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 to deduce which restaurants have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots are extra cool, right now.
Craft Bar + Kitchen
Open since 2017, this traditional American spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Craft Bar + Kitchen saw a massive 233.3% increase, with an upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Craft Bar + Kitchen's review count increased by more than 1,400%.
Located at 1821 Boren Ave. (between Howell and Stewart streets) in Belltown, Craft Bar + Kitchen offers halibut, grilled salmon, fish and chips, ahi poke, crab cakes and more.
Craft Bar + Kitchen is open from 6 a.m.–2 p.m. and 3:30–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.–2 p.m. and 3:30–11 p.m. on Friday, 6:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4–11 p.m. on Saturday and 6:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Haymaker
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about West Seattle's Haymaker, the cocktail bar and New American and Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Haymaker bagged a 100% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's New American scene: Le Coin has seen a 11.2% increase in reviews, and Eureka! has seen a 3.2% bump.
Open at 4706 California Ave. SW (between South Erskine Way and Alaska Street) since August, Haymaker offers homemade rigatoni pasta, dry-aged New York steak, roasted duck confit with peaches and roasted corn on the cob with aioli and Parmesan cheese.
Life On Mars
Capitol Hill's Life On Mars is also making waves. Open since June at 722 E. Pike St. (between Harvard and Boylston avenues), the bar, library and traditional American spot has seen a 30.2% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp.
Life On Mars offers craft cocktails, beer on tap and wine paired with small bites like cauliflower wings, mac and cheese and burgers. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior four-star rating among Yelpers.
Life On Mars is open from 4 p.m.–2 a.m. daily.
Willmott's Ghost
Belltown's Willmott's Ghost is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.
The Italian spot, which offers pizza and desserts and opened at 2100 Sixth Ave. (between Blanchard and Lenora streets) in November 2018, increased its new review count by 18.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Italian." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.4 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Willmott's Ghost offers eggplant Parmesan, margherita pizza, gnocchi pasta, zucchini pizza and more on the menu.
Willmott's Ghost is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki
Capitol Hill's Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki is currently on the upswing in the sushi bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this sushi bar and Japanese spot increased its new reviews by 11.6% — and kept its rating consistent at five stars. Review counts increased by more than 140% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 219 Broadway East, Suite 14 (between Olive Way and Thomas Street), since February, Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki offers course meals with dishes like shrimp pate, slow-cooked octopus, seared kobe beef, uni and more.
Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki is open from 5:30–9:30 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday and 5–10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Monday.)
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.
