Want the scoop on Chicago's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 riding a trend this summer.
Princi
Open since September 2018, this cafe and bakery is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Cafes" on Yelp.
Citywide, cafes saw a median 2.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Princi saw a 14.3% increase, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Princi's review count increased by more than 1000%.
Located at 1000 W. Randolph St. (between Carpenter and Morgan streets) in West Town, Princi offers salads, soups, sandwiches and more.
Colletti's
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Jefferson Park's Colletti's, the venue, Italian and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, Colletti's bagged a 5% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed three-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 10 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Chicago's Italian scene: La Crosta Woodfire Pizzeria Italiana has seen a 6.2 % increase in reviews, and Giordano's and Lou Malnati's Pizzeria have seen 2.1% and 4.4% increases, respectively.
Open at 5707 N. Central Ave. (between Elston Avenue and Seminole Street) since December 2005, Colletti's offers flatbreads, seafood, pasta and more.
Two Lights Seafood & Oyster
Old Town's Two Lights Seafood & Oyster is also making waves. Open since July 2018 at 227 W. North Ave. (between Wieland and Wells streets), the cocktail bar and seafood spot, which offers tapas and more, has seen a 15.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.7% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Two Lights Seafood & Oyster's review count increased by more than 160%.
Two Lights Seafood & Oyster offers small plates, sandwiches, soup and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Pink Taco
River North's Pink Taco is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The popular bar, which offers tacos and more and opened at 431 N. Wells St. in March 2018, increased its new review count by 11% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.1% for the Yelp category "Bars." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 4.6 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
In addition to tacos, Pink Taco offers nachos, taco bowls, fajitas and more.
King Crab House
Ranch Triangle's King Crab House is currently on the upswing in the sandwich category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and seafood spot, which offers sandwiches and more, increased its new reviews by 7.8% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 1816 N. Halsted St. (between Willow and Wisconsin streets) since April 2017, the business offers a lobster roll, a crab cake sandwich, soup 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.
