Unsure where Philadelphia'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 eateries have been getting a notable uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Philadelphia 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.
New Leaf 2 Chinese & Japanese Cuisine
Open since 2019, this bar and Chinese and Japanese spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 2.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but New Leaf 2 Chinese & Japanese Cuisine saw a formidable 116.7 percent increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Pizzeria Beddia has seen a 11.6 percent increase in reviews, and La Roca has seen an 8.9 percent bump.
Located at 4260 Main St. in Manayunk, New Leaf 2 Chinese & Japanese Cuisine offers plates like pan-fried edamame dumplings, roasted duck noodle soup and specialty sushi rolls.
South Philly Bar & Grill
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Passyunk Square's South Philly Bar & Grill, the well-established sports bar and traditional American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, South Philly Bar & Grill bagged a 12.6 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed three-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 7.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Philadelphia's traditional American scene: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has seen a 11.1 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 1235 E. Passyunk Ave. since 2009, South Philly Bar & Grill offers gourmet margherita pizza, meatball sandwiches and barbecue ribs.
Louie Louie
University City's Louie Louie is also making waves. Open since 2019 at 3611 Walnut St., the New American and modern European spot has seen an 8.8 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
Louie Louie offers dishes like butternut squash ravioli, vegetable curry and lighter fare like yellowfin tuna tartare. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing four-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.
