Yelp Adds 'Hipster' To Official Rating System

Local search site Yelp has quietly added a "hipster" option to help reviewers assess the "ambience" of eateries, watering holes and other points of interest.

The New York Post defines a "hipster ambiance" as one that caters to the "skinny-jeans-wearing, Pabst Blue Ribbon-swilling, somber-and-ironic crowd." Eater National asks whether "hipster" means "that the bartenders wear bowties and vests, and that the restaurants decor includes old junk store paintings, retro clocks, fish sculptures, and uncomfortable chairs?" or whether it suggests "that beverages are served in Ball jars and that music is obscure and ironically eclectic?"

Though the definition seems pretty loose, a few reviewers have already used the tag. Eater Nation located several of these hipster hangouts, including Central in Portland, Oregon and Roberta's in Brooklyn, New York.

Yelp's ambiance categories are fairly subjective and include options for "romantic," "trendy," "intimate," "dive-y," "casual," "classy," and "touristy," in addition to "hipster."

Check out an image of a "hipster" locale, according to a Yelp reviewer, and us how you feel about Yelp's new ambiance option.

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ROBERTA'S IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK:

Comments

[Freddy Nightliker]

02:59 PM on 04/02/2011

can i eat a hipster at these eatery? look kinda tastey. mmmm. boney.

[Exene]

03:40 PM on 03/23/2011

I was a coffee shop in San Francisco the last time I was out there where literally every single person in the place but me was staring into the screen of a Mac Book.

[VeggieLove]

01:36 PM on 03/23/2011

Awesome! I can use the option to stay away from "hipster" restaurants, bars, or any where else they might frequent.

[Visionary Excellence]

10:39 AM on 03/23/2011

hipster doesnt mean hip. it means one flav of trendy.

its a trend in the marketing industry to use social media and location based tracking to define and use sub culture profiles. jocks. middle aged alcoholics. horse lovers. whatever.

[mheister]

04:57 AM on 03/23/2011

If it helps me to know which places to avoid....

I mean, look, if it's getting Yelped as a hipster establishment, then it's no longer a hipster establishment.

[rub1x]

12:07 AM on 03/23/2011

I can't argue with the hipster rating of Roberta's... though it's more due to the clientele.

[jeremylh1]

10:56 PM on 03/22/2011

Hipster = white kid wearing neon pretending to be poor, but parents are filthy rich.

[Blues02]

12:33 AM on 03/23/2011

Substitute middle class in there and that pretty much sums up all the ones I know.

[Smirnonn]

10:13 PM on 03/22/2011

Good luck to the "restaurants" who get the "hipster" rating. Seems like the "skinny-jeans-wearing, Pabst Blue Ribbon-swilling, somber-and-ironic crowd" aren't exactly a goldmine for a restaurant.

[Sol76]

09:38 PM on 03/22/2011

Can I eat in a Hipster restaurant if I do not do it ironically?

[Smirnonn]

10:14 PM on 03/22/2011

Yes, but you have to swill PBR in a somber way.

[Sol76]

01:25 AM on 03/23/2011

It goes without saying that if I did eat in a hipster restaurant I would feel jaded about digestion.

[Bogey907]

08:50 PM on 03/22/2011

Oh, you mean when they're not at work flipping burgers.

[Sol76]

09:37 PM on 03/22/2011

And french fried potatoes. I likes me some french fried potatoes, mmm hmmm.

[benji85]

08:36 PM on 03/22/2011

Aren't the majority of Yelp user hipsters?

[garystartswithg]

07:50 PM on 03/22/2011

We already have everything labeled as hipster friendly -- Brooklyn is kind of behind.

[Sol76]

09:58 PM on 03/22/2011

You have my condolences.

[garystartswithg]

10:05 PM on 03/22/2011

lol -- i like anything labeled hipster -- it usually makes for cheap beer.

[Indigo1941]

07:45 PM on 03/22/2011

I object! I'm too chubby for skinny jeans!

[VeggieLove]

01:37 PM on 03/23/2011

LOL...I'm sure you look beautiful in skinny jeans.

[Shawn P Williams]

07:37 PM on 03/22/2011

Sorry, I've never been much for the hipster crowd...I refuse to wear skinny jeans. I'll continue to wear my boot-cuts.

*lights a Camel, hops onto a horse, and rides into the sunset*
...some things never go out of style. Smoke Camels.

[billstewart]

08:12 PM on 03/22/2011

Well, then this rating will let you avoid restaurants that are infested with hipsters...

[UpUpandAway]

08:12 PM on 03/22/2011

Camels are Awesome.

[Clyde Pendleton]

06:53 PM on 03/22/2011

As long as there are hot hipster girls there, count me in.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

07:30 PM on 03/22/2011

more baggage then Amtrack

[Clyde Pendleton]

08:13 PM on 03/22/2011

It's 'than' but I won't hold that against you.