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Are These Trending Chicago Restaurants On Your Radar?

Photo: Perilla Korean American Fare/Yelp

Wondering where Chicago's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which eateries have been in the spotlight 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 getting plenty of attention this autumn.

Perilla Korean American Fare

Photo: Perilla Korean American Fare/Yelp

Open since mid July, this Korean spot, which offers barbecue and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp.

Citywide, steakhouses saw a median 0.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Perilla Korean American Fare saw a 52% increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today.

Located at 401 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Fulton River District, the restaurant's on-the-grill steak offerings include ribeye, short rib, strip, skirt and more.

Perilla Korean American Fare is open from 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.–midnight on Friday, 4 p.m.–midnight on Saturday and 4 p.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.

Good Fortune

photo: michaelangelo v./yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Logan Square's Good Fortune, the New American spot and bar 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, Good Fortune bagged a notable 125% 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 more that's trending on Chicago's New American scene: Superkhana International has seen a 54.5% increase in reviews.

Open at 2528 N. California Ave. (between Logan Boulevard and Altgeld Street) since late August, Good Fortune offers such pastas as black garlic rigatoni and and saffron bucatini, as well as a variety of large plates, including roasted prawns and crispy half chicken.

Good Fortune is open from 5 p.m.–1 a.m. on Wednesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday and Tuesday.)

Ascione Bistro

Photo: Acione bistro/Yelp

Hyde Park's Ascione Bistro is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.

The eatery, which opened at 1500 E. 55th St. in mid August, increased its new review count by 62.5% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Italian."

It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Tortello has seen a 34.7% increase in reviews, and Anto Pizza & Pasta Chicago has seen a 23.6% bump.

Ascione Bistro's dinner menu features such dishes as pennoni with spicy sausage, veal shank ossobuco style and linguine.

Ascione Bistro is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Old Pueblo Cantina

photo: old pueblo cantina/yelp

Sheffield Neighbors's Old Pueblo Cantina is currently on the upswing in the cocktail bar category on Yelp.

While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Mexican restaurant, cocktail bar, venue and event space increased its new reviews by a remarkable 130% — with its Yelp rating declining slightly from five stars to 4.5 stars.

There's more abuzz in the world of Chicago cocktail bars: Amaru has seen a 63% increase in reviews.

Open for business at 1200 W. Webster Ave. (between Magnolia and Racine avenues) since mid August, Old Pueblo Cantina's bar offerings include such craft cocktails as El Roadrunner (mezcal, blood orange, rhubarb, jalapeño) and  El Squirtsky Draft (tequila, grapefruit, blood orange, salted rim), along with tequila, margaritas, beers and wines.

Old Pueblo Cantina is open from 4:30 p.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 4:30 p.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 4:30 p.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.

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