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 deduce which local businesses have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Chicago 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 cool, right now.
Moti Cafe
Open since May, this cafe and Indian spot, which offers coffee and tea and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Cafes" on Yelp.
Citywide, cafes saw a median 2.8 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Moti Cafe saw a 97.1 percent increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 70 W. Huron in the Near North, Moti Cafe offers curry flavored ramen, naan flatbread, samosas and more.
SX Sky Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about SX Sky Bar, the cocktail bar is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 3.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, SX Sky Bar bagged a 43.8 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed three-star rating.
Open at 808 S. Michigan Ave. (between Balbo Avenue and Ninth Street) since April, SX Sky Bar offers tempura black cod tacos, sushi, truffle fries and more.
Stone Fox
Edgewater's Stone Fox is also making waves. Open since March at 5721 N. Clark St. (between Edgewater and Hollywood avenues), the cocktail bar, which offers burgers, pizza and more, has seen a 16.2 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2 percent for all businesses tagged "Burgers" on Yelp.
Stone Fox offers pizza, wings, burgers and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound four-star rating among Yelpers.
Raisu Japanese Fine Dining
Albany Park's Raisu Japanese Fine Dining is the city's buzziest Japanese spot by the numbers.
The well-established sushi bar and Japanese spot, which opened at 2958 W. Irving Park Road (between Richmond Street and Sacramento Avenue) in 2017, increased its new review count by 8.3 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.9 percent for the Yelp category "Japanese." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.3 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Raisu Japanese Fine Dining offers sashimi, soup, salad, maki and more.
No Bones Beach Club
Wicker Park's No Bones Beach Club is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.8 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and traditional American and vegan spot increased its new reviews by 17.1 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 150 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 1943 W. North Ave. (between Milwaukee and Damen avenues) since 2018, the business offers a vegan menu with both soy-free and gluten-free options.
Hampton Social
Open since 2018, this New American spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "American (New)" saw a median 2.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Hampton Social saw a 16.7 percent increase, maintaining a strong four-star rating throughout.
There's more than one place trending in Chicago's New American category: Parson's Chicken & Fish has seen a 16.7 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 164 E. Grand Ave. (between Michigan Avenue and St. Clair Street) in River East, Hampton Social offers pizza, salads, risotto and more.
Parlor Pizza Bar
Is the Near North's Parlor Pizza Bar on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the pizza spot is heating up.
While businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 2.3 percent over the past month, Parlor Pizza Bar nabbed a 19 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, with a modest upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
Located at 405 N. Dearborn St., Parlor Pizza Bar offers Neapolitan-inspired pizzas made inside a wood-burning oven.
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.
