 Seventh St. NW (between North H and North I streets.), Kofuku offers four kinds of ramen, five kinds of udon, hibachi entrees and more.
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.
