Curious where Denver's insiders are eating these days? 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 uncover which local businesses have been getting a noteworthy increase in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Denver 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 extra hot this summer.
Devour The 303
Open since 2018, this traditional American eatery, which serves breakfast, brunch, burgers and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 2.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Devour The 303 saw a 21.6% increase, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Devour The 303's review count increased by more than 370%.
Located at 1135 E. Evans Ave. in Southeast Denver, Devour The 303 offers a variety of brunch, lunch and dinner options, along with daily happy hour specials. Its drink menu features an array of sparkling, red and white wines, alongside draft beer and cocktails like the Casa Bonita, with El Jimador tequila, grapefruit juice and jalapeño agave.
Acova
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Acova over in the Highlands, the New American bistro is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Acova bagged a 9.5% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining two times more reviews than expected, based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Denver's New American scene: Avelina has seen a 4.2% increase in reviews.
Open at 3651 Navajo St. since 2018, Acova features a diverse range of cuisine from both the land and the sea, including grilled oysters, pork posole green chili soup, lobster macaroni and cheese, beef short ribs and Icelandic cod.
Take a look at the full menu.
Hungry Wolf BBQ
Last but not least, Southeast Denver's Hungry Wolf BBQ is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 9865 E. Hampden Ave., the Southern dining establishment, which is known for barbecue and seafood, has seen a 7.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Denver's seafood category: Uchi has seen a 7.3% increase in reviews.
Hungry Wolf BBQ specializes in Southern-inspired cuisine, serving dishes such as rib tips, barbecue chicken, gizzards, catfish and a selection of homemade desserts. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
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.
