As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been in the limelight this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Philadelphia 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, right now.
Aether
Open since spring 2019, this cocktail bar and New American spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Aether saw a 26.3 percent 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 Aether's review count increased by more than 250 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Tipsy Bistro has seen a 9.1% increase in reviews.
Located at 1832 Frankford Ave. in Fishtown, Aether offers a raw bar of oysters, shrimp and tuna carpaccio. There's also handheld bites like lobster rolls and dry-aged burgers.
Bourbon & Branch
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Northern Liberties's Bourbon & Branch, the well-established traditional American and breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Bourbon & Branch bagged a 3.2 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a convincing four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 5.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 705 N. Second St. since 2014, Bourbon & Branch offers plates like pasta, chicken and waffles, and vegan sausage hoagies.
Maggie's Waterfront Cafe
Torresdale's Maggie's Waterfront Cafe is also making waves. Open since 2008 at 9242 N. Delaware Ave., the popular bar and traditional American spot, which offers salads and more, has seen a 6 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1 percent for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Maggie's Waterfront Cafe's review count increased by more than 330 percent.
Maggie's Waterfront Cafe offers grilled garlic shrimp, bruschetta-stuffed burgers and pulled pork sandwiches. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Glory Beer Bar & Kitchen
Old City's Glory Beer Bar & Kitchen is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The beer bar and New American spot, which offers sandwiches and more and opened at 126 Chestnut St. since spring 2018, increased its new review count by 6.2 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Sandwiches."
Glory Beer Bar & Kitchen offers bar snacks like mac and cheese and charred octopus. For heartier fare, there's rib-eye steak and classic grilled cheese sandwiches.
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.
