Want the inside word on New York City's most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been getting a noteworthy uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at New York City 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 riding a trend, right now.
F & F Pizzeria
Open since September, this pizza spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp.
Citywide, pizza spots saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but F & F Pizzeria saw an impressive 457.1% increase, with a slight downward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, F & F Pizzeria's review count increased by more than 400%.
Located at 459 Court St. (between Fourth Place and Luquer Street) in Carroll Gardens, F & F Pizzeria is the latest venture from Frankies Spuntino Group, the team behind Frankies 457 Spuntino and Franks Wine Bar. In fact, the pizzeria is nestled between those two storefronts. F & F Pizzeria serves up traditional New York–style slices and whole pizzas, including a cheese-less tomato pie.
JoJu
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Midtown's JoJu, the Vietnamese sandwich shop is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, JoJu bagged a notable 400% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to its current 4.5 stars.
Open at 555 Fifth Ave. (entrance on 46th Street) since October, this second location of the Queens banh mi shop offers eight varieties of the traditional Vietnamese sandwich, filled with proteins such as sausage, ham, bulgogi beef and lemongrass chicken. Veggie-friendly options are available, too.
JoJu is open from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on weekends.
Pasta Eater
Chelsea's Pasta Eater is also making waves. Open since September at 9 E. 17th St. (between Fifth Avenue and Broadway), the Italian spot has seen a significant 200% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5% for all businesses tagged "Italian" on Yelp.
As the name suggests, Pasta Eater specializes in a wide array of homemade pastas, topped with traditional sauces and accompanied by cuts of meat and selections of seafood. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Pasta Eater is open from 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 11:30 a.m.–midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Zen Yai Pho Noodle Bar
Williamsburg's Zen Yai Pho Noodle Bar is the city's buzziest Vietnamese spot by the numbers.
The restaurant, which opened at 208 Grand St. (between Bedford and Driggs avenues) in September, increased its new review count by a notable 333.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.5% for the Yelp category "Vietnamese." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.9 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Zen Yai Pho Noodle Bar specializes in rice noodles. Check out the pho or one of the Thai dishes, such as the Thai curry noodles or the pad thai. Other choices include banh mi, rice dishes and a full selection of vegan options, including pho, spring rolls and more.
Zen Yai Pho Noodle Bar is open for lunch from 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. on weekdays and for dinner from 5–10:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 5–11 p.m. on Friday. On weekends, it's open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Nami Nori
Finally, the West Village's Nami Nori is currently on the upswing in the Japanese category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Japanese" on Yelp saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, this sushi bar and Japanese spot increased its new reviews by a massive 262.5% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 33 Carmine St. (between Bleecker and Bedford streets) since October, this 40-seat sushi bar specializes in taco-shaped temaki (hand rolls). There's a full selection of beer, wine and sake, too.
Nami Nori is open from 5:30–11 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday and 5:30 p.m.–midnight on Thursday-Saturday. (It's closed 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.
