Want the intel on Washington's buzziest local spots?
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 eateries have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots are sizzling hot, right now.
Gregorys Coffee
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Washington's outlet of the chain Gregorys Coffee, the breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Gregorys Coffee bagged a 32.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 12 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open since 2017 at 1000 Vermont Ave. NW, Gregorys Coffee, which has three other locations in the District, offers almond berry toast, a chia bowl, croissants, apple fritters and fresh fruit. It features bakery items made from scratch and fresh roasted coffees, which it also sells by the bag.
Gregorys Coffee is open from 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Roaming Rooster
Roaming Rooster is also making waves. The food truck, founded in D.C. in 2005, opened its first shop in 2018 at 3176 Bladensburg Road NE. It has seen a 26.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.2% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's traditional American category: Little Pearl has seen a 5.6% increase in reviews.
Free-range grain-fed fried chicken is the signature dish at Roaming Rooster. It is served in sandwiches or salads, with a variety of spice levels and flavorings, such as Nashville hot chicken. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Roaming Rooster - Restaurant is open from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Sunday.
Shilling Canning Company
Navy Yard's Shilling Canning Company is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The restaurant, which opened at 360 Water St. SE in July, increased its new review count by 25.6% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.5% for the Yelp category "American (New)."
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Circa in Chinatown has seen a 4.6% increase in reviews, and Navy Yard's Chloe has seen a 7% bump.
Shilling Canning Company features Mid-Atlantic fare, including Maryland crab cakes, crispy blue catfish, braised rabbit and buttermilk dumplings and Chesapeake chowder, with blue crab, lobster and scallop boudin and Virginia oysters.
Shilling Canning Company is open from 5–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 5–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Officina
Finally, Officina at The Wharf is currently on the upswing in the Italian category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Italian spot increased its new reviews by 7.7% — and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars.
Open for business at 1120 Maine Ave. SW since 2018, the Italian restaurant and market has cafes in downtown and in Tysons Corners. Among its featured dishes are veal, pork and beef tortellini, whole roasted Mediterranean sea bass, dry-aged ribeye steak and Adriatic fish soup.
Officina 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.
