The Denver Restaurants Generating Lots Of Buzz

(HOODLINE) - 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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to deduce which eateries have been most discussed 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 riding a trend, right now.

Devour The 303

This traditional American eatery, which offers breakfast, brunch, burgers and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.

Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Devour The 303 saw a 56.2% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Devour The 303's review count increased by more than 280%.

Located at 1135 E. Evans Ave. in Platt Park, Devour The 303 features a wide selection on its various menus, including brunch plates like a breakfast burrito and avocado toast, hamburgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and other dinner specialties.

Devour The 303 is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.

Rhein Haus Denver

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Lodo's Rhein Haus Denver, the well-established bar and German gastropub, which serves pretzels and more, has seen a major increase in foot traffic recently.

While Rhein Haus Denver stayed on par with the median 1.6% increase in new reviews businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a sound four-star rating, the number of visitors to Rhein Haus Denver more than doubled over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.

There's more that's trending on Denver's bar scene: SOL Mexican Cocina has seen a 7.6% increase in reviews.

Open at 1415 Market St. since 2015, Rhein Haus Denver is known for its German-style dishes, including bratwurst, pork schnitzel, beef goulash, giant pretzels and fresh-baked apple strudel.

Rhein Haus Denver is open from 3–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 3 p.m.–2 a.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–2 a.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., and most people visit Rhein Haus Denver on Saturdays and Fridays, so go on Mondays if you want to avoid the rush.

Uchi

Five Points' Uchi is also making waves. Open at 2500 Lawrence St., the well-established Japanese sushi bar, which specializes in seafood and Japanese fare, has seen a 6.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to Uchi increased by more than 50% over the past month.

Uchi's menu is brimming with Japanese-inspired plates, including classic sushi items, edamame, grilled shishito peppers, hot rock Wagyu beef, shrimp tempura and coconut mochi cake for dessert. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.

Uchi is open from 5–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 5–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and on Saturdays and Fridays, so go on Mondays if you'd prefer to avoid the rush.

Hacienda Colorado

Central Business District's Hacienda Colorado is the city's buzziest Mexican cantina by the numbers.

The well-established local Mexican chain, which was founded in 1998 and is open downtown at 1550 Court Place, increased its new review count by 12.8% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.7% for the Yelp category "Mexican." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected, based on past performance.

Hacienda Colorado offers traditional Mexican cuisine with a Coloradan twist, featuring menu items like Mountain-Mex burritos, Pikes Peak nachos, assorted quesadillas, street tacos, Front Range fajitas and an extensive list of margaritas.

Hacienda Colorado is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon–7 p.m. on Sunday.

Acova

The Highlands' popular Acova is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.

While establishments categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this New American destination increased its new reviews by 7.9% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.

Open for business at 3651 Navajo St. since 2018, Acova has a diverse array of lunch and dinner options on its menu, ranging from grilled oysters, tomatillo beer cheese dip with corn chips, pork posole green chili soup and a Cobb salad to lobster macaroni and cheese, a buffalo chicken wrap, chimichurri cauliflower steak and spaghetti bolognese.

Acova is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and from 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.

Article provided by Hoodline.