Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?
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 discover which eateries have been getting a significant increase in attention 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 have momentum heading into springtime.
Home Sweet Harlem
Open at its present location since 2013, this well-established bistro and live music venue, which offers breakfast and brunch, has been getting a lot more foot traffic lately.
While Home Sweet Harlem stayed on par with the median 1.6% increase in new reviews for breakfast and brunch spots on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a sound four-star rating, the number of visitors to Home Sweet Harlem more than tripled over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Here's more about the business, from its history section on Yelp: "The Home Sweet Harlem concept started with a small eatery that was opened in 2000 on 135th Street in Central Harlem. This location was named Home Sweet Harlem Cafe. There was a lack of "farm-to-fork" organic, vegetarian, vegan or free-range products in the neighborhood. Home Sweet Harlem Cafe was one of the three pioneering food-service establishments that served a clientele who wanted to support restaurateurs who were willing to offer healthier fare than what was generally found in Harlem. The cafe closed its doors to the public in 2007, and a larger, better situated location across from the City College of New York was found for a new bistro with a broader concept for hosting events, offering beer and wine, and operating a full-service kitchen for catering. That bistro is Home Sweet Harlem, which opened to the public in late 2013."
Home Sweet Harlem's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: AlMar has seen a 0.9% increase in reviews.
Located at 1528 Amsterdam Ave. (between West 135th and West 136th streets) in Harlem, Home Sweet Harlem serves up light breakfast fare most days and heartier brunch dishes on Friday-Sunday. Stop in for egg and potato skillets, challah French toast, omelets and frittatas. Other menu items include salads, burgers and sandwiches.
Home Sweet Harlem also caters and hosts events and parties. Visit its website for more information.
According to SafeGraph, foot traffic at Home Sweet Harlem is heaviest on Fridays and Mondays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Sundays.
Gelso & Grand
Little Italy's Gelso & Grand is also making waves. Open since 2013 at 186 Grand St. (at the corner of Grand and Mulberry streets), the restaurant has seen a 1.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "Italian" on Yelp. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, Gelso & Grand saw visits more than triple over the past month.
Intrigued so far? Here's more about the business from its Yelp history section: "Gelso & Grand is located in the former Italian Food Center, a New York City staple serving sandwiches, breads, pasta and pastries since 1954. We seek to pay homage to this New York City staple with a modern twist on Italian favorites, featuring house-made pastas, fresh organic produce and locally sourced goods. We look forward to seeing you in our dining room!"
Gelso & Grand offers a menu of shareables, meat and seafood dishes, pasta and brick-oven pizza, as well as a full bar, outdoor patio seating and a private dining room. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Gelso & Grand is open from 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to try its slower period on Wednesdays.
Down The Road Sports Bar
Hell's Kitchen's Down The Road Sports Bar is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The bar, which opened at 683 Ninth Ave. (at 47th Street) in 2018, increased its new review count by 83.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.2% for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.3 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Want to know more about this business? We found this in its Yelp history section: "Down The Road was established in 2018 by three blue-collar guys that had a dream in mind. We are all about friends and family and fully support civil servants. We aim to cover all sports and to make sure everyone has a good time with their friends, with good drinks and food, when they come through our doors."
Down The Road Sports Bar is open from 2 p.m.–midnight on Monday-Wednesday and noon–2 a.m. on Thursday-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.
