Curious where Denver'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 deduce which local businesses have been getting extra 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 outposts are on a hot streak this summer.
Fuzzy's Taco Shop
Open since 2019, this Tex-Mex and Mexican eatery is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 2.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Fuzzy's Taco Shop saw a 40% increase, with a slight upward trend from a 1.5-star rating a month ago to two stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Los Carboncitos has seen a 4.5% increase in reviews.
Located at 3996 Central Park Blvd., Suite 110, in Stapleton, Fuzzy's Taco Shop serves a variety of Mexican-inspired fare, featuring menu items like nachos, burrito bowls, quesadillas and tacos.
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Lodo's Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, the Japanese barbecue and Asian fusion bistro is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Asian Fusion" on Yelp saw a median 2.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ bagged a 25% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating.
Open at 1998 18th St., Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ offers an authentic Japanese barbecue dining experience, where guests can enjoy cooking meats or vegetables over a charcoal grill right at their table.
Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen and Cafe
Northwest's Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen and Cafe is also making waves. Open since 2010 at 5126 W. 29th Ave., the breakfast and brunch cafe has seen a 5.2% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.2% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen and Cafe's review count increased by more than 300%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Denver's breakfast and brunch category: The Saucy Noodle has seen a 3.7% increase in reviews.
Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen and Cafe specializes in North Carolina-inspired biscuits, along with coffee and espresso drinks, libations and other food items such as macaroni and cheese. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-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.
