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 restaurants have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at New York City 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 riding a trend this winter.
The Consulate
Open since November, this cocktail bar and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Consulate saw a significant 266.7% increase, with an upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis The Consulate's review count increased by more than 330%.
Located at 519 Columbus Ave. (between 85th and 86th streets) in the Upper West Side, The Consulate offers brunch, lunch and dinner. Menu items range from blueberry cast iron pancakes to wild mushroom truffle pasta to an eight-ounce burger topped with caramelized onions. Soups, salads and seafood dishes are also available.
The Consulate is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Zizi
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Chelsea's Zizi, the Mediterranean spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mediterranean" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Zizi appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
What's the business known for? "ZIZI serves a modern, inventive Mediterranean cuisine," according to its page on Yelp.
Open at 182 Eighth Ave. (between 19th and 20th streets) since 2019, Zizi offers a pear and apple burrata with pine nuts and balsamic, chicken and lamb shawarma with charred onion, lamb neck with smoked almonds and sheep yogurt and more.
Zizi is open from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. and 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on Monday.)
MomenTea Kitchen
And finally, the Theater District's MomenTea Kitchen is currently on the upswing in the sushi bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, this sushi bar saw a surge in new reviews despite being relatively new to Yelp.
Here's more about the business from Yelp: "A hybrid of fast-meal and dine-in experience, our customers can choose a quick stop by or a relaxing hours-long stay."
Open for business at 213 W. 40th St. (between Seventh and Eighth avenues), MomenTea Kitchen offers Hawaiian-inspired sushi, poke and bubble teas.
MomenTea Kitchen is open from 10:30 a.m.–10:30 p.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.
