Want the intel on Washington's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which local businesses have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots are getting plenty of attention this spring.
Tonari
Open since February, this bar and Japanese restaurant, which offers pizza and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month. Tonari 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 its history section on Yelp: "Celebrated Daikaya Group partners Yama Jewayni, Katsuya Fukushima and Daisuke Utagawa are thrilled to announce the opening of their fifth restaurant in the District — Tonari — meaning ‘next door’ or ‘neighbor.' Tonari will serve as the first restaurant in Washington, D.C., to showcase Japanese-style or ‘Wafu’ pasta and pizza."
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: THRōW Social has seen a 266.7% increase in reviews, and The Admiral and TallBoy have seen 45.8% and 6.9% increases, respectively.
Located at 707 Sixth St. NW in Chinatown, Tonari features uni pasta, fresh clam pizza, Mentaiko pasta and for dessert, espresso affogato.
Tonari is open for dinner from noon - 8 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and noon–9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Milk & Honey
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the H Street Corridor's Milk & Honey, the bar and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Milk & Honey appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
There's more that's trending on Washington's New American scene: Nina May has seen a 20.3% increase in reviews, and Rooster & Owl and Medium Rare have seen 9.5% and 1% increases, respectively.
Open at 1245 H St. NE since 2019, Milk & Honey offers Southern-inspired dishes, such as deep-fried salmon hash, a lobster, egg and cheese biscuit, cheesy grits and buffalo tater tots.
Milk & Honey is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Bluestone Lane
Logan Circle's Bluestone Lane, an outpost of the well-known chain, is also making waves. Open since January at 1515 Rhode Island Ave. NW, the breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 1.3% increase in new reviews over the last month — matching that of all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp
For an overview of the business, we looked to the history section of its Yelp page. Here's what we found: "Bluestone Lane Coffee is influenced from the renowned coffee culture hub of Melbourne, Australia, where premium coffee and cafe ritual is a way of life. We're committed to providing a genuine daily escape for all our locals through premium coffee, healthy and delicious eats and a warm, friendly experience."
Want to know more about who's behind the business? We found this on Yelp: "Nick Stone is a native of Melbourne, Australia, who moved to New York City in 2010. He set out to form a team that could help realize a vision of bringing better, more personal coffee and cafè experiences to New York, like those commonly found in his hometown."
What's the business known for? "We offer premium coffee and healthy and delicious eats through an always welcoming experience that embraces our 'Aussie' approach to life," its Yelp page says.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Washington's breakfast and brunch category: Unconventional Diner has seen a 4.3% increase in reviews, and Tortuga Caribbean Bar & Grille and Belga Cafe have seen 11.1% and 0.3% increases, respectively.
Avocado toast, almond oatmeal, goat cheese and prosciutto toast and vegan cereal with berries, in addition to a variety of coffees, are among the offerings at Bluestone Lane. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Bluestone Lane is open from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. daily.
Emmy Squared Pizza
Shaw's Emmy Squared Pizza is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The restaurant, which opened at 1924 Eighth St. NW in January, increased its new review count by 63.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)."
Curious about this business? We found this in its Yelp history section: "Emmy Squared Pizza, co-founded by Emily Hyland and executive chef Matthew Hyland, takes pride in choosing fresh high-quality ingredients and creating incredible flavor combinations for their elevation of Detroit-style pizza. The crispy, cheesy borders and light, airy dough of these square crusts have made passionate converts of pizza lovers far from Detroit."
What's the business known for? "Le Big Matt — double-stack Pat LaFrieda grass-fed beef patties, American cheese, greens, pickles, Sammy Sauce, pretzel bun, side waffle fries; spicy chicken — salsa pico, pickles, radish, bok choy, house-made ranch, pretzel bun; Colony2 — house red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, house-pickled jalapeños, honey; The Emmy — mozzarella, banana peppers, red onion, house-made ranch, side house red sauce; Margarita — sauce, mozzarella, fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil," according to its Yelp page.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: Harlot DC has seen a 61.1% increase in reviews, and King Street Oyster Bar has seen a 29.5% bump.
Emmy Squared Pizza is open from 4 p.m.–10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m.–midnight on Friday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday and Tuesday.)
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.
