Wondering where Seattle'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 eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Seattle 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
Market Fresh Rs
Open since 1990, this buffet and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers salads and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 1.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Market Fresh RS saw a 12.6 percent increase, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Market Fresh RS's review count increased by more than 1,100 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Watson's Counter has seen a 18.3 percent increase in reviews, and Biscuit Bitch has seen a 4.8 percent bump.
Located at 1301 Fifth Ave. (between Union and University streets) in Central Business District, Market Fresh RS offers buffet options like stir fry, pad Thai, salmon and more.
Thomas Street Warehouse
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Cascade's Thomas Street Warehouse, the bar and traditional American spot, which offers comfort food and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.8 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Thomas Street Warehouse bagged a 19.4 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed three-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's bar scene: Retreat has seen an 8.7 percent increase in reviews, and Sal Y Limon has seen a 7.5 percent bump.
Open at 915 Thomas St. (between North Westlake and North Ninth avenues) since 2019, Thomas Street Warehouse offers poutine, chicken Caesar wraps, fries and more.
SWeL Restaurant
Fremont's SWeL Restaurant is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 3417 Evanston Ave. North, Suite 104 (between 35th and 34th streets), the New American spot has seen a 5.6 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis SWeL Restaurant's review count increased by more than 200 percent.
SWeL Restaurant offers pizzas, wine, scallops and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Crown Hill Broiler
Ballard's Crown Hill Broiler is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The bar, which offers burgers, sandwiches and more and opened at 8037 15th Ave. NW (between 80th and 83rd streets) on 2018, increased its new review count by 8.2 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.6 percent for the Yelp category "Sandwiches." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Crown Hill Broiler offers BLTs, arugula salads, Ruebens, ham and cheese sandwiches and more.
Menya Musashi Niten Ichiryu
Capitol Hill's Menya Musashi Niten Ichiryu is currently on the upswing in the noodle category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Noodles" on Yelp saw a median 3.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this spot to score ramen and noodles increased its new reviews by 9.1 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 1510 Belmont Ave. (between Pike and Pine streets) since 2018, the business offers ramen, sake 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.
