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 discover which restaurants have been in the limelight this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Seattle 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 on a hot streak, right now.
Champagne Diner
Open since August, this cocktail bar and diner is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, cocktail bars saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Champagne Diner saw a 35.7% increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Champagne Diner's review count increased by more than 330%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the cocktail bar category: Rupee Bar has seen a 38.5% increase in reviews, and Kin Len Thai Night Bites has seen a 16.9% bump.
Located at 945 Elliott Ave. West, Suite 201 (between Prospect and Roy streets) in Interbay, Champagne Diner serves up a champagne omelet served with summer vegetables, country ham and toast; a chilled mussel roll; a vegetable pot pie; and more. A slew of snacks and sides are also on offer, as well as mixed drinks, draft cider, wine by the glass and champagne bottles, which are available in its Bottle Shop.
Champagne Diner is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Eight Row
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Green Lake's Eight Row, the beer bar and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 0.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, Eight Row bagged a 21.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 7102 Woodlawn Ave. NE (between 72nd and 71st streets) since August 2019, Eight Row offers fried eggplant, pumpkin gnocchi, bison tartare, duck breast and more.
Eight Row is open from 4 p.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on Monday.)
Watson's Counter
Ballard's Watson's Counter is also making waves. Open since March 2019 at 6201 15th Ave. NW (between 62nd and 63rd streets), the popular Korean and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee, tea and more, has seen a 7.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Watson's Counter offers a lineup of all-day eats like honey butter chicken and waffles, Fruity Pebbles French toast and Korean poutine — fries topped with braised brisket in a housemade beef red-eye gravy and Beecher’s cheese curds.
Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Watson's Counter is open from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily.
Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood
The University District's Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The popular spot to score seafood and burgers, which opened at 4752 University Way NE (between 47th and 50th streets) in 2008, increased its new review count by 0.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1% for the Yelp category "Seafood." According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood increased by 50% over the past month.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Taylor Shellfish Farms - Seattle has seen a 0.7% increase in reviews.
Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood offers fish and chips, grilled salmon sandwiches and Phoenix fries — waffle fries topped with a medley of crumbled bacon, jalapenos, grilled onions, melted cheese and house Cajun sauce. The restaurant also serves up chicken wings, onion rings and fried mushrooms.
Mr Lu's Burgers & Seafood is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and noon–10 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, people visit Mr Lu's Burgers & Seafood most on Mondays and Sundays, and it attracts half of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Thursdays.
New Leaf Bistro
West Seattle's well-established New Leaf Bistro is currently on the upswing in the noodle category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Noodles" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Vietnamese spot, which offers noodles and more, increased its new reviews by 1.2% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Visits to New Leaf Bistro increased by 48% over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Open for business at 2342 California Ave. SW (between College Street and Admiral Way) since 2015, New Leaf Bistro offers pho, banh mi sandwiches, pineapple fried rice, grilled pork chops and more. When it comes to drinks, look for Thai iced tea, bubble tea, coconut juice and Vietnamese coffee.
New Leaf Bistro is open from 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., and people visit New Leaf Bistro most on Saturdays and Fridays, with a slowdown on Sundays.
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.
