Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this 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 uncover which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at New Orleans 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 spots are worth exploring, right now.
Cafe Beignet
Open since August, this cafe and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers sandwiches and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp.
Citywide, sandwich spots saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Cafe Beignet saw a noteworthy 111.1% 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 Cafe Beignet's review count increased by more than 200%.
The local chain has four New Orleans-area outposts. This one, located at 714 St. Peter St. in the French Quarter, offers made-to-order beignets, along with breakfast served all day and specialty sandwiches like the Bourbon Croissant with tuna salad, bacon and white cheddar. (Check out the entire menu here.)
Cafe Beignet is open from 8 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Eiffel Society
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Lower Garden District's Eiffel Society, the venues and event space and Cajun/Creole spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cajun/Creole" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Eiffel Society bagged a 4.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to Eiffel Society increased by more than 50% in the past month.
Open at 2040 St. Charles Ave. since 1937, Eiffel Society has event space for weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, banquets and more. Part of the structure is made from a restaurant originally located at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. On the menu, look for beef, chicken and fish dishes, as well as crawfish pasta and shrimp salad.
Eiffel Society is open from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., and on Thursdays and Fridays. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to try its slower periods on Tuesdays.
The Governor Seafood & Oyster Bar
The French Quarter's The Governor Seafood & Oyster Bar is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 301 Chartres St., the well-established Cajun/Creole and New American spot, which offers seafood and more, has seen a 6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
The Governor Seafood & Oyster Bar offers Cajun favorites like fried alligator, chicken & andouille gumbo, blackened shrimp po'boys and crawfish étouffée. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers. (Find the full menu here.)
The Governor Seafood & Oyster Bar is open from 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday.
Tito's Ceviche & Pisco
Uptown's Tito's Ceviche & Pisco is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The popular Peruvian and Japanese spot, which offers seafood and more and opened at 5015 Magazine St. in 2017, saw a 1.5% increase in new reviews over the last month — matching that of all businesses for the Yelp business category "Seafood" — but experienced a 40% increase in visits over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Tito's Ceviche & Pisco offers ceviche along with fish dishes like the Jalea Real de Mariscos (crispy seafood, yucca fries, rocoto aioli and salsa criolla) and Tiradito Maracuya (salmon, aji limo and passion fruit). (Find the full menu here.)
Tito's Ceviche & Pisco is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.) According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Fridays, with a slowdown on Tuesdays.
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.
