As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
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 eateries have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Seattle 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 riding a trend this autumn.
Buerjia Chinese Sauerkraut Fish
Open since August, this Chinese spot, which offers seafood, desserts and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Buerjia Chinese Sauerkraut Fish saw a substantial 142.9% increase, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Old Stove Brewing has seen a 5.6% increase in reviews.
Located at 4509 University Way NE (between 45th and 47th streets) in the University District, Buerjia Chinese Sauerkraut Fish offers sauerkraut fish, fried chicken wings, Chinese doughnuts, matcha ice cream and more.
Buerjia Chinese Sauerkraut Fish is open from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends.
Watson's Counter
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Ballard's Watson's Counter, the Korean and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee, tea and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, Watson's Counter bagged a 13.5% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's breakfast and brunch scene: Brother Joe has seen an 11.4% increase in reviews.
Open at 6201 15th Ave. NW (between 62nd and 63rd streets) since March, Watson's Counter offers chicken and waffles, eggs Benedict with pork belly, cereal French toast, Korean poutine and more.
Watson's Counter is open from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily.
Bangrak Market
Belltown's Bangrak Market is also making waves. Open since April at 2319 Second Ave. (between Battery and State Route 99 streets), the well-established bar and Thai spot, which offers tapas and more, has seen a 9.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp.
Bangrak Market offers Thai street food paired with Thai-inspired cocktails and beer. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
Bangrak Market is open from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 4 p.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 4 p.m.–2 a.m. on Friday, noon–2 a.m. on Saturday and noon–11 p.m. on Sunday.
Eureka!
Ravenna's Eureka! is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The popular bar and New American spot, which offers burgers and more and opened at 2614 N.E. 46th St. in 2013, increased its new review count by 2.1% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.2% for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.2 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Eureka! offers mac and cheese balls, truffle fries, fried chicken sliders, fish and chips and more.
Eureka! is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday.
Cafe Opla
Belltown's popular Cafe Opla is currently on the upswing in the coffee and tea category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cafe and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee and tea and more, increased its new reviews by 4.9% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. The business saw visits nearly double over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
There's more abuzz in the world of Seattle coffee and tea: Ghost Note Coffee has seen a 2% increase in reviews.
Open for business at 2200 Alaskan Way, Suite 120 since 2017, Cafe Opla offers espresso drinks, chai lattes, cold brew nitro coffee, kombucha and more, paired with bites like breakfast sandwiches and banh mi sandwiches.
Cafe Opla is open from 7 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekends. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and on Sundays and Saturdays, so go on Tuesdays if you want to avoid the rush.
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.
