Unsure where Washington's in-the-know crowd is eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
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 in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Washington 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
Dacha
Open since May, this beer garden, New American spot and event space is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Dacha saw a 23.3% increase, maintaining a mixed three-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: St. Anselm has seen a 7.5% increase in reviews.
Located at 79 Potomac Ave. SE in Navy Yard, the restaurant offers an extensive list of imported and domestic craft beers. On the menu, you'll find mussels and beer, glazed chicken, shrimp and grits, and a pork belly burger.
Dacha is open from 4 p.m.–midnight Monday-Thursday, 2 p.m.–1 a.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.–midnight on Sunday.
Circa
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Circa, the traditional American and New American bistro is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, Circa bagged a 12.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Washington's traditional American scene: District Commons has seen a 1.1% increase in reviews.
Circa, which has three other locations in the District, opened at 99 M St. SE, Suite 100, in Navy Yard in February. Dinner entrees include lobster ravioli, seared scallops, braised short ribs and steak frites. Salads, sandwiches and flatbreads are also on offer.
The bistro is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Rappahannock Oyster Bar
Rappahannock Oyster Bar is also making waves. Open at the DC Wharf since December 2018 at 1150 Maine Ave. SW, the seafood restaurant and bar has seen a 16.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
Chesapeake Bay oysters are featured on the menu, including Rappahannock River oysters, Rochambeau oysters and Olde Salts oysters. Fried shrimp, oyster po boys and a dish of lambs and clams are also on offer. The business has maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Modern Market Eatery
Downtown Washington's popular Modern Market Eatery is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this breakfast and brunch spot, which offers sandwiches and salads, increased its new reviews by 2.1% — and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars. Visits to Modern Market Eatery increased by more than 50% over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Open for business at 1010 Vermont Ave. NW since 2017, the restaurant, which also has locations in Rockville and Bethesda Row, MD, offers made-from-scratch meals, such as avocado toast, pearl sugar waffles, pizzas, grain bowls, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, gluten-free toast and a host of salads, including one with grass-fed flatiron beef.
Modern Market Eatery is open from 7 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.) According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy on Saturdays and Fridays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Mondays.
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.
