Foodies Should Check Out These Restaurants Making Waves On Denver's Dining Scene
(HOODLINE) - As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So, how can you tell which tastes are trending right this very moment? We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which eateries have been getting extra attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Denver 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 outposts are sizzling hot, right now.
American Elm
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about West Highland's American Elm, the New American bistro is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, American Elm bagged a staggering 144.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
There's even more trending in Denver's New American scene: Acova has seen a 6.3% increase in reviews.
Open at 4132 W. 38th Ave. since this past summer, American Elm offers an elevated interpretation of classic American cuisine, along with a sizable list of cocktails, beer and wine. Menu items to look for include steak frites, lollipop chicken wings, country-fried mushrooms, a watermelon and arugula salad, summer squash linguine and seared scallops.
American Elm is open from 4–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 4–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
La Loteria Taqueria
South Broadway's La Loteria Taqueria is also making waves. Open since summer 2019 at 42 S. Broadway, the Mexican eatery has seen a staggering 153.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5% for all businesses tagged "Mexican" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Denver's Mexican category: El Cazo Cocina Y Cantina has seen a 15.9% increase in reviews.
Originally starting out as a locally beloved food truck, La Loteria Taqueria features an array of authentic Mexican dishes on its menu, such as street-style tacos, tortas, flautas, burritos and green chile soup. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from five stars to 4.5 stars.
La Loteria Taqueria is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–2:45 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Jovanina's Broken Italian
Lodo's Jovanina's Broken Italian is the city's buzziest Italian outlet by the numbers.
The Italian restaurant, which can be found at 1520 Blake St., increased its new review count by 10.5% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.4% for the Yelp category "Italian." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected, based on past performance.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Blue Pan Pizza has seen a 6% increase in reviews.
According to its Yelp page, Jovanina's Broken Italian specializes in contemporary Italian cuisine with a Coloradan twist. On the menu, anticipate items like coal-roasted olives, fettuccine with butter-poached shrimp, calamarata pasta with elk bolognese, grass-grazed veal chop and a selection of wood-fired pizzas.
Jovanina's Broken Italian is open from 4:30–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday and from 5:30–8:30 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Post Oak Barbecue
Berkeley's popular Post Oak Barbecue is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, this traditional American smokehouse, which is known for its barbecue, increased its new reviews by 10.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 4000 Tennyson St. since this past summer, Post Oak Barbecue serves Texas-style barbecue and smoked meats in a family-friendly dining environment, with menu items ranging from ribs, pulled pork and turkey breast to house-made sausage, pork shoulder and beef brisket.
Post Oak Barbecue is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Article provided by Hoodline.
