Curious where Boston'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 analyze which restaurants have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Boston 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 this summer.
Fox & the Knife
Open since 2019, this wine bar and Italian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw a median 1.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Fox & the Knife saw a 25.5 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Fox & the Knife's review count increased by more than 130 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Spyce has seen a 6.2 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 28 W. Broadway (between A Street and Dorchester Avenue) in South Boston, the restaurant offers house-made ricotta, tagliatelle bolognese, wine by the bottle and more.
Bootleg Special
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about South End's Bootleg Special, the tapas bar and Cajun/Creole and seafood spot is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 1.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Bootleg Special bagged an 8.1 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Boston's seafood scene: Eventide - Fenway has seen a 6 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 400 Tremont St. (between Arlington and Appleton streets) since 2018, Bootleg Special offers seafood etouffee, seafood boils, specialty beignets, specialty cocktails and more.
Tatte Bakery & Cafe
Downtown Boston's Tatte Bakery & Cafe is also making waves. Open since 2019 at 125 Summer St. (between High and Lincoln streets), the bakery and breakfast and brunch and coffee and tea spot has seen a 20.8 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.6 percent for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
The business offers breakfast sandwiches, cakes, tarts, fresh bread and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Milkweed
Mission Hill's Milkweed is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The well-established cocktail bar and New American and breakfast and brunch spot, which opened at 1508 Tremont St. (between Carmel and Sewall streets) in 2017, increased its new review count by 7.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)."
The eatery offers omelets, pancakes, salads, sandwiches and pasta, among other menu items. Try the Nutella French toast if you're looking for something on the sweet side.
Democracy Brewing
Downtown Crossing's Democracy Brewing is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this brewery, venues and event space and traditional American spot increased its new reviews by 9.6 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 160 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 35 Temple Place (between Tremont Street and Winter Place) since 2018, the brewery offers IPAs, stouts, pale ales, snacks, burgers and more. Sides include baked beans, hand-cut french fries, sauteed kale and grilled corn salad.
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.
