Want the dirt on New Orleans' buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 increased 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.
Deanie's Sea Food Kitchen
This Cajun/Creole spot, which offers seafood, jambalaya and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Cajun/Creole" on Yelp. The restaurant opened its first location back in 1961.
Citywide, Cajun/Creole spots saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Deanie's Sea Food Kitchen saw a 31.2 percent increase, maintaining a mixed three-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Cajun/Creole category: Mahony's Po-Boys & Seafood has seen a 15 percent increase in reviews, and Gris-Gris and Morrow's have seen 11.4 and 10.8 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 2200 Magazine St. in the Lower Garden District, Deanie's Sea Food Kitchen serves po'boy sandwiches, seafood platters, gumbo and other classic Cajun/Creole meals.
House of Blues Restaurant & Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the French Quarter's House of Blues Restaurant & Bar, the Southern and New American spot that offers burgers, fried fish and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Southern" on Yelp saw a median 2.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, the House of Blues Restaurant & Bar bagged a 22.2 percent increase in new reviews within that time frame and maintained a solid four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.3 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on New Orleans' Southern scene: Coterie Restaurant & Oyster Bar has seen a 6.8 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 225 Decatur St., House of Blues Restaurant & Bar offers American favorites like cheeseburgers, steaks and salads as well as Cajun classics like seafood po'boys, fritters and fried gator.
Mr. Ed's Oyster Bar
Central City's Mr. Ed's Oyster Bar, located at 1327 St. Charles Ave. is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
Over the past month, it has increased its new review count by 7.3 percent, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Seafood." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.2 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Mr. Ed's Oyster Bar specializes in serving fried, grilled and raw oysters, but you'll find a wide variety of dishes, including burgers, fresh seafood and Creole-Italian-inspired creations.
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.
