Unsure where Washington's in-the-know crowd is 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 analyze which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.

To find out who made the list, we looked at Washington 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.

Matchbox

Open since July, this New American breakfast and brunch chain is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.

Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Matchbox saw a 75% increase, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Matchbox's review count increased by more than 900%.

What's the business known for? "Wood-fired pizzas, mini burgers, fresh salads and chef-inspired entrées, like pan-seared sea bass and oven-roasted filet mignon. It's American bistro fare, crafted from high quality ingredients with a chef at the helm in every kitchen," according to its page on Yelp.

Located at 750 East St. NW in downtown Washington, Matchbox offers unlimited brunch, with pizzas such as chicken pesto and spicy meatball, plus fried chicken and grits and biscuits and gravy. It also serves craft cocktails and signature bubbly drinks.

Matchbox - Penn Quarter is open from 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–1 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Mazi

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Washington's Mazi, the popular New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Mazi bagged a 10.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating.

There's more that's trending on Washington's New American scene: Lucky Buns has seen a 5% increase in reviews.

Open at 1518 K St. NW since 2018, Mazi offers Greek-inspired dishes, including such entrees as chicken and vegan kebabs, lamb chops, New York strip steak, seafood pasta and grilled honey-glazed salmon. 

Mazi is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)

Seven Reasons

And the U Street Corridor's Seven Reasons is also making waves. Open since April at 2208 14th St. NW, the well-established cocktail bar and Pan-Latin restaurant has seen an 11.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.8% for all businesses tagged "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp.

Behind every business are the people who make it happen. Here's more on the owners from Yelp: "Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Enrique Limardo, makes his debut in Washington as chef and co-owner of Seven Reasons. ... Limardo's experience cooking in some of Spain's finest kitchens meet his Latin American roots to create a modern restaurant with food that also honors flavors from the Caribbean and Amazon."

Seven Reasons offers craft cocktails, as well as non-alcoholic mocktails. Try the signature drink with gin, honey, St. Germain and chamomile foam. Small plates include swordfish belly tostada and butternut squash cacao tart. Among the large plates are whole fish, chorizo and prawns with black rice, and local Berkshire pork chops. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.

Seven Reasons is open from 5:30 p.m.–midnight on Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday and 5:30 p.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Monday.)

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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.