Curious where Atlanta's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which restaurants have been getting a significant increase in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Atlanta 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 extra cool, right now.
PONKO Chicken
This chicken shop and New American and Japanese spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month. PONKO Chicken only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity. It has 4.5 stars from 18 reviews thus far on Yelp.
Want more about the business's specialties in the words of the people behind it? "Home of the award-winning Japanese-American chicken tender!" — that's courtesy of its Yelp page.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: The Wing Bar has seen a 3.4% increase in reviews and endive Publik house has seen a 1.2% bump.
Located at 4279 Roswell Road NE, Suite #100, PONKO Chicken offers grilled chicken sandwiches, salads and more on the menu.
PONKO Chicken is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
Rowdy Tiger Whiskey Bar & Kitchen
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Midtown's Rowdy Tiger Whiskey Bar & Kitchen, the whiskey bar and Southern spot, which offers comfort food and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Southern" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, the Rowdy Tiger Whiskey Bar & Kitchen bagged a 73.3% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, 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 3.7 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
What's the business known for? "We serve Southern-inspired comfort food alongside an extensive collection of the finest whiskeys (125), craft cocktails and local beer," — according to its Yelp page.
There's more that's trending on Atlanta's Southern scene: Q Time has seen a 2.5% increase in reviews.
Open at 866 W. Peachtree St. NW, the Rowdy Tiger Whiskey Bar & Kitchen offers Moscow mules, Manhattans and more among its specialty drinks.
The Rowdy Tiger Whiskey Bar & Kitchen is open from 6:30 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 6:30 a.m.–1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Restaurant 10
Restaurant 10 is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 10 Northside Drive NW, the traditional American and Southern spot, which offers barbecue and more, has seen a 13.7% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Restaurant 10's review count increased by more than 170%.
What does this business focus on? "Restaurant 10 specializes in Southern cuisine and barbecue. We're located directly across the street from Mercedes Benz Stadium," according to its Yelp page.
Restaurant 10 offers wraps, salads, burgers and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Restaurant 10 is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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.
