Want the intel on Washington's most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which eateries 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 worth exploring this winter.
ABC Pony
First, this bar and Italian-Asian fusion restaurant, which opened in December 2019, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but ABC Pony saw a 100% increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Mission in Navy Yard has seen an 8.2% increase in reviews, and Prather's on the Alley and El Centro have seen 6.1% and 1% increases, respectively.
Located at 2 I St. SE in Navy Yard, ABC Pony, by chef Erik Bruner-Yang, features specialty cocktails like a gimlet with lemongrass-infused Japanese roku gin, a classic negroni made with beet and a New York sour. Beer, wine and coffee are also available, as well as dishes like egg drop soup, shrimp toast with cilantro and spaghetti.
ABC Pony is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 7 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sunday.
Emilie’s
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Capitol Hill's Emilie’s, the New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Emilie’s bagged a 25.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Washington's New American scene: Flower Child has seen a 10.8% increase in reviews, and City Winery and BlackSalt have seen 9.2% and 0.7% increases, respectively.
Open at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. SE since October 2019 by chef Kevin Tien, Emilie’s menu options include fermented mustard greens, a ranch fried chicken sandwich on Texas toast, scallop crudo with chili oil and a pork blade steak with a peanut sauce.
Emilie’s is open from 5–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 5–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5 –9:30 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Estuary
And CityCenterDC's Estuary is also making waves. Open since March 2019 at 950 New York Ave. NW, on the third floor of the Conrad hotel, the restaurant has seen a 10.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.3% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Estuary's review count increased by more than 200%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's seafood category: The Bar @ Milk & Honey has seen an 8.6% increase in reviews, and La Vie has seen a 5.4% bump.
Estuary, another venture of chef brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, offers Maryland crab rolls, blackened monkfish and griddled flounder, as well as a caramel apple sangria, among many other options. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
The restaurant is open daily for breakfast from 6:30-11 a.m., for lunch on Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and for dinner on Sunday-Thursday from 5:30-10:30 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 5:30-11 p.m.
Circa
Circa in Navy Yard is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The restaurant, which has three other outlets in the area, opened at 99 M St. SE, Suite 100, in Navy Yard in February 2019. It increased its new review count by 7% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1% for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)."
In terms of specialities, "Whether dropping in for brunch, lunch, dinner — every meal is accompanied by an extensive wine list, a seasonal cocktail list and rotating local craft beers," its Yelp page states.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: Little Pearl has seen a 4.9% increase in reviews, and The Avenue and Red Derby have seen 4.2% and 0.4% increases, respectively.
Lobster ravioli, braised short rib, steak frites, jambalaya and seared ahi tuna are among the menu selections.
Circa is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Punjab Grill
Finally, Penn Quarter's Punjab Grill is currently on the upswing in the cocktail bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cocktail bar and fine dining restaurant increased its new reviews by 9.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 427 11th St. NW since March 2019, Punjab Grill is noted for its palace-like interior design. Cocktails include a twist on a gin and tonic with added mango, ginger, lemongrass- and cardamom-infused gin, turmeric tonic and kumquat. The dinner menu features tiger prawns with moilee mousse, lamb with pickled kohlrabi and mint chutney and jackfruit dumplings with lababdar sauce.
Punjab Grill is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday, and for dinner from 5-10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 5- 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5-9 p.m. on Sunday.
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.
