Get These Trending Chicago Restaurants On Your Radar Today
As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, 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 restaurants have been getting extra attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Chicago 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 worth exploring, right now.
Il Culaccino
Open since August, this venue, event space and Italian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Il Culaccino saw a 92.3% increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Torchio Pasta Bar has seen a 21.4% increase in reviews, and Figo Wine Bar has seen a 19% bump.
Located at 2134 S. Indiana Ave. (between 21st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue), Il Culaccino offers stuffed peppers, baked clams and house-made gnocchi.
Il Culaccino is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. daily.
Francois Frankie
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Loop's Francois Frankie, the cocktail bar and French and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Francois Frankie bagged an 85% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Chicago's New American scene: Dirty Root has seen a 50% increase in reviews, and The Smith has seen a 19.3% bump.
Open at 222 W. Randolph St. (between Franklin and Wells streets) since July, Francois Frankie offers vegetable crudites and hummus, roast chicken and spaghetti and meatballs.
Francois Frankie is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
St. Clair Supper Club
West Town's St. Clair Supper Club is also making waves. Open since July at 951 W. Fulton Market, the traditional American spot has seen a 71.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Chicago's traditional American category: Ravenswood Station has seen a 33.3% increase in reviews, and Banditand City Tap Fulton Market have seen 32.8 and 30% increases, respectively.
St. Clair Supper Club offers prime rib, steak fries and frozen grasshopper pie. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from 3.5 stars to four stars.
St. Clair Supper Club is open from 5:30–9 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday and 5–9 p.m. on Thursday-Sunday.
Taste Of New York Bagels & Deli
Lakeview's Taste Of New York Bagels & Deli is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee and tea and bagels, increased its new reviews by 41.4% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 3268 N. Clark St. (between School Street and Aldine Avenue) since July, Taste Of New York Bagels & Deli offers breakfast sandwiches, paninis and wraps in addition to bagels.
Taste Of New York Bagels & Deli is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekends.