Want the scoop on Washington's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been getting outsized attention 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 getting plenty of attention this autumn.
Vintage 78
Open since August, this Persian/Iranian and New American spot 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 Vintage 78 saw a substantial 233.3% increase, with an upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to four stars today.
Located at 2100 P St. NW in Dupont Circle, Vintage 78 features Persian cuisine, including pistachio soup, pomegranate-braised chicken served with a sour cherry basmati rice blend and lamb stew with split peas and tomato broth.
Queen's English
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Columbia Heights' Queen's English, the Hong Kong-style cafe and cocktail bar is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, Queen's English bagged a 22.2% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a strong four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining three times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Washington's cocktail bar scene: Seven Reasons has seen a 14.8% increase in reviews.
Open at 3410 11th St. NW since April, Queen's English offers daikon fritters, crispy red snapper and a variety of signature cocktails, including one with rye, sour plum, lemon and lime and another with gin, Malaysian lime and golden kiwi foam.
Queen's English is open from 5:30–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday and 5:30–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday and Monday.)
Estuary
Downtown's Estuary is also making waves. Open since March at 950 New York Ave. NW, the seafood spot has seen a 16.9% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.2% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Estuary's review count increased by more than 150%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's seafood category: Union District Oyster Bar & Lounge has seen a 6.4% increase in reviews.
Estuary offers Maryland crab roll, shrimp cocktail, blackened monkfish and cedar planked scallops, among other options. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Unconventional Diner
Shaw's Unconventional Diner is the city's buzziest breakfast and brunch spot by the numbers.
The popular New American and breakfast and brunch spot, which opened at 1207 Ninth St. NW in 2017 and started serving brunch in July of this year, increased its new review count by 6.2% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.4% for the Yelp category "Breakfast & Brunch."
Unconventional Diner offers such brunch dishes as Caribbean shrimp and grits, corned beef hash, poached eggs with bacon jam, blueberry pancakes and Brussels sprouts and fried eggs.
Unconventional Diner is open from 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. daily, and 5–10 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday, 4–10 p.m. on Thursday, and 5–10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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.
