As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, 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 discover which eateries have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots are worth exploring this winter.
Valentinetti's
Open since October 2019, this Italian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Valentinetti's saw a 55% increase, maintaining a superior four-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Carrello has seen a 32.3% increase in reviews, and How To Cook a Wolf and Cortina have seen 0.8 and 6.6% increases, respectively.
Located at 5425 Russell Ave. NW (between Market Street and North 20th Avenue) in Ballard, Valentinetti's offers brick-oven meatballs made with ground beef, pork, San Marzano Pomodoro and pecorino; ricotta gnocchi with brown butter, butternut squash, hazelnuts and parmesan; and cocktails like Viola's Uncle, made with housemade limoncello, thyme and lemon.
Valentinetti's is open from 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends.
Momosan Ramen & Sake
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the International District's Momosan Ramen & Sake, the popular izakaya, which offers ramen, noodles and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Noodles" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Momosan Ramen & Sake bagged an 11% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's noodle scene: Ramen Danbo has seen a 4.6% increase in reviews, and Ping's Dumpling House and New Leaf Bistro have seen 2.6 and 1.2% increases, respectively.
Open at 504 Fifth Ave. South, Suite 119 (between King and Jefferson streets) since September 2019, Momosan Ramen & Sake offers duck tacos with apricot sweet chili, sauteed pork belly topped with kimchi and steamed chicken dumplings in a Szechuan sesame chili sauce, as well as a variety of ramen dishes, meat skewers, sushi rolls and more.
Momosan Ramen & Sake is open from 5 p.m.–11 p.m. daily.
Patagon
Central Business District's Patagon is also making waves. Open since August 2018 at 1610 Second Ave. (between Stewart and Pine streets), the Argentine and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers desserts and more, has seen a 13.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Patagon's review count increased by more than 160%.
Patagon offers a slew of breakfast fare, including eggs Benedict, avocado toast, yogurt bowls, breakfast sandwiches and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Patagon is open from 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Ben Paris
Pike Market's Ben Paris is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The popular cocktail bar and New American breakfast and brunch spot, which opened at 130 Pike St. (between News Lane and First Avenue) in March 2019, increased its new review count by 8% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1% for the Yelp category "American (New)."
Stop by for such mid-morning dishes as tuna confit toast, ham and cheese hand pie and baked eggs; or dig into falafel bowls, cobb salad and buttermilk hushpuppies later in the day.
Ben Paris is open from 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 6:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Rider
Central Business District's well-established Rider is currently on the upswing in the seafood category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 0.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, this traditional American and live/raw food spot, which offers seafood and more, increased its new reviews by 4.9% — and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 220% on a month-to-month basis.
There's more abuzz in the world of Seattle seafood: Cinque Terre Ristorante has seen a 3.1% increase in reviews, and Taylor Shellfish Farms - Seattle has seen a 0.5% bump.
Open for business at 619 Pine St. (between Seventh and Sixth avenues) since 2017, Rider offers a variety of seafood options, including Pacific Northwestern shellfish, Dungeness crab toast and chowder with steamed shellfish, smoked fish, Yukon potatoes and house-cured bacon. Roasted pork loin, housemade espresso Caramelle pasta and duck and dumplings are also on the menu.
Rider is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends.
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.
