Curious where Denver's in-the-know crowd is eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
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 discover which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Denver 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 riding a trend, right now.
West of Surrender
This traditional American restaurant is trending, in comparison to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, traditional American outlets saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, but West of Surrender saw an impressive 200% increase, maintaining a solid four-star rating throughout.
Located at 501 16th St. Mall in downtown Denver's Central Business District, West of Surrender offers a contemporary interpretation of old western-style fare. On the menu, look for mesquite-smoked chicken wings, Rocky Mountain lamb chili, elk meatballs, spicy black bean hummus and green chili nachos.
West of Surrender is open from 11 a.m.–midnight daily.
HI Tide Elevated Poke & Hawaiian Fare
Five Points' HI Tide Elevated Poke & Hawaiian Fare is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 2449 Larimer St., the Asian fusion eatery, which is known for poke and seafood, has seen a 10.9% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, HI Tide Elevated Poke & Hawaiian Fare's review count increased by more than 1,000%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Denver's seafood category: Uchi has seen a 5.4% increase in reviews.
HI Tide Elevated Poke & Hawaiian Fare specializes in Hawaiian cuisine, serving items such as tofu bowls, Kalua pork and Mochiko chicken, along with fresh ahi, yellowtail and salmon poke. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
HI Tide Elevated Poke & Hawaiian Fare is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays and from 1 p.m.–9 p.m. on weekends.
Rhein Haus Denver
LoDo's Rhein Haus Denver is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The popular bar and German gastropub, which opened at 1415 Market St. in 2015, increased its new review count by 1.8% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.5% for the Yelp category "Bars." As for foot traffic, Rhein Haus Denver saw visits more than double over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
Rhein Haus Denver features a comprehensive selection of German beers and classic German food items such as pretzels and bratwurst, as well as four full-sized bocce ball courts on the premises.
Rhein Haus Denver is open from 3–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 3 p.m.–midnight on Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Fridays, with a slowdown on Mondays.
Birdcall
Five Points' popular Birdcall is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, this breakfast and brunch cafe, which offers sandwiches, chicken and more, increased its new reviews by 3.7% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 1,000% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 800 E. 26th Ave., Birdcall is known for its self-order chicken sandwiches and salads, which utilize fresh, locally sourced Colorado ingredients.
Birdcall is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
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.
