Want the intel on Chicago's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Chicago 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 this spring.
Grandee Cuisine
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Streeterville's Grandee Cuisine, the dim sum and Cantonese spot, which offers seafood and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 1.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Grandee Cuisine bagged a 24.7 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Chicago's seafood scene: Lowcountry South Loop has seen an 8.8 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 215 E. Grand Ave. since 2018, Grandee Cuisine offers Chinese cuisine. On the menu, look for the Lobster with Szechuan Sauce, Kung Pao Chicken, Shrimp Fried Rice and more.
VU Rooftop Bar
VU Rooftop Bar is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 133 E. Cermak Road, Floor 22 (between Michigan and Cottage Grove avenues), the lounge and New American spot, which offers tapas and more, has seen a 23.3 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.8 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis VU Rooftop Bar's review count increased by more than 200 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Chicago's New American category: Virtue Restaurant has seen a 16.4 percent increase in reviews, and Beatnik On The River and Pacific Standard Time have seen 14.7 and 10.9 percent increases, respectively.
VU Rooftop Bar offers tacos, flatbread, burgers and more. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from 4.5 stars to four stars.
Cozy Corner Restaurant & Pancake House
Oriole Park's Cozy Corner Restaurant & Pancake House is the city's buzziest breakfast and brunch spot by the numbers.
The breakfast and brunch spot, which opened at 5454 N. Harlem Ave. in 2018, increased its new review count by 22 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.7 percent for the Yelp category "Breakfast & Brunch."
Cozy Corner Restaurant & Pancake House offers omelettes, pancakes, skillets and more.
Baobab BBQ
Ravenswood's Baobab BBQ is currently on the upswing in the sandwich category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp saw a median 1.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this South African spot, which offers barbecue and sandwiches, increased its by 10.4 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 2301 W. Foster Ave. since 2018, the business offers sandwiches, salads and barbecue meats like pulled pork, baby back ribs, pork belly 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.
