Curious where Pasadena'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 deduce which eateries have been getting outsized notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Pasadena 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 closing the year out strong.
Superba Snacks + Coffee
Open since September, this early morning breakfast spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw review counts increase by a median of 1.4 percent over the past month, but Superba Snacks + Coffee saw a 64.7 percent increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Cafe Chimichurri has seen a 12.7 percent increase in reviews, and Great Maple has seen a 7.6 percent bump.
Located at 712 S. Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, Superba Snacks + Coffee offers pastries, breakfast toasts and dishes like vegetable frittata with fine herbs and crème fraîche. (You can check out the full menu here.)
Foothill
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Pasadena's Foothill, the cocktail bar and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 1.5 percent over the past month, foothill bagged a 29.7 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Pasadena's New American scene: The Mixx Pasadena has seen a 12.8 percent increase in reviews, and Urbane Cafe and The Arbour have seen 10.1 and 8.9 percent increases, respectively.
Open at 2835 E. Foothill Blvd. since June, Foothill offers New American lunch offerings like coffee-braised short ribs with natural jus reduction and portabella mushroom fries with garlic aioli. (See the full dinner menu here.)
Motto Tea Cafe
Pasadena's Motto Tea Cafe is also making waves. Open since March at 100 W. Green St., Unit 101, the popular tea room has seen a 17.7 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5 percent for all businesses tagged "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.
Motto Tea Cafe offers a variety of hot and iced teas, from cheese mousse sakura oolong to Japanese genmai green. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers. (You can view the full assortment here.)
