Wondering where Philadelphia's in-the-know crowd is eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which local businesses have been getting a noteworthy uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Philadelphia 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 sizzling hot, right now.
Emmy Squared
Open since 2019, this spot to score pizza, sandwiches and burgers is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp.
Citywide, sandwich spots saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Emmy Squared saw a 39.5% increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout.
For an overview of the business, we looked to the history section of its Yelp page. Here's what we found: "Emmy Squared Pizza, co-founded by Emily Hyland and executive chef Matthew Hyland, specializes in Detroit-style pizza. The first Emmy Squared Pizza joined the neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2016. Since then, Emmy Squared has opened its doors in locations across several states and has plans to expand nationally."
It's not the only trending outlier in the sandwich category: Angelo's Pizzeria has seen a 9.2% increase in reviews.
Located at 632 S. Fifth St. in Queen Village, Emmy Squared - Queen Village offers pizza, burgers and salads.
Emmy Squared - Queen Village is open from 4 p.m.–9 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Friday, noon–10 p.m. on Saturday and noon–9 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
K'Far Cafe
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Rittenhouse's K'Far Cafe, the well-established cafe and traditional American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, K'Far Cafe bagged a 20.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Philadelphia's traditional American scene: TGI Fridays has seen a 4.9% increase in reviews.
Open at 110 S. 19th St. since 2019, K'Far Cafe offers dishes like Tunisian-style tuna tartare, smoked trout toast and pastries.
K'Far Cafe is open from 8 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 8 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Sandler's On 9th
Washington Square's Sandler's On 9th is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 834 Chestnut St., the well-established New American spot has seen a 6.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.2% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Sandler's On 9th's review count increased by more than 200%.
Who's behind this business? Look to Yelp: "Founded by Paul Sandler, Sandler's on 9th, is located in the highly acclaimed Franklin Residences in Center City Philadelphia, is a casual dining restaurant that features upscale American comfort food with a unique twist."
There's more than one hot spot trending in Philadelphia's New American category: Xfinity Live! Philadelphia has seen a 0.9% increase in reviews.
Sandler's On 9th offers plates like breakfast sandwiches, chicken and waffles and pastries. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid four-star rating among Yelpers.
Sandler's On 9th 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.–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.
