Want the intel on Washington's most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which eateries have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots are worth exploring, right now.
Casta's
Open since August, this Cuban restaurant and bar is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Casta's saw a 48.6% increase, maintaining a superior four-star rating throughout.
Located at 1121 New Hampshire Ave. NW in West End, Casta's features craft cocktails, including mojitos and Cuba libres, and cigars. It also serves empanadas and croquetas, as well as ceviche, Cuban chicken soup and classic Cuban sandwiches and desserts.
Casta's is open from 4 p.m.–midnight on Sunday-Thursday and 4 p.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Rosemarino D'Italia
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Dupont Circle's Rosemarino D'Italia, the restaurant is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Rosemarino D'Italia bagged a 46.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating.
Open at 1714 Connecticut Ave. NW since May, Rosemarino D'Italia. which has another location in Alexandria, Va., offers mixed seafood risotto, pasta with shrimp, chicken or veal, linguine with little neck clams and meat lasagne, among other dishes.
Rosemarino D'Italia is open from noon–9:30 p.m. on Monday, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Eat Brgz
Eat Brgz at Eastern Market in Capitol Hill is also making waves. Open since July at 250 Seventh St. SE, the American (New) burger spot has seen a 23.9% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.3% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's New American category: Fancy Radish has seen a 5.5% increase in reviews.
Eat Brgz features build-your-own burgers with choice of potato bun or house-made cauliflower bun. Customers choose from a variety of items, such as sautéed mushrooms, chorizo, smoked ham and spice blends, to be mixed in with the meat before grilling. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Retrobottega
Adams Morgan's Retrobottega is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.
The Italian restaurant, which opened at 2435 18th St. NW in July, increased its new review count by 40% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Italian."
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Nicoletta Italian Kitchen has seen a 15.2% increase in reviews.
Pappardelle with broccoli and sausage, rabbit stew, branzino with fennel sauce and chicken parmigiana are among the signature dishes at Retrobottega.
The restaurant is open from 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and 5 p.m.–midnight on Thursday-Saturday.
Homestead
Petworth's popular Homestead is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cocktail bar, cidery and traditional American spot increased its new reviews by 3.7% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 250% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 3911 Georgia Ave. NW since 2016, Homestead features dinner items such as pork belly, chicken and biscuits, sweet potato gnocchi, Cajun-style local blue catfish, ribeye steak and meatloaf. Breakfast and brunch are also served.
Homestead is open from 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–2:30 a.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–2:30 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–midnight on Sunday.
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.
