Want the intel on New York City'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 eateries have been in the limelight this month.
To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots are sizzling hot, right now.
The Dandy Lion Cafe
Open since December, this Brooklyn Cafe is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month. The Dandy Lion Cafe only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
Located at 8901 Third Ave. (at the corner of 89th Street) in Bay Ridge, The Dandy Lion Cafe puts a spin on diner-style comfort food, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Stop in for "paco" pancake tacos filled with eggs and bacon, waffles stuffed with Nutella and marshmallow fluff, omelets and frittatas, burgers and more. There's also smoothies, bubble tea, ice cream and other desserts.
The Dandy Lion Cafe is open from 8 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.–8 p.m. on Sunday.
AlMar
Dumbo's AlMar is also making waves. Open since 2011 at 111 Front St. (between Washington and Adams streets), the popular Italian spot saw only a 0.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.2% for all businesses tagged "Italian" on Yelp; however, AlMar saw visits more than triple over the past month, according to SafeGraph foot traffic data.
There's more than one hot spot trending in New York City's Italian category: Portale has seen a 56.2% bump.
In addition to traditional meat, seafood and pasta dishes, AlMar offers breakfast and brunch daily, featuring sweet morning favorites, salads, panini, and egg dishes like the Egg in a Cloud with smoked ham and fontina cheese. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
AlMar is open from 8 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, people tend to visit AlMar on Thursdays and Mondays, and it attracts most of its visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Tuesdays.
August Laura
The East Village's August Laura is the city's buzziest cocktail bar by the numbers.
The bar and restaurant, which opened in the former Sidewalk Cafe space (94 Ave. A) last fall, is still relatively new to Yelp but has seen a surge of new reviews. Meanwhile, the median new review count for the Yelp category "Cocktail Bars" was up 1.9% over the past month.
Previously located in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens, August Laura has landed in Manhattan offering 11 signature cocktails and a concise menu of elevated bar food. Try the Conrad Graves, with rum and banana liquor; the Not in Chicago, with mezcal and yellow chartreuse; or the 1907, with rye and homemade cola syrup. If you're looking to grab a bite, check out the Caesar Salad with crispy quinoa, the burger with pepperoncini aioli and the pan-seared branzino.
August Laura is open from 5 p.m.–midnight on Monday-Wednesday, 5 p.m.–4 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.–4 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.–midnight on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, people tend to visit AlMar on Thursdays and Mondays, and it attracts most of its visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Tuesdays.
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.
