Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?
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 analyze which restaurants have been in the limelight this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Seattle 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.
Momosan Ramen & Sake
Open since September, this izakaya, which offers ramen, noodles and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Noodles" on Yelp.
Citywide, noodle spots saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Momosan Ramen & Sake saw a 30.3% increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 504 Fifth Ave. South, Suite 119 (between King and Jefferson streets) in the International District, Momosan Ramen & Sake offers ramen, duck tacos, pan-fried pork dumplings, popcorn shrimp, duck fat french fries, poke, grilled oysters and more.
Momosan Ramen & Sake is open from 5 p.m.–11 p.m. daily.
Anthony's Pier 66
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Belltown's Anthony's Pier 66, the popular seafood spot is trending based on local foot traffic data.
While Anthony's Pier 66 stayed on par with the median 0.9% increase in new reviews businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating, the number of visitors to Anthony's Pier 66 more than doubled over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's seafood scene: Staple & Fancy has seen a 0.7% increase in reviews.
Open at 2201 Alaskan Way since 1996, Anthony's Pier 66 offers Hawaiian ahi nachos, Dungeness crab cakes, New England style clam chowder, grilled ocean prawns, fresh Pacific halibut, oysters and more.
Anthony's Pier 66 is open from 5 p.m.–9:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and people visit Anthony's Pier 66 most on Saturdays and Sundays, so go on Mondays if you want to avoid the rush.
Alki Beach Pub & Eatery
West Seattle's Alki Beach Pub & Eatery is also making waves. Open for more than a decade at 2722 Alki Ave. SW (between South 60th and South 61st avenues), the restaurant, beer bar and cocktail bar has seen a 7.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6% for all businesses tagged "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Alki Beach Pub & Eatery's review count increased by more than 200%. As for foot traffic, Alki Beach Pub & Eatery saw visits more than double over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Seattle's cocktail bar category: Hecho has seen a 0.9% increase in reviews.
Alki Beach Pub & Eatery offers snacks like nachos, quesadillas, burgers and fish and chips, as well as a variety of cocktails and beer. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid four-star rating among Yelpers.
Alki Beach Pub & Eatery is open from 3 p.m.–midnight on Monday-Wednesday, 3 p.m.–1 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.–1 a.m. on Saturday and noon–midnight on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays, with a slowdown on Thursdays.
Pasta Casalinga
Pike Market's Pasta Casalinga is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.
The popular pasta shop and Italian spot, which opened at 93 Pike St., Suite 201 (between Post Alley and First Avenue) in 2018, increased its new review count by 7.6% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Italian."
Pasta Casalinga offers pasta dishes that change daily, including lasagna, rigatoni, spaghetti, beef ragu and more.
Pasta Casalinga is open from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
North Star Diner & Shanghai Room
Greenwood's well-established North Star Diner & Shanghai Room is trending based on local foot traffic data.
While North Star Diner & Shanghai Room stayed in line with the median 1.4% increase in new reviews for businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp over the past month, the business saw visits double, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Open for business at 8580 Greenwood Ave. North (between 87th and 85th streets) since 2015, North Star Diner & Shanghai Room offers homage biscuits and gravy, French toast, buttermilk pancakes, egg Benedicts, espresso drinks and more.
North Star Diner & Shanghai Room is open 24 hours a day. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 12 a.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., and people visit North Star Diner & Shanghai Room most on Saturdays and Fridays. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to try its slower periods 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.
