A Greasy Spoon, Golf & Tacos Heat Up Denver's Dining Scene
(HOODLINE) - Want the intel on Denver's most talked-about local outposts? 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 local businesses have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then, we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which places are getting plenty of attention, right now.
Renegado Tacos and Margaritas
Open since autumn, this Mexican breakfast and brunch eatery is trending, in comparison to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch restaurants saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month. Renegado Tacos and Margaritas only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Broadway Roxy has seen a 100% increase in reviews, while Postino Broadway and Cafe Miriam have seen 39.4 and 9.8% increases, respectively.
Located at 6651 Tower Road, Suite 140, near the Denver International Airport, Renegado Tacos and Margaritas is known for its menu brimming with Mexican-inspired dishes, including nachos, crispy yucca fries, chili rellenos, enchiladas, tortas and various street tacos.
Renegado Tacos and Margaritas is open from 11 a.m.–2 a.m. daily.
West of Surrender
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Denver's Central Business District's West of Surrender, the traditional American greasy spoon is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, West of Surrender bagged a 66.7% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a sound four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.7 times more reviews than expected, based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Denver's traditional American scene: Post Oak Barbecue has seen a 10.2% increase in reviews.
Open at 501 16th St. Mall, West of Surrender provides a modern interpretation of traditional old western cuisine. Noteworthy items to try here include the lamb chili, short rib stroganoff, pulled pork sandwich, elk meatballs and pioneer-style meatloaf.
West of Surrender is open from 11 a.m.–midnight daily.
Urban Putt
LoDo's Urban Putt is also making waves. Open since autumn at 1201 18th St., the bar and mini golf venue has seen a 22.7% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.3% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Denver's bar category: The Way Backhas seen a 4.5% increase in reviews, and The Goods has seen a 4.5% bump.
In addition to miniature golf, Urban Putt features a full bar and on-site restaurant that serves fare made from locally sourced ingredients. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Urban Putt is open from 4 p.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday, 4 p.m.–1 a.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m.–midnight on Sunday.
Old Major
Highland's Old Major is the city's buzziest New American bistro by the numbers.
The well-established wine bar and New American steakhouse, which opened at 3316 Tejon St. in 2013, increased its new review count by 0.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "American (New)." According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to Old Major increased by more than 50% over the past month.
Old Major offers a casual approach to upscale farmhouse cuisine, complete with an in-house butchery on open display. The restaurant also boasts a comprehensive beer and wine selection at its bar with both local and international varietals.
Old Major is open from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5–10 p.m. on Wednesday-Friday and 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–10 p.m. on weekends. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest on Mondays and Fridays, and it attracts half of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Tuesdays.
Article provided by Hoodline.