Want the inside word on Seattle's buzziest local spots?
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 on the tips of diners' tongues 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 extra cool this autumn.
Eight Row
Open since August, this New American spot, which offers beer, wine and spirits and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Eight Row saw a striking 357.1% increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 7102 Woodlawn Ave. NE (between 72nd and 71st streets) in Green Lake, Eight Row offers fried eggplant, bison tartare, honey-glazed smoked chicken, black cod ceviche, oysters and more. The eatery also holds a cocktail hour with such libations as the champagne cocktail and the Florina — a concoction of tequila, cappelletti bitter, fennel liqueur and soda.
Eight Row is open from 4 p.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends.
Casco Antiguo
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Belltown's Casco Antiguo, the bar and Mexican spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Casco Antiguo bagged a 30% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating.
Open at 2102 Seventh Ave. (between Lenora and Blanchard streets) since July, Casco Antiguo offers an array of Mexican cuisine, including pork carnitas tacos, plantain empanadas and cheese flautas, served with cabbage, pico de gallo and chipotle cream. There are also dulce de leche churros available, topped with cocoa, cinnamon and sugar.
Casco Antiguo is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Conversation
Pike Market's Conversation is also making waves. Open since May at 110 Stewart St. (between Second and First avenues), the cocktail bar and New American spot, which offers seafood and more, has seen a 21.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Seattle's seafood category: Old Stove Brewing has seen a 5.9% increase in reviews, and Rider has seen a 4.6% bump.
Conversation offers refined cuisine, including stuffed quail, pan-fried trout, charred octopus and a variety of specialty cocktails, beers and wine. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Conversation is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends.
Market Fresh RS
Central Business District's Market Fresh RS is the city's buzziest breakfast and brunch spot by the numbers.
The well-established buffet and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers salads and more and opened at 1301 Fifth Ave. (between Union and University streets) more than a decade ago, increased its new review count by 10.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Breakfast & Brunch." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.7 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Sazon Kitchen has seen a 14.3% increase in reviews, and Brother Joe has seen a 9.3% bump.
Market Fresh RS offers a buffet-style dining experience, featuring items like sushi, noodles and a variety of vegetable dishes. There are also breakfast selections available, including bacon, eggs, hash browns and fresh fruit.
Market Fresh RS is open from 7 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekdays. (It's closed on weekends.)
Ghost Note Coffee
Capitol Hill's well-established Ghost Note Coffee has been getting a lot more foot traffic lately.
While Ghost Note Coffee stayed in line with the median 2.3% increase in new reviews for businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp over the past month, the business saw visits nearly double, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Open for business at 1623 Bellevue Ave. (between Olive and Pine streets) since 2017, Ghost Note Coffee offers cappuccinos, chai tea, lattes, espresso tonics and signature beverages like drinking chocolate with espresso or espresso soda.
Ghost Note Coffee is open from 7 a.m.–5 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday and 8 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on Monday.) According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and people visit Ghost Note Coffee most on Fridays and Sundays, so go on Thursdays 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.
