Unsure where Atlanta'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 restaurants have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Atlanta 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 worth exploring, right now.
The Iberian Pig
Open since May 2019, this tapas bar and Spanish spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Tapas Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, tapas bars saw a median 3.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Iberian Pig saw a considerable 109.1% increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the tapas bar category: Bar.bacoa has seen a 15.4% increase in reviews.
Located at 3150 Roswell Road NW, Suite A3 in South Tuxedo Park, The Iberian Pig offers Spanish small plates.
Local Green Atlanta
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Vine City's Local Green Atlanta, the seafood, breakfast and brunch and vegan spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Local Green Atlanta bagged a 20% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
Open at 19 Joseph E Lowery Blvd. NW since January 2019, Local Green Atlanta offers such dishes as a shrimp burger, fish tacos and a barbecue jackfruit sandwich.
Boxcar
The West End's Boxcar is also making waves. Open since March 2019 at 1000 White St., the beer bar, wine bar and New American spot has seen an 18.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
Boxcar offers menu items such as lamb sliders, a vegan cheeseburger and pork chops. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior four-star rating among Yelpers.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken - Atlanta
Candler Park's Hattie B's Hot Chicken - Atlanta is the city's buzziest Southern spot by the numbers.
The popular Southern and traditional American spot, which opened at 299 Moreland Ave. NE in 2018, increased its new review count by 6.4% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2% for the Yelp category "Southern."
Hattie B's Hot Chicken - Atlanta offers chicken in six levels of spiciness.
On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
The well-established On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is currently on the upswing in the Mexican category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Mexican spot increased its new reviews by 4.6% — and kept its rating consistent at 2.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 300% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 1 Buckhead Loop NE, Suite 130 since 2007, the business offers dishes such as enchiladas, chimichangas and fajitas.
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.
