Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which eateries have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Philadelphia 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 have the momentum heading into the end of the year.
Forsythia
Open since August 2019, this modern European, French and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Forsythia saw a 40.7% increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: JG SkyHigh has seen a 27% increase in reviews, and Louie Louie and Bourbon Blue have seen 7.8 and 1.5% increases, respectively.
Located at 233 Chestnut St. in Old City, Forsythia offers bites like beer-battered pickles, clams and roasted short ribs.
Oh Brother Philly
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Old City's Oh Brother Philly, the well-established spot to score cheesesteaks, burgers and sandwiches is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cheesesteaks" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Oh Brother Philly bagged a 5.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating.
What's the business known for? "This spot, which opened in May 2018, offers cheesesteaks, burgers and shakes in Old City with never frozen, freshly ground burgers daily. This spot also offers BYOB, clean atmosphere, and plenty of room. On the dessert menu, look for fried Oreos and Twinkies and crusted ice cream.
Oh Brother Philly, located at 206 Market St., is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Winkel
Washington Square's Winkel is also making waves. Open since winter 2018 at 1119 Locust St., the popular breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee and tea and salads, has seen a 7.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.8% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Winkel offers Belgian waffles with braised fried chicken, deep-fried French toast and house-smoked salmon sandwiches. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Winkel is open from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekends.
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.
