Want the intel on Miami Beach's most happening local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which restaurants have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Miami Beach 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.
Read on to see which spots are worth exploring, right now.
Lobster Bar Sea Grille
Open since March 2017, this restaurant is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "seafood" on Yelp. It's part of a well-established restaurant group with locations in Georgia and Florida.
Citywide, seafood spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, but Lobster Bar Sea Grille saw an 11.4 percent increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 404 Washington Ave., Suite 100 in South Pointe, Lobster Bar Sea Grille offers appetizers like grilled East Coast oysters, seared ahi tuna, Maine lobster bisque and white asparagus served with a soft-boiled egg. For your main course, check out the restaurant's specialty: grilled fresh whole fish with lemon vinaigrette, Santorini capers and braised Tuscan kale.
Salt Kitchen & Lounge
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Salt Kitchen & Lounge, the contemporary American eatery is a hot topic according to Yelp review data. It debuted in December at 350 Ocean Drive in the Room Mate Lord Balfour Hotel.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their review counts by a median of 2.3 percent over the past month, Salt Kitchen & Lounge bagged a 22.7 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
Salt Kitchen & Lounge offers grilled dry-aged rib eye, crispy skin red snapper, bacon-wrapped cauliflower with brown butter sauce, roasted organic chicken and more.
There's more that's trending on Miami Beach's New American scene: Stubborn Seed has seen a 14.9 percent increase in reviews.
Santorini by Georgios
Santorini is also making waves at 101 Ocean Drive in the Hilton Bentley. Open since March 2016, the bar and Greek spot, which offers seafood and more, has seen an 8.8 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.8 percent for all businesses tagged "bars" on Yelp.
On its drinks menu, look for signature cocktails and exotic beverages like the AmorJito Giant Bowl with mint, passionfruit, lime and dark and white rum. Hungry? Chicken souvlaki and lamb kebabs are also on offer. (Find the full menu here.) Over the past month, the establishment has maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
