Want the intel on Baltimore's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which local businesses have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Baltimore 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 this summer.
Blackwall Hitch
Open since May, this cocktail bar and New American spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 2.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Blackwall Hitch saw a 70.6% increase, maintaining a sound four-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls has seen a 31.8% increase in reviews.
The new restaurant, which has three other locations in the area, is situated at 700 E. Pratt St. in the Inner Harbor. Blackwall Hitch features Maryland crab soup, jumbo lump crab cake sandwiches, crispy soft shell crabs, rockfish and shrimp and grits.
The Alexander Brown Restaurant
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Baltimore's The Alexander Brown Restaurant, the bar and traditional American dining spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, The Alexander Brown Restaurant bagged a 26.7% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Baltimore's traditional American scene: Dick's Last Resort has seen a 4.8% increase in reviews.
Open at 135 E. Baltimore St. in the the historic Alex. Brown & Sons investment bank building since February, the restaurant offers pappardelle with lamb shank ragout, duck breast with black rice congee and king salmon with Beluga lentils and summer squash. Craft cocktails are also featured.
Iron Rooster - Locust Point
Locust Point's Iron Rooster is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 1606 Whetstone Way in McHenry Row, the breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 15.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Iron Rooster McHenry Row's review count increased by more than 320%.
Iron Rooster, which has three other locations in the area, offers all-day breakfast, including Brussels sprouts with maple bourbon butter, breakfast nachos with bacon, sausage crumbles and queso gravy and crab cake eggs Benedict. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from 3.5 stars to four stars.
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.
