Unsure where Seattle'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 deduce which eateries have been getting a noteworthy increase in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Seattle 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.
Aerlume
Open since December 2018, this New American spot, which offers desserts, salads and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Aerlume saw a 30.8% increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Aerlume's review count increased by more than 170%.
Located at 2003 Western Ave., Suite C (between Pike Place and Virginia Street) in Pike Market, Aerlume offers sweat pea and goat cheese dumplings, buttermilk fried chicken, falafel sandwiches, burgers and more.
Watson's Counter
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Ballard's Watson's Counter, which offers Korean-inspired breakfast, brunch, coffee and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, Watson's Counter bagged a 31.7% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's breakfast and brunch scene: Cafe Opla has seen an 8% increase in reviews, and Retreat has seen a 9.2% bump.
Open at 6201 15th Ave. NW (between 62nd and 63rd streets) since March, Watson's Counter offers chicken and waffles, pork belly eggs Benedict, Korean poutine, cereal-crust French toast and more.
Daniel's Broiler
Belltown's Daniel's Broiler is also making waves. Open since December 2018 at 808 Howell St. (between Olive Way and Ninth Avenue), the steakhouse, which offers seafood and more, has seen a 20% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Daniel's Broiler's review count increased by more than 140%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Seattle's seafood category: Old Stove Brewing has seen a 12.7%increase in reviews.
Daniel's Broiler offers Alaskan halibut, bacon-wrapped scallops, lobster mashed potatoes, clam chowder and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
85°C Bakery Cafe
The International District's 85°C Bakery Cafe is the city's buzziest bakery by the numbers.
The bakery and patisserie/cake shop that opened at 501 S. Jackson St. (between South Sixth and South Fifth avenues) last December, increased its new review count by 27.8% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.9% for the Yelp category "Bakeries." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
85°C Bakery Cafe offers danishes, sponge cakes, tarts, sea salt coffee, iced milk tea and more.
Ba Bar
The Cascade's well-established Ba Bar is currently on the upswing in the cocktail bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 3.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cocktail bar, bakery and Vietnamese spot increased its new reviews by 5.6%—and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 370% on a month-to-month basis.
There's more abuzz in the world of Seattle cocktail bars: Mbar has seen a 6% increase in reviews.
Open for business at 500 Terry Ave. North (between Republican and Mercer streets) since November 2016, the business offers unique house cocktails like Yerba Mate-infused gin, sparkling sangria, Japanese whiskey with orange flower water and a coconut mango slushie cocktail.
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.
