Phoenix/ Food & Drinks
Published on February 21, 2019
Are these trending Phoenix restaurants on your radar?Photo: Taphouse Kitchen/Yelp

As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, 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 to analyze which local businesses have been getting extra attention 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 extra hot, right now.

Taphouse Kitchen

Photo: taphouse kitchen/Yelp

Open since January, this New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.

Citywide, New American spots saw new reviews increase by a median of 1.9 percent over the past month, but TapHouse Kitchen saw a 90.6 percent increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.

Located at 3131 E. Shea Blvd. in Paradise Valley, TapHouse Kitchen offers a variety of appetizers from its shrimp mac 'n' cheese to its crispy calamari. Entrees include pan-seared salmon, chicken and dumplings, turkey burgers and more. 

Mimi Forno Italiano

Photo: mimi forno italiano/Yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Laveen's Mimi Forno Italiano, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 1.9 percent over the past month, Mimi Forno Italiano bagged a 36.1 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.2 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.

Open at 3624 W. Baseline Road, Suite 174, since October, Mimi Forno Italiano offers traditional Italian cuisine, including its authentic margherita pizzas with fresh mozzarella and basil, ricotta-filled ravioli and fried calamari topped with tomato sauce. (Take a look at the full menu here.)

Chronic Tacos

photo: chronic tacos/yelp

Deer Valley's Chronic Tacos is also making waves. Open since 2016 at 245 E. Bell Road, Suite A-2, the well-established Mexican and gluten-free spot, which offers tapas and more, has seen a 6.1 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.3 percent for all businesses tagged "Mexican" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 750 percent.

Chronic Tacos serves bowls, tacos, burritos and more in an assembly line-like fashion. Customers may fill their dishes with their choice of protein and toppings like guacamole, veggie fajitas and queso. (Check out the full menu here.)

Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.


This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.