Want the scoop on Indianapolis's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which eateries have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots have the momentum heading into back-to-school season.
Smee's Place Bar & Grill
Open for 25 years, this wine bar and traditional American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Smee's Place Bar & Grill saw an 18.6% increase, maintaining a superior four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Smee's Place Bar & Grill's review count increased by more than 1,600%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: Krueger's Tavern has seen a 9.6% increase in reviews, and Rick's Cafe Boatyard and Fire by the Monon have seen 3.9 and 2.2% increases, respectively.
Located at 1454 W. 86th St. in St Vincent-Greenbriar, Smee's Place Bar & Grill offers a wide variety of salads, sandwiches and wraps as well as entrees such as beef stroganoff (tender beef chunks served with stroganoff sauce and egg noodles). Wash it down with a craft beer, bourbon drink, cocktail or glass of wine from the bar.
See the menu here.
Smee's Place Bar & Grill is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
16-Bit Bar+Arcade
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Indianapolis's 16-Bit Bar+Arcade, the bar and arcade is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 3.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, 16-Bit Bar+Arcade bagged a 92.9% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Indianapolis's bar scene: Condado Tacos - Mass Ave has seen a 21.8% increase in reviews.
Open at 110 E. New York St. since June 27, 16-Bit Bar+Arcade provides entertainment in the form of more than 50 classic arcade games and pinball machines paired with a drinks named after current and older celebrities, such as the Kevin Bacon cocktail (maple bourbon, ginger ale and real bacon jerky). Click here to view the full menu or view the list of games available to play.
16-Bit Bar+Arcade is open from 4 p.m.–1 a.m. on Monday-Wednesday, 4 p.m.–2:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, noon–2:30 a.m. on Saturday and noon–1 a.m. on Sunday.
Conner's Kitchen + Bar
Downtown Indianapolis's Conner's Kitchen + Bar is also making waves. Open since the spring of 2018, at 350 W. Maryland St., the well-established bar and breakfast and brunch and New American spot has seen an 8.3% 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.
For breakfast at Conner's Kitchen + Bar, try the Lean Green (kale, apple, spinach, cucumber and lemon) fresh pressed juice and the egg white omelet (marinated tomato, kale and Swiss cheese). Over the past month, it's maintained a superior four-star rating among Yelpers.
Conner's Kitchen + Bar is open from 6:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.–midnight on weekdays, 7 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 7 a.m.–10 p.m. 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.
