As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which eateries have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 riding a trend this summer.
Casarecce
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about North End's Casarecce, the Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Casarecce bagged a 47.1 percent increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
Open at 285 Hanover St. (between Wesley and Lathrop places) since 2019, Casarecce's menu includes antipasto, oven-roasted meatballs, cheese ravioli and spaghetti carbonara.
Chickadee
South Boston's Chickadee is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The cidery, New American and Mediterranean spot, which opened at 21 Drydock Ave. in 2018, increased its new review count by 13.9 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.7 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Chickadee offers steak tartare, sweet pea gazpacho, roasted porchetta and more.
Lobstah On A Roll
Open since 2017, this popular spot to score seafood, soups and sandwiches is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Sandwiches" saw a median 1.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Lobstah On A Roll saw a 7 percent increase, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 537A Columbus Ave. (between Claremont Park and Worcester Street) in Back Bay, Lobstah On A Roll offers a selection of lobster rolls, as well as breakfast sandwiches, turkey on a challah roll with cranberry mayonnaise and a grilled chicken sandwich with roasted red pepper, bacon and a pesto aioli.
Gaga Seafood Restaurant
Is Chinatown's Gaga Seafood Restaurant on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the Chinese spot, which offers seafood and more, is seeing plenty of action.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 1.8 percent over the past month, Gaga Seafood Restaurant nabbed a 6.2 percent increase in reviews within that time frame, maintaining a healthy four-star rating.
Located at 25-27 Tyler St., Gaga Seafood Restaurant offers oysters, fresh eel, steamed scallops, shrimp with cashews 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.
