Want the inside word on Seattle's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which local businesses have been getting outsized 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 on a hot streak, right now.
Brother Joe
Open since March, this breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee, sandwiches and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Brother Joe saw a 16.2% increase, maintaining a sound four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Brother Joe's review count increased by more than 400%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Magnuson Cafe & Brewery has seen a 11.4% increase in reviews, and Retreat has seen a 10.5% bump.
Located at 5629 Airport Way South (between South Corson Avenue and Carstens Place) in Georgetown, Brother Joe offers biscuits and gravy, vegetable hash, avocado toast and a variety of espresso drinks.
BB's Teriyaki Grill
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the University District's BB's Teriyaki Grill, the Japanese and Asian fusion spot, which offers salads and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Japanese" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, BB's Teriyaki Grill bagged a 14.5% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a solid four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 6.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's Japanese scene: Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki has seen a 19.6% increase in reviews.
Open at 4221 University Way NE (between 42nd and 43rd streets) since July 2017, BB's Teriyaki Grill offers a fast-causal menu where you can customize your dishes with veggie stir fry, rice, cabbage salad, spicy chicken and regular or spicy sauce.
Sugar + Spoon
Central Business District's Sugar + Spoon is also making waves. Open since last September at 400 Pine St. (between Fourth and Westlake avenues), the food truck, which offers desserts and more, has seen a 23.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.7% for all businesses tagged "Desserts" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis sugar spoon's review count increased by more than 250%.
Sugar + Spoon offers cookie dough desserts, including gluten-free and vegan options, Oreo cookie dough, Snickerdoodle cookie dough and more. You can add ice cream and a side of milk to your customized dough. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Wood Shop BBQ
Central District's Wood Shop BBQ is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The popular barbecue spot opened at 2513 S. Jackson St. (between South 26th and South 25th avenues) in 2014 has increased its new review count by 5.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.8% for the Yelp category "Sandwiches." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.5 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Wood Shop BBQ offers meat by the pound like brisket, pulled pork and smoked chicken, sandwiches, mac and cheese, smoked wings and more.
Sal Y Limon
Queen Anne's Sal Y Limon is currently on the upswing in the bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and Mexican spot increased its new reviews by 7.4%—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 220% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 10 Mercer St. (between North Queen Anne and North First avenues) since March 2018, the business offers a traditional Mexican menu paired with cocktails, margaritas, sangria, martinis, tequila 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.
