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 deduce which local businesses 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 riding a trend, right now.
The Elysian Bar
Open since November 2018, this New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Elysian Bar saw a 20% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, The Elysian Bar's review count increased by more than 500%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: The Delachaise has seen a 0.5% increase in reviews.
Located at 2317 Burgundy St. in Marigny, The Elysian Bar offers steamed mussels and roasted gulf shrimp among the menu options. In the mood for dessert? Try the chocolate torte. (See the full menu here.)
The Elysian Bar is open from 7 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 7 a.m.–1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Waffle House
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Read Blvd. East's Waffle House, the diner, breakfast, brunch and traditional American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, Waffle House bagged a 9.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed three-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance. As for foot traffic, visits to Waffle House increased by more than 50% in the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
There's more that's trending on New Orleans's breakfast and brunch scene: Ruby Slipper Cafe has seen a 7.9% increase in reviews.
Open at 5801 Read Blvd. since May 2011, Waffle House offers a variety of items on the menu. Expect to find dishes such as pecan waffles, cheese omelets and Angus burgers. Also look for Texas melts and chili. (Check here for the full menu.)
Waffle House is open 24 hours a day. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays, with a slowdown on Tuesdays.
Gris-Gris
Lower Garden District's Gris-Gris is also making waves. Open since August 2018 at 1800 Magazine St., the well-established Cajun/Creole spot has seen an 8% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "Cajun/Creole" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Gris-Gris's review count increased by more than 170%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in New Orleans's Cajun/Creole category: Eiffel Society has seen a 4.1% increase in reviews.
Gris-Gris offers from the appetizer menu, Creole tomato shrimp remoulade and gumbo du jour. Also look for seafood stuffed crab and sugarcane seared duck breast on the menu. (See the full menu here.) Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Gris-Gris is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Joey K's Restaurant & Bar
The Garden District's Joey K's Restaurant & Bar is the city's buzziest Southern spot by the numbers.
The popular Southern spot, which opened at 3001 Magazine St. in February 2007, increased its new review count by 2.7% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Southern."
Joey K's Restaurant & Bar offers fried artichokes hearts and crabmeat au gratin on the menu. Also expect to find specialities such as grilled salmon and a seafood platter with fried shrimp, oysters, catfish and hushpuppies.
Joey K's Restaurant & Bar is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-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.
