Want the inside word on Indianapolis' most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to discover which restaurants have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Indianapolis 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots are extra cool, right now.
Maialina
Open since July 2019, this bar and Italian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 3.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Maialina saw an imposing 145% increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Condado Tacos - Mass Ave has seen a 29.4% increase in reviews.
Located at 1103 Prospect St. in Fountain Square, Maialina offers Italian cuisine such as lasagna, gnocchi bolognese and chicken cacciatore.
Maialina is open from 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Jimbo's BBQ
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Jimbo's BBQ, the traditional American spot, which offers barbecue and sandwiches, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 2.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, Jimbo's BBQ bagged a 3.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating. As for foot traffic, Jimbo's BBQ saw visits more than double in the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
There's more that's trending on Indianapolis' traditional American scene: Rick's Cafe Boatyard has seen a 3.3% increase in reviews, and Fire by the Monon and Krueger's Tavern have seen 2.4 and 10% increases, respectively.
Open at 9211 Crawfordsville Road since 2015, Jimbo's BBQ offers American food such as ribs, pulled pork and brisket.
Jimbo's BBQ is open from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Monday and Sunday.) According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a slowdown on Fridays.
Punch Bowl Social Indianapolis
Downtown Indianapolis' Punch Bowl Social Indianapolis is also making waves. Open since 2016 at 120 S. Meridian St., the well-established gastropub and New American spot has seen a 6.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Punch Bowl Social Indianapolis' review count increased by more than 190%.
Punch Bowl Social Indianapolis offers American cuisines such as shrimp burgers, chicken and waffles and beef brisket chili. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
Punch Bowl Social Indianapolis is open from 11 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–3 a.m. on Friday, 9 a.m.–3 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.–midnight on Sunday.
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.
