Want the intel on Seattle's most talked-about 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 discover which local businesses have been most discussed 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 closing the year out strong.
Dough Zone Dumpling House
Open since July, this well-established Shanghainese spot, which offers dim sum, 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 Dough Zone Dumpling House saw an 18.6% increase, maintaining a solid four-star rating throughout.
The eatery specializes in "authentic Chinese-style, doughy goods, such as pan-seared bao, soup dumplings and a variety of noodle selections," made with fresh ingredients, according to its Yelp page.
It's not the only trending outlier in the noodle category: Pho Bac Súp Shop has seen a 6.5% increase in reviews.
Located at 815 Pine St. (between Ninth and Eighth avenues) in Central Business District, Dough Zone Dumpling House also offers dumplings, green onion pancakes, potstickers and noodles dishes.
Dough Zone Dumpling House is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Patagon
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Central Business District's Patagon, the Argentine and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers desserts and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Patagon bagged a 15.3% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to its current 3.5 stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 1610 Second Ave. (between Stewart and Pine streets) since 2018, Patagon serves breakfast items like French toast, eggs Benedict, three-egg omelets, avocado toast and more. A variety of beverages, from Old Fashioned cocktails to vanilla lattes, are also on offer.
Patagon is open from 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Ampersand Cafe
West Seattle's Ampersand Cafe is also making waves. Open since 2013 at 2536 Alki Ave. SW (between South 58th and South Marine avenues), the well-established spot to score coffee, tea and desserts has seen a 1.8% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9% for all businesses tagged "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, Ampersand Cafe saw visits more than double over the past month.
Ampersand Cafe offers baked goods and breakfast sandwiches, as well as espresso drinks, drip coffee, tea and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Ampersand Cafe is open from 6:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest on Sundays and Saturdays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days, so go on Thursdays if you want to avoid the rush.
Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki
Capitol Hill's Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki is the city's buzziest sushi bar by the numbers.
The well-established sushi bar and Japanese spot, which opened at 219 Broadway East, Suite 14 (between Olive Way and Thomas Street) in February, increased its new review count by 9.2% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.2% for the Yelp category "Sushi Bars."
Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki offers fixed courses that change depending on the season. Chef Taneda prepares each dish using the Edomae style, hand-rolling each sushi roll at a fast pace.
Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki is open from 5:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 5 p.m.–10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Ben Paris
Pike Market's well-established Ben Paris is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cocktail bar and New American and breakfast and brunch spot increased its new reviews by 5.5% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
There's more abuzz in the world of Seattle New American: Eden Hill Restaurant has seen a 1.4% increase in reviews.
Open for business at 130 Pike St. (between News Lane and First Avenue) since March, Ben Paris offers breakfast and brunch, as well as lunch, dinner and cocktails.
Mid-morning eats include banana blueberry muffins, avocado toast and baked eggs, while its dinner menu features dishes like the line-caught King salmon, served with buttered corn, oyster mushrooms and dandelion pesto.
Ben Paris is open from 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 6:30 a.m.–11 p.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.
