Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
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 local businesses have been getting a noteworthy increase in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at New York City 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
P.J. Clarke's
Open since 2006, this popular cocktail bar and traditional American spot has been getting a lot more foot traffic lately.
While P.J. Clarke's stayed on par with the median 1.3% increase in new reviews for traditional American spots on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a mixed three-star rating, the number of visitors to P.J. Clarke's more than tripled over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
This location of P.J. Clarke's is located near the river at 250 Vesey St. in Battery Park City, while the original can be found on Third Avenue. The spot serves lunch and dinner daily. Stop in for burgers, steaks, seafood, offerings from the raw bar — and, of course, views of the Hudson River.
P.J. Clarke's is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with a slowdown on Sundays.
Seamore's
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Seamore's (also located in Battery Park City), this location of the local seafood chain (NYC's sixth overall) is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Seamore's bagged a 2.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, Seamore's saw visits more than triple in the past month.
There's more that's trending on New York City's seafood scene: An outpost of the chain The Capital Grille has seen a 0.3% increase in reviews.
Open at 250 Vesey St. since July, 2018, Seamore's offers a full menu of seafood favorites, including fish and chips, lobster rolls, fish tacos and catch-of-the-day platters. Unique to this location are raw bar platters featuring oysters, chilled lobster and shrimp.
Seamore's is open from 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and people visit Seamore's most on Fridays and Tuesdays. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to try its slower periods on Sundays.
Chicks Isan
Then, downtown Brooklyn's Chicks Isan is the city's buzziest Thai spot by the numbers.
The Thai food kiosk, which opened last December in the Dekalb Market Hall food court (445 Albee Square West), increased its new review count by 3.7% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.8% for the Yelp category "Thai." As for foot traffic, Chicks Isan saw visits more than triple over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
The fast-casual counterpart of NoHo Thai spot Fish Cheeks, Chicks Isan offers a concise menu of dishes inspired by the cuisine of northeastern Thailand. Check out the grilled and fried chicken wings, the crispy rice salad with sour pork and the grilled mushroom salad. The spot does not serve pad thai, though: As it states on its website, Chicks Isan is a "no pad thai zone."
Chicks Isan is open from 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and people visit Chicks Isan most on Saturdays and Fridays, with a slowdown on Thursdays.
Sweet House Drinks and Desserts
And finally, Bath Beach's well-established Sweet House Drinks and Desserts is currently on the upswing in the dessert category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Desserts" on Yelp saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Hong Kong–style dessert spot increased its new reviews by 2.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars. The business saw visits more than triple over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Open for business at 2120 86th St. since April, 2017, Sweet House Drinks and Desserts offers a full menu of sweets and treats made with mango, coconut, sticky rice, tofu custard and more, as well as fresh fruit juices and teas.
Sweet House Drinks and Desserts is open from noon–11 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and noon–midnight on Friday and Saturday. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy on Saturdays and Fridays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown 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.
