Unsure where Washington'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 local businesses 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 worth exploring, right now.
North Italia
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Foggy Bottom's North Italia, the Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 2.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, North Italia bagged a 90 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
Open at 2112 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 102 since February of 2019, North Italia offers prosciutto pizza with fig, goat cheese and arugula, spaghetti and meatballs with olive oil and pecorino cheese and more. (View the menu here.)
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.
Shaw's Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The Southern breakfast and brunch spot, which offers sandwiches and more at 1819 Seventh St. NW, increased its new review count by 19.4 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.8 percent for the Yelp category "Sandwiches."
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. offers breakfast sandwiches, including fried chicken, egg and cheese and lunch/dinner sandwiches, like the chicken, bacon and avocado served on a biscuit.
Philz Coffee
Dupont Circle's popular Philz Coffee is currently on the upswing in the coffee and tea category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp saw a median 4.8 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this coffee and tea spot increased its by 19.7 percent—with its Yelp rating improving from four stars to 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 300 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW since March of 2016, the business offers three types of blends: dark, medium and light, as well as decaf and iced coffee.
Taco City
Is Capitol Hill's Taco City on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the Mexican spot is getting plenty of attention.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 1.8 percent over the past month, Taco City nabbed a 14.7 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating.
Located at 1102 Eighth St. SE, Taco City offers tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and more, as well as churros and flan for dessert.
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.
