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 to analyze which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots are sizzling hot this spring.
The Dandy Lion Cafe
Open since December, this Brooklyn eatery is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Comfort food" on Yelp.
Citywide, comfort food spots saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Dandy Lion Cafe saw an 86.7% increase, maintaining a convincing four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, The Dandy Lion Cafe's review count increased by more than 320%.
Located at 8901 Third Ave. (at the corner of 89th Street) in Bay Ridge, The Dandy Lion Cafe serves up diner-style comfort food, including breakfast and brunch, seven days a week. Check out the "paco" pancake tacos filled with eggs and bacon, the Monte Cristo waffle sandwich, the wide selection of burgers and sandwiches, and more. There's also smoothies, bubble tea, milk shakes and 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.
Zanmi
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Prospect-Lefferts Gardens' Zanmi, the Haitian and Creole spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cajun/Creole" on Yelp saw a median 2.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Zanmi appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
Want to know more? "Zanmi, in our sweet language of Kreyol, simply means 'friends.' Our restaurant is here to provide great Haitain food for our 'Zanmi' in the neighborhood. So with open arms, we invite you good people to come and be our friends." — that's courtesy of its page on Yelp.
Open at 1206 Nostrand Ave. (at the corner of Hawthorne Street) since February, Zanmi offers small plates like grilled conch with spicy slaw, pizza made with Creole aioli, and Kaffou Wings with "Sauce Kreyol," as well as big plates like platters of broiled goat, the fish of the day with butter and herbs, and the Taptap Sandwich made with garlic chicken and honey Dijon dressing on ciabatta bread.
Zanmi is open seven days a week.
Ortomare Ristorante Pizzeria
The Upper West Side's Ortomare Ristorante Pizzeria is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.
Ortomare Ristorante Pizzeria, which opened at 994 Columbus Ave. (at 109th Street) in February 2019, increased its new review count by 34.4% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Italian." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.6 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
The new spot — whose name, Ortomare, means "garden and sea" in Italian — serves a full menu of authentic Italian favorites. Stop in for antipasti like Roman salad, slow-cooked meatballs and the ortomare (grilled veggies, calamari and shrimp); homemade pasta dishes like penne in vodka sauce and linguine with clams; entrees like chicken parm and grilled branzino; and brick-oven pizzas topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, artichoke hearts and more. Ortomare Ristorante Pizzeria also boasts a full drink list featuring beer, classic cocktails and Italian wine.
Ortomare Ristorante Pizzeria is open from 4–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 4–10:30 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on 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.
