Get these trending Chicago restaurants on your radar today
Frunchroom. | Photo: Danielle A./Yelp
Curious where Chicago's in-the-know crowd is 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 analyze which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 increase their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are riding a trend this spring.
Cozy Corner Restaurant & Pancake House
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Oriole Park's Cozy Corner Restaurant & Pancake House, the breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Cozy Corner Restaurant & Pancake House bagged a 38.2 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.3 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 5454 N. Harlem Ave. since January 2019, Cozy Corner Restaurant & Pancake House offers eggs with sausage, bacon or corned beef hash, as well as pancakes, crepes and waffles. For lunch, choose from a variety of sandwiches, wraps and salads. (View the menu here.)
RAMEN-SAN
West Town's RAMEN-SAN is also making waves. Open since May 2018 at 219 N. Green St. (between Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street), the ramen spot has seen a 16.4 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.5 percent for all businesses tagged "Ramen" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis RAMEN-SAN's review count increased by more than 200 percent.
RAMEN-SAN offers array of spicy Japanese noodle dishes, dumplings, chicken wings and Asahi beer. Favorites include the spicy miso ramen with ground pork, kung pao chiles and napa cabbage and the fried chicken ramen with buttered corn and fried garlic. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior four-star rating among Yelpers.
Frunchroom
Portage Park's frunchroom is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The cafe and deli, which offers sandwiches and more and opened at 4042 N. Milwaukee Ave. (between Cuyler and Illinois Route 50 avenues) in April 2018, increased its new review count by 15.5 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.2 percent for the Yelp category "Sandwiches." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.7 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Frunchroom offers breakfast fare, soups, smoked meats, sandwiches and milkshakes. Notable items include a fried chicken sandwich; a bagel and lox with cream cheese, tomato, cucumber, pickles and dill; and the Frunchroom burger with aïoli, onion, pickle, American cheese and charred scallion.
Paradise Park
Wicker Park's Paradise Park is currently on the upswing in the pizza category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp saw a median 1.8 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar, which offers pizza and more, increased its by 13.7 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 1913 W. North Ave. (between Winchester and Elk Grove avenues) since August 2018, the business offers appetizers, calzones and pizzas like the vegetarian-friendly Strike A Posner with Romas, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan on pesto and the Smoke Show with blackened chicken, jalapeños, cream cheese and chili flakes on a garlic and olive oil base. Here's the menu.
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.
