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 to discover which local businesses have been in the spotlight 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 worth exploring, right now.
Hook Hall
Open since July, this bar and event space is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Hook Hall saw a remarkable 108.3% increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Hook Hall's review count increased by more than 160%.
Located at 3400 Georgia Ave. NW in Park View, the tavern and party venue has shuffleboard courts and ping pong tables, among other games, and a beer garden. It offers coffee in the morning and features craft beers, specialty cocktails, wine and some bakery items and sandwiches.
Hook Hall is open 4:30 p.m.-midnight Monday-Wednesday; noon-midnight on Thursday; 10 a.m.-1 a.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Residents Cafe & Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Dupont Circle's Residents Cafe & Bar, the cocktail bar and breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner spot 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, Residents Cafe & Bar bagged a striking 111.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining an impressive five-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Washington's breakfast and brunch scene: Gregorys Coffee has seen a 36.1% increase in reviews, and Bluestone Lane has seen a 4% bump.
Open at 1306 18th St. NW since September, Residents Cafe & Bar offers fresh-squeezed orange juice, cappuccinos, cortados, matcha lattes and fresh coconut water. Croissants, salmon tartine and a chia parfait are among the breakfast options.
Residents Cafe & Bar is open from 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; 8 a.m.–midnight on Thursday; 8 a.m.–3 a.m. on Friday; and 11 a.m.–3 a.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Mazi
Downtown Washington's Mazi is also making waves. Open since December 2018 at 1518 K St. NW, the New American spot has seen a 12.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Mazi's review count increased by more than 170%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's New American category: Fancy Radish has seen a 5.9% increase in reviews, and Chloe has seen a 6.3% bump.
Mazi offers pork souvlaki, seafood pasta, Chilean sea bass, New York strip steak and lamb chops, among other entrees. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
The business is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 4–10 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Slapfish
Downtown's Slapfish is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The restaurant, which opened at 1800 M St. NW, Suite GR06, in May, increased its new review count by 20% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.4% for the Yelp category "Seafood."
Shrimp ceviche, shrimp cocktail, lobster rolls, a tilapia sandwich and a surf-and-turf burger are among the featured menu items.
The restaurant is open from 8 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Stellina Pizzeria
Stellina Pizzeria at Union Market is currently on the upswing in the Italian category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, increased its new reviews by 13.1% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 399 Morse St. NE since April, Stellina Pizzeria features 10 varieties of pizza, as well as house-made pasta, eggplant and meat lasagna, tiramisu and Sicilian-style cannoli.
Stellina Pizzeria is open from 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday and 10:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Monday.)
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.
