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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to deduce which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 extra hot this spring.
Thai Diner
Open since February, this spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Thai" on Yelp.
Citywide, Thai spots saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month. Thai Diner only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
Located at 186 Mott St. (at the corner of Kenmare) in Nolita, this Thai-American concept, from the husband-wife team behind nearby Uncle Boons, fuses authentic Thai cuisine with greasy spoon favorites, serving up sandwiches, salads, soups, noodle dishes and all-day breakfast options. Thai diner also boasts a full bar.
Thai Diner is open from 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday and 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on Monday.)
Abuela Antonia Mexican Restaurant
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Crown Heights' Abuela Antonia Mexican Restaurant, it's a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Abuela Antonia Mexican Restaurant appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest. Moreover, according to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visit to Abuela Antonia Mexican Restaurant nearly doubled in the past month.
Open at 225 Rockaway Ave. (between Dean and Pacific streets) since March 2019, this cozy, casual spot offers a full menu of traditional Mexican fare, such as burritos, enchiladas, tortas and tacos with steak, carnitas, lengua, chorizo and more.
Abuela Antonia Mexican Restaurant is open from 10 a.m.–10 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest on Fridays and Saturdays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Thursdays.
Casa Nomad
Midtown's Casa Nomad is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
This elegant daytime spot, which opened at 1204 Broadway (between 29th and 30th streets) back in October, increased its new review count by 31.7% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.1% for the Yelp category "American (New)."
Casa Nomad offers breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days a week, with an emphasis on healthy ingredients and vegetarian and gluten-free options. Stop by in the morning for toasts with fruit and almond butter, brioche breakfast sandwiches, pressed juices, yogurt parfaits and coffee drinks, or swing by at lunchtime for build-your-own grain bowls made with a rotating selection of veggies and proteins.
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.
