Unsure where Washington's insiders are 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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to discover which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Washington 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
Maialino Mare
Open since January, this Italian restaurant, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month. Maialino Mare only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
Here's more about the business from Yelp: "Maialino Mare, a contemporary trattoria from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group located in the Thompson Washington, D.C., reimagines the flavors and comfort of Rome's Mediterranean locale for The District."
What does this business focus on? "Our menus showcase seafood pastas and whole-roasted fish, complemented by a robust Italian wine list and beautiful, rustic desserts," according to its Yelp page.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Hot N Juicy Crawfish has seen a 0.6% increase in reviews, and Coconut Club has seen a 1.2% bump.
Located at 221 Tingey St. SE in Navy Yard, Maialino Mare features salt-baked sea bass, slow-roasted suckling pig, spaghetti with red mullet roe and lemon, and pork ragu pappardelle, among other entrees.
Maialino Mare is open for dinner from 5-10 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and from 5-10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It has additional hours for coffee bar, breakfast, lunch, chicchetti and aperitivo.
BlackSalt
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Palisades's BlackSalt, the popular New American spot, which offers seafood and more, has been getting a lot more foot traffic lately.
While BlackSalt stayed on par with the median 1.5% increase in new reviews businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a healthy four-star rating, the number of visitors to BlackSalt more than tripled over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
Regarding specialities, "BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant, Washington's premier seafood restaurant, is wholly committed to the sustainability of fish and shellfish stocks worldwide. We constantly strive to source our products from companies and individuals who are like-minded," its Yelp page states.
There's more that's trending on Washington's New American scene: Black Coffee, owned by BlackSalt, has seen a 7.5% increase in reviews, and Shilling Canning Company and Kingbird have seen 16% and 5.6% increases, respectively.
Open at 4883 MacArthur Blvd. NW since 2004, BlackSalt restaurant offers harissa baby octopus, wood-grilled calamari, caviar by the ounce, New England clam chowder and lobster tempura.
BlackSalt is open from 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at noon, 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Fridays and Thursdays, with a slowdown on Mondays.
Duke's Grocery
Foggy Bottom's Duke's Grocery is also making waves. Open since May 2019 at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, the bar and gastropub, which offers burgers and more, has seen a 7.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, Duke's Grocery saw visits more than triple over the past month.
Interested in more about this business? We found this in its Yelp history section: "The third and largest location of the popular Duke's local restaurants, the Duke's Grocery edition in Foggy Bottom adds to the favorite menu items from the Dupont and Woodley Park sites thanks to an expanded kitchen with more seating options."
If you're curious about specialities, "Proper burger, bottomless brunch, monster sandwiches, East London-inspired gastropub cuisine with international twists. Full bar with 12 draught lines, seasonal cocktails and a fun wine list," its Yelp page says.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's bar category: Johnny Pistolas has seen a 0.9% increase in reviews, and Prather's on the Alley has seen a 6.5% bump.
Among the menu options at Duke's Grocery are truffle mac and cheese, pork wings, chickpea and green chile hummus and chicken schnitzel, in addition to Angus beef burgers. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior four-star rating among Yelpers.
Duke's Grocery is open from 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. According to SafeGraph, people tend to visit Duke's Grocery on Wednesdays and Tuesdays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to try its slower periods on Sundays.
The Riggsby
Dupont Circle's popular The Riggsby is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this traditional American and breakfast and brunch spot increased its new reviews by 5.2% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 380% on a month-to-month basis.
Who's behind this business? Look to Yelp: "With restaurants spanning the country, Michael Schlow is one of the most influential and respected chef/restaurateurs in America today. He's been the recipient of many awards, including being named Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation, Best Chef in the Country by Santé Magazine, as well as the Culinary Award of Excellence given out by Robert Mondavi to only six recipients a year."
There's more abuzz in the world of Washington traditional American: Little Pearl has seen a 6.8% increase in reviews.
Open for business at 1731 New Hampshire Ave. NW in the Kimpton Carlyle Hotel since 2015, The Riggsby offers homemade pappardelle with truffle and roasted oyster mushroom, Portuguese steamed clams, New York strip steak au poivre and braised lamb shank.
The Riggsby is open from 5–10:30 p.m. daily for dinner and has additional hours for breakfast, lunch and cocktail hour.
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.
