As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So, how can you tell which tastes are trending right this very minute?
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 analyze which restaurants have been most discussed 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 outposts are on a hot streak this autumn.
Momosan Ramen & Sake
This Japanese izakaya, which offers ramen, noodles and more, is trending, in comparison to other businesses categorized as "Noodles" on Yelp.
Citywide, noodle spots saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Momosan Ramen & Sake saw a considerable 653.8% increase, with a downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the noodle category: Dough Zone Dumpling House has seen a 24.4% increase in reviews, and Wicked Chopstix has seen a 2.1% bump.
Located at 504 Fifth Ave. S., Suite 119 in the International District, Momosan Ramen & Sake specializes in Japanese-inspired fare, featuring menu items such as twice-cooked pork sticky ribs, tuna or salmon poke, spicy wontons, pork gyoza, soft shell crab bao buns and a sizable list of ramen soup options.
Momosan Ramen & Sake is open from 5 p.m.–11 p.m. daily.
Mr. West Cafe Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Ravenna's Mr. West Cafe Bar, the wine bar and eatery, which serves breakfast, brunch, coffee, tea and more, is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Mr. West Cafe Bar bagged a 64% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing four-star rating.
Open at 2685 N.E. Village Lane, Mr. West Cafe Bar features a diverse selection of plates on its menu, with options ranging from cheese curds, avocado toast and salads to assorted teas, espresso beverages, wines and cocktails.
Mr. West Cafe Bar is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Santo Coffee
Roosevelt's Santo Coffee is also making waves. Open at 1325 N.E. 65th St., the coffee and tea outlet has seen a 52.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1% for all businesses tagged "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.
Santo Coffee serves specialty craft coffee beverages that utilize quality farm-to-table coffee roasts sourced from Columbia. Over the past month, it's maintained a stellar five-star rating among Yelpers.
Santo Coffee is open from 7 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday and from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sunday.
Ben Paris
Pike Place Market's Ben Paris is the city's buzziest New American bistro by the numbers.
The well-established cocktail bar and New American restaurant, which is open at 130 Pike St., increased its new review count by 15.2% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.2% for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.5 times more reviews than expected, based on past performance.
Ben Paris offers separate menus for breakfast and brunch, lunch and dinner, and is known for serving traditional American cuisine with a creative twist. Dishes include cauliflower caesar salad, a fried chicken sandwich, ribeye steak and line-caught king salmon, presented alongside oyster mushrooms and buttered corn.
Ben Paris is open from 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 6:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Anthony's Pier 66
Belltown's well-established Anthony's Pier 66 has been seeing a larger volume of foot traffic lately.
While Anthony's Pier 66 stayed in line with the median 1% increase in new reviews for businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp over the past month, the business saw its visits more than double, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
There's more abuzz in the world of Seattle seafood: Rider has seen a 5.4% increase in reviews, and Old Stove Brewing has seen a 6.1% bump.
Open for business at 2201 Alaskan Way, Anthony's Pier 66 specializes in fresh fare from the sea. Popular items to try include the Alaskan black cod, New England-style clam chowder, wild king salmon and Dungeness crab salad.
Anthony's Pier 66 is open from 5 p.m.–9:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to stop by during its slower periods 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.
