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 uncover which eateries have been getting a notable uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots are worth exploring, right now.
Brato Brewhouse And Kitchen
Open since 2019, this brewery, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Brato Brewhouse and Kitchen saw a 100% increase, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: The Oceanaire Seafood Room has seen a 1.1% increase in reviews.
Located at 190 N. Beacon St. (between Glencoe and Market streets) in Brighton, Brato Brewhouse and Kitchen offers lobster rangoon grilled cheese, Vietnamese pork chorizo, slow-roasted tomato soup and more.
Brato Brewhouse and Kitchen is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sunday.
Rochambeau
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Back Bay's Rochambeau, the bar and French spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Rochambeau bagged a 40.9% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing four-star rating.
Open at 900 Boylston St. (between Hereford and Gloucester streets) since 2019, Rochambeau offers coq au vin, slow-roasted prime rib, rigatoni bolognese and more.
Rochambeau is open from 7 a.m.–2 a.m. daily.
Pazza on Porter
East Boston's Pazza on Porter is also making waves. Open since 2019 at 107 Porter St. (between Paris and Chelsea streets), the lounge and Italian spot has seen a 27.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.1% for all businesses tagged "Italian" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Pazza on Porter's review count increased by more than 120%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Boston's Italian category: Figs by Todd English has seen a 0.3% increase in reviews, and BenCotto and Strega have seen 4.9 and 0.4% increases, respectively.
Pazza on Porter offers ribeye steaks, arancini, pasta carbonara and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Shore Leave
South End's Shore Leave is the city's buzziest cocktail bar by the numbers.
The tiki bar and cocktail bar, which opened at 11 William E Mullins Way on 2018, increased its new review count by 15.6% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.7% for the Yelp category "Cocktail Bars." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Here's more about the business, from its history section on Yelp: "Shore Leave, from the team behind Boston's Bar Mezzana, will open November 2018."
Regarding specialties, "At Shore Leave, you'll find renditions of classic tiki drinks at the bar and a menu full Pacific Rim flavors. Two private barrels of rum form the backbone of numerous creations while a full cocktail menu rounds out options for those who prefer other spirits." — that's according to its Yelp page.
It's not the only trending outlier in the cocktail bar category: Zuma has seen a 14.3% increase in reviews, and FiRE + iCE Grill + Bar and Time Out Market - Boston have seen 3.6 and 9.1% increases, respectively.
Shore Leave offers Filipino barbecue ribs, coconut shrimp, salmon poke tostadas and more.
Shore Leave is open from 5 p.m.–1 a.m. daily.
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.
