Want the inside word on Washington's most talked-about local spots?
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 analyze which restaurants have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots are extra cool this winter.
Matchbox
Open in Penn Quarter since July 2019, this New American and breakfast, brunch and pizza chain is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Matchbox in Penn Quarter saw a 21.3% increase, maintaining a strong four-star rating throughout.
Fascinated so far? Here's more about the business from its Yelp history section: "We're 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."
The chain, which has several other locations in Washington, has its newest outlet at 750 E St. NW in Penn Quarter. Mini burgers, spicy tuna tartare tacos, crispy calamari, cream of crab soup and chicken wings are among the menu options.
Matchbox in 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.
Eat BRGZ
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Capitol Hill's Eat BRGZ, 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, Eat BRGZ bagged a 17.3% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a strong four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.2 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
What's the business known for? "We’ve reimagined an American classic by mixing fresh, high quality ingredients and bold spices directly into the patty to create the first truly custom made-to-order burger. " — that's from its its Yelp page.
There's more that's trending on Washington's New American scene: City Winery has seen a 7.5% increase in reviews, and BlackSalt has seen a 0.4% bump.
Open at 250 Seventh St. SE since August 2019, Eat BRGZ offers fresh-cut fries and shakes in addition to its many burger varieties, including barbecue, Greek, Cuban and Mexican styles.
Eat BRGZ is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 7 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Roaming Rooster
Roaming Rooster is also making waves. The chicken shop, which started as a food truck in 2015, is located at 3176 Bladensburg Road NE in Woodridge. The traditional American spot has seen a 10% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's traditional American category: Circa in Navy Yard has seen a 9.3% increase in reviews, and Little Pearl and Red Derby have seen 6.3% and 0.4% increases, respectively.
Roaming Rooster features free-range grain-fed chicken. It offers fried chicken sandwiches, chicken wings and chicken tenders, as well as coleslaw, fries, macaroni and cheese and salads. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Roaming Rooster is open from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Sunday.
District Kitchen
Woodley Park's District Kitchen is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The well-established bar and New American spot, which opened at 2606 Connecticut Ave. NW in 2012, increased its new review count by 0.5% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.1% for the Yelp category "Bars." According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, District Kitchen saw visits more than double over the past month.
What's the business known for? "District Kitchen offers shareable plates, 'half' and 'full' portions, serving lunch, brunch and dinner. Delivery is offered by UberEats, Eat24 and Grubhub." — that's according to its Yelp page.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Mission in Navy Yard has seen an 8.8% increase in reviews, and El Centro and Lincoln have seen 1.1% and 0.7% increases, respectively.
Seafood paella, grilled salmon, roasted chicken tikka and New York strip steak are among the entree options at District Kitchen.
The restaurant is open from 5.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5–11 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5–11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5–9 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest on Mondays and Thursdays, and it attracts half of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Wednesdays.
Room 11
Columbia Heights' popular Room 11 is currently on the upswing in the cocktail bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this wine bar, cocktail bar and New American spot increased its new reviews by 0.4% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Visits to Room 11 increased by more than 50% over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
What's the business known for? "A cozy, European-style café and corner bar, Room 11 offers house-baked paisley fig pastries for brunch and creative craft cocktails at night." — that's according to its Yelp page.
Open for business at 3234 11th St. NW since 2009, Room 11 offers macaroni and cheese with pancetta, chicken confit, smoked trout salad and crispy skin pork belly with sriracha glaze.
Room 11 is open from 5 p.m.–1 a.m. on Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.–1 a.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.
