Wondering where Portland'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 deduce which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Portland 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 sizzling hot, right now.
Break Bread
Open since April, this deli and New American spot, which offers sandwiches and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Break Bread saw a massive 135 percent increase, maintaining a sterling five-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Tasty n Daughters has seen a 26.4 percent increase in reviews, and Jacqueline has seen a 4.7 percent bump.
Located at 1106 N.W. Hoyt St. in Pearl District, Break Bread offers a variety of sandwiches, including chicken avocado ranch, pastrami with Swiss cheese and a vegetarian B.L.T.
Black Bear Diner
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Foster-Powell's Black Bear Diner, the diner and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers burgers and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Black Bear Diner bagged a 54.2 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Portland's breakfast and brunch scene: The French Toast Connection has seen a 12.1 percent increase in reviews, and Vagabond Brewing Portland and Fried Egg I'm In Love have seen 35.7 and 25 percent increases, respectively.
Open at 3737 S.E. 82nd Ave. since March, Black Bear Diner offers homemade biscuits, cobblers and bear claws, serving breakfast, lunch a dinner all day.
Eem
Boise's Eem is also making waves. Open since February at 3808 N. Williams Ave., the cocktail bar and Thai spot, which offers barbecue and more, has seen a 34.7 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.9 percent for all businesses tagged "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp.
Eem offers curries, Thai barbecue, stir-fry and salads. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
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.
