As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?
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 uncover which eateries have been getting extra attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at New Orleans 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 worth exploring, right now.
House Of Blues
Open since 2017, this well-established Southern and New American spot, which offers burgers and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but House of Blues saw a 10.3% increase, maintaining a convincing four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, House of Blues' review count increased by more than 170%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: The Delachaise has seen a 1% increase in reviews.
Located at 225 Decatur St. in the French Quarter, House of Blues offers lunch, dinner, desserts and drinks, with items like jambalaya, seafood gumbo, flatbreads, baby back ribs, fried chicken, tacos and hamburgers on the menu. The restaurant is also a music venue, so check out the full calendar of events to catch the next big show.
House of Blues is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Wakin' Bakin'
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Mid-City's Wakin' Bakin', the popular breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, which offers sandwiches, coffee, tea and more, has been getting a lot more foot traffic lately.
While Wakin' Bakin' stayed on par with the median 1.7% increase in new reviews businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a strong four-star rating, the number of visitors to Wakin' Bakin' more than doubled over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Open at 4408 Banks St. since 2012, and one of two locations in the city, Wakin' Bakin' offers omelets, pancakes, breakfast burritos, barbecue shrimp and grits, sandwiches and fresh squeezed orange juice.
Wakin' Bakin' is open from 7 a.m.–2 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon, and people visit Wakin' Bakin' most on Saturdays and Sundays, with a slowdown on Thursdays.
Justine
The French Quarter's Justine is also making waves. Open since January at 225 Chartres St., the popular French brasserie and bar has seen a 10.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp.
Justine serves lunch, dinner, desserts and drinks all week long, and the restaurant offers brunch on weekends. The menu features classic French fare, such as duck confit, escargot, raw oysters, braised lamb and grilled cobia. The restaurant also offers daily specials. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Justine is open from 5–11 p.m. on Monday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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.
