Unsure where Chicago's insiders are 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 uncover which local businesses have been getting a notable uptick in attention 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 getting plenty of attention this summer.
Bistec Bar And Grill
Open since 2018, this bar and Mexican and traditional American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 2.2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Bistec Bar and Grill saw a 27.1 percent increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Bistec Bar and Grill's review count increased by more than 160 percent.
Located at 1523 N. Kingsbury St. in North Side, Bistec Bar and Grill offers salads, tacos, burgers, sandwiches and more.
Bixi Beer
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Logan Square's Bixi Beer, the brew pub and Asian fusion spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Asian Fusion" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Bixi Beer bagged a 9.4 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a convincing four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 2515 N. Milwaukee Ave. (at Sacramento Avenue) since 2018, Bixi Beer offers seafood, Vietnamese egg rolls, spicy fried chicken and more.
Kanela Breakfast Club
North Side's Kanela Breakfast Club is also making waves. Open since 2015 at 502 E. Illinois St. (between United States Highway 41 and Streeter Drive), the popular breakfast and brunch and coffee and tea spot, which offers sandwiches and more, has seen a 4.7 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9 percent for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Kanela Breakfast Club's review count increased by more than 320 percent.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Chicago's breakfast and brunch category: Yolk Marina City has seen a 7.5 percent increase in reviews.
Kanela Breakfast Club offers acai blended with berries, banana and honey, potato pancakes, omelettes and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Small Cheval
Old Town's Small Cheval is the city's buzziest burger spot by the numbers.
The burger spot, which opened at 1345 N. Wells St. (between Evergreen Avenue and Schiller Street) in 2018, increased its new review count by 6.3 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6 percent for the Yelp category "Burgers." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Small Cheval offers hamburgers, cheeseburgers and fries.
Katana Sushi & Robata Bar
The Near North's Katana Sushi & Robata Bar is currently on the upswing in the steakhouse category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp saw a median 1.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this sushi bar, steakhouse and Japanese spot increased its new reviews by 4.5 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 180 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 399 N. Dearborn St. since 2017, the business offers Japanese skewers, spicy tuna on crispy rice, shrimp tempura and more.
Barrio
Open since 2017, this well-established bar and Mexican and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "American (New)" saw a median 2.2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Barrio saw a 4.5 percent increase, maintaining a sound four-star rating throughout. It gained 2.0 times more reviews than expected based on past performance, significantly outperforming the previous month.
Located at 65 W. Kinzie St. in the Near North, Barrio offers a grilled lobster quesadilla, skirt steak fajitas, salmon with roasted vegetables 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.
