Want the intel on Chicago's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which restaurants 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 increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are extra cool, right now.
Big & Little's Restaurant & Bar
Open since 2018, this spot to score tacos, seafood and burgers is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Burgers" on Yelp.
Citywide, burger spots saw a median 2.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but BIG & little's Restaurant & Bar saw a 32.3 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis BIG & little's Restaurant & Bar's review count increased by more than 170 percent.
Located at 3000 W. Fullerton Ave. (between Sacramento and Albany avenues) in Logan Square, BIG & little's Restaurant & Bar offers tacos, wings, burgers, burritos and more.
Mesler
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Hyde Park's Mesler, the bar and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Mesler bagged a 14.9 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Chicago's New American scene: Ballast Point Chicago has seen an 8.4 percent increase in reviews, and Hampton Social and etta have seen 11.8 and 11.4 percent increases, respectively.
Open at 1401 E. 53rd St. (between Dorchester and Blackstone avenues) since 2018, Mesler offers salads, pasta, seafood, steaks and more.
Le Sud
Roscoe Village's Le Sud is the city's buzziest Mediterranean spot by the numbers.
The brasserie and Mediterranean and French spot, which opened at 2301 W. Roscoe St. (between Claremont and Oakley avenues) in 2018, increased its new review count by 11.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6 percent for the Yelp category "Mediterranean." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.5 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Le Sud offers salads, seafood, steak, duck, chicken and more.
Truth Italian Restaurant
Grand Boulevard's Truth Italian Restaurant is currently on the upswing in the Italian category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and Italian spot increased its new reviews by 8.3 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 220 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 56 E. Pershing Road (between Wabash and Michigan avenues) since 2015, the business offers salads, ribs, sandwiches, seafood and more.
STK Chicago
Is the Near North's well-established STK Chicago on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the steakhouse, cocktail bar and New American spot is seeing plenty of action.
While businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 1.3 percent over the past month, STK Chicago nabbed a 3.2 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
Located at 9 W. Kinzie St., STK Chicago offers steak, salads, seafood 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.
