Unsure where Boston'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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to uncover which restaurants have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Boston 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 extra hot this winter.
75 Chestnut
Open since 2005, this well-established diner, steakhouse and New American spot is trending based on local foot traffic data.
While 75 Chestnut stayed on par with the median 1.1% increase in new reviews for New American spots on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a healthy four-star rating, the number of visitors to 75 Chestnut more than doubled over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Want more about the business' specialties in the words of the people behind it? According to its page on Yelp: "75 Chestnut is a cozy Beacon Hill restaurant featuring regional American comfort food. 75 Chestnut features of a number of special events, including free cookie tasting on Tuesday nights, a complimentary chocolate sampler at Saturday lunch and home-style favorites at Sunday Supper."
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: City Winery has seen a 3.7% increase in reviews.
Located at 75 Chestnut St. (between Charles and River streets) in Beacon Hill, 75 Chestnut offers pumpkin ravioli, marinated tenderloin tips, Nantucket seafood stew and more.
75 Chestnut is open from 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.–midnight on Friday, 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5 p.m.–midnight on Saturday and 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, people tend to visit 75 Chestnut on Saturdays and Sundays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to try its slower periods on Thursdays.
Bootleg Special
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about South End's Bootleg Special, the tapas bar and Cajun spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 0.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, Bootleg Special bagged a 7.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing four-star rating.
Open at 400 Tremont St. (between Arlington and Appleton streets) since 2018, Bootleg Special offers fried shrimp po'boys, seafood etouffee with clams, shrimp and mussels and a crawfish macaroni and cheese.
Bootleg Special is open from 4 p.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday, 1 p.m.–midnight on Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday.
Brandy Pete's
And downtown's Brandy Pete's is also making waves. Open since 1933, Brandy Pete's has since moved to 267 Franklin St. (between Batterymarch and Oliver streets), the bar and traditional American spot has seen a 2.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.2% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Brandy Pete's' review count increased by more than 200%. As for foot traffic, visits to Brandy Pete's increased by more than 50% over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
Intrigued so far? Here's more about the business from its Yelp history section: "Brandy Pete's opened in 1933 and maintains a long tradition of providing delicious food, courteous service and a convenient downtown location."
In addition to a full service bar and patio seating, Brandy Pete's offers crab Louie, pastrami Reubens, a trio of sliders and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Brandy Pete's is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.) According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days, so go on Saturdays if you want to avoid the rush.
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.
