Want the inside word on Phoenix's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Phoenix 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 sizzling hot, right now.
City Tacos
Open since October, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, but City Tacos saw a 47.5 percent increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Cocina Madrigal has seen a 42.4 percent increase in reviews, and Rito's Mexican Food and The Tamale Store have seen 34.3 and 13.6 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 903 E. Bell Road, Suite 105 in Deer Valley, City Tacos offers an assortment of tacos, burritos, mulas and more. Meat choices include asada, chicken, pastor, tripa, birria and shrimp. Check out the full menu here.
Provision Coffee Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Camelback East's Provision Coffee Bar, the coffee roastery and cocktail bar, which offers coffee, tea and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, Provision Coffee Bar bagged a 15.9 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Phoenix's coffee and tea scene: Teapressa Arcadia has seen a 9.5 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 4501 N. 32nd St. since July, Provision Coffee Bar offers beer and specialty coffee drinks like its honey lavender latte, nitro brew and vanilla latte. Alternative milk options are also available.
Mimi Forno Italiano
Laveen's Mimi Forno Italiano is also making waves. Open since October at 3624 W. Baseline Road, Suite 174, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, has seen a 16.4 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.5 percent for all businesses tagged "Italian" on Yelp.
Mimi Forno Italiano offers authentic southern Italian cuisine like the Neapolitan pizza (with tomato sauce, garlic, oregano and anchovy fillets), ravioli (with ricotta and spinach, butter, sage and fresh parmigiano) and calamari (served with spicy tomato sauce). View the full menu here.
Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Roland's Cafe Market Bar
Central City's Roland's Cafe Market Bar is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The New American breakfast and brunch spot, which offers sandwiches and more and opened at 1505 E. Van Buren last April, increased its review count by 12.6 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.0 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: The Hatter and Hare has seen a 9.2 percent increase in reviews.
Roland's Cafe Market Bar offers all-day menus, a coffee and cocktail bar and to-go options. Stop by and try one of its sweet cheese turnovers or open-faced chorizo quesadillas.
Casa Corazon Restaurant
Open since April, this Mexican spot (which offers a weekend brunch) is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" saw review counts increase by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, but Casa Corazon Restaurant saw a 10.7 percent increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 2637 N. 16th St. in Encanto, Casa Corazon Restaurant serves southern Mexican cuisine like chicken mole, chile relleno and steak mexicano that customers can pair with an assortment of Mexican wines and cocktails. Check out the full menu.
